HMD has unveiled their latest innovation, this time a smartphone which has the ability to attach accessories so you can have your phone your way. The HMD Fusion is also priced to compete at just $499 with outfits for the phone which alter its hardware and software available later in the year.
The HMD Fusion allows you to customise it with various ‘outfits’ to alter the device based on what you want the smartphone to do at that particular time. With a hardware developer kit and open source software HMD are hoping that others take the ball and roll with it — not the first time we have seen a concept such as this but hopefully HMD are a big enough company that they can put the resources required for it to be successful behind it.
HMD themselves are offering a small suite of outfits for the Fusion later this year:
- One with an in-built ring light, the Flashy Outfit, that you can control using software on the phone.
- A Rugged Outfit with IP68 protection that is dust-tight and protected against full immersion in water. this one includes wireless charging magnets and an ICE button — perfect for the adrenaline junkies in the outdoors.
- Gaming Outfit with full console gaming-like controls for all your favourite supported games.
- Casual Outfit for a classy, stylish look to match your evening attire — available in a variety of colours.
- Coppernic Barcode Scanner Outfit for scanning barcodes quick and easily.
- Wireless Outfit that looks good but adds wireless charging magnetic support to the Fusion.
The HMD Fusion itself arrives with a 108MP dual rear camera and a 50MP selfie camera with added selfie software feature to improve your selfie game.
HMD Fusion is design with their new FIY (Fix It Yourself) in mind offering the ability to have it fixed easily if required. It is equipped with Gen 2 repairability allowing you to easily change a depleted battery, smashed display and more. Using an iFixit kit available for $39.99 all you have to do it ‘pop’ open the phone, unscrew the part to be replaced and then put it back together with the new part in place. Seems simple right?
“In this day and age, a smartphone is more than just a device for connectivity. It’s a fashion statement, a means to express ourselves and a tool for navigating the modern world. HMD Fusion is the next generation of smartphone – for the first time, we’re inviting people to embrace their creativity and build a device that’s totally tailored to them with our industry-first Smart Outfits. Fusion represents everything we stand for at Human Mobile Devices: creativity, innovation and collaboration, and we’re so excited to see what people create.”
Lars Silberbauer, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Human Mobile Devices (HMD)
HMD Fusion will be available from October 10 in Australia from Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks (online), Big W (online) and via www.hmd.com/en_au for A$499 RRP. Flashy, Rugged, Wireless and Gaming Outfits are available later this year.
Scott is our resident open technology expert. If you can mod it, or want to use it your way, Scott has probably done it. From Laptops to phones, headphones and game consoles, he’s played with it and wants to see the next generation.
