When the Raspberry Pi Compute Module was announced ealier this month, a group of us at MAKE discussed what kind of impact it could have. For one, we thought perhaps it could help foster the rise of DIY electronics such as cameras, cellphones, and laptops.

Even without the Compute Module, software engineer and Raspberry Pi enthusiast Dave Hunt made a lot of headway with his own Raspberry Pi-based cellphone. By sandwiching together a Raspberry Pi Model B, TFT touch screen, a lithium polymer battery, and GSM module, Dave has cobbled together a portable GSM phone that can place calls with a headset.

“It’s more of a proof of concept to see what could be done with a relatively small form factor with off-the-shelf (cheap) components,” Dave says. “I don’t expect everyone to be rushing out to build this one, but I had great fun in doing it, as it builds quite nicely on my previous projects.” The total cost of the PiPhone project? Just $158, no contract required! See it in action below:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eaiNsFhtI8]

[via The Official Raspberry Pi Blog]