THE NEXT BIG THING?

What if there were a smartphone you could keep upgrading for the rest of your life? That’s the idea behind Phonebloks, a concept dreamed up by Dutch designer Dave Hakkens. Unlike an iPhone, the handset utilizes swappable parts called “bloks,” which lock into a baseplate much the way Legos do. In theory, users could “choose the kind of screen they want, the quality of their camera, or how potent they want their loudspeaker to be,” saidSalvador Rodriguez in LATimes.com, tailoring the phone to their personal needs. The other main aim of this “radical cellphone idea,” saidArion McNicoll in CNN​.com, is to “dramatically reduce global electronic waste.” While the phone is still in the concept phase, the video pitch has gone viral on YouTube, racking up more than 14 million views. Perhaps potential investors are taking notes.