Want a customized Android handset? Look to Germany's Synapse-Phones

We're all used to the customization options that come with Android OS, but what if you could customize the hardware you buy? A small startup called Synapse is experimenting with the idea of individually customizing Android handsets for customers. 

Here are the starting specs one would work with:

  • Android 2.2 (Froyo)
  • 1GHz processor
  • 4-inch Super-AMOLED screen
  • microSD card slot, expandable to 32GB

After that, customizable options include:

  • Radio (3G or 4G, including LTE and WiMAX)
  • Bluetooth
  • Camera (including: front and back-facing camera options, up to 12MP and whether or not to include flash)
  • Mini-HDMI
  • Physical or capacitive buttons 
  • Body color (black or white)
  • Working memory
  • Built-in memory
  • Mobile television built-in

This sounds like a great idea. It seems that if you kept the default options, the price would be €299 (about $410) -- not too bad for a phone with these specs. Note that the start-up has been experiencing server issues and does not load 100 percent of the time. I was able to gain access after about 15 minutes. Great idea though; it's always great to see the innovative ideas that come from the open-source community. [Synapse Phones via Engadget]

Sean Brunett