Baltimore, MD – The newest addition to the Star-K’s lineup of certified products is neither a food item nor a kitchen appliance, but instead, a kosher certified cell phone which can be used anywhere in the world.
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The Kosher Phone, developed by California based Kosher Phone Wireless, bears the familiar Star-K logo and runs on a Samsung SGH A157K platform. Able to run on a SIM card from any GSM provider, the Kosher Phone is a talk only phone that does not support texting or internet, cannot be hooked up to a computer, does not support memory cards and has no camera or Bluetooth capabilities.
The phone is the brainchild of Chad Hage, a 30 year old native of Los Angeles, who has been working both as a programmer and in the cell phone business for twelve years. Hage, who is not Jewish, had been discussing different phone technologies with an acquaintance when someone asked him if he had ever heard of a kosher phone.
“I did a lot of research on kosher phone and I realized that there weren’t many available,” Hage told VIN News. “Most of the ones that are sold here in the United States are not SIM based and can only be used with carriers like Verizon or Sprint. In fact, I don’t know of any kosher phones in the States that can also be used in Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel or anywhere else in the world.”
Vinishmartem.com, which offers internet filtering on computers, smartphones and other devices to fulfill its self described mission of maintaining moral purity in today’s world, offers a list of six different kosher phone providers. None work outside the United States.
Realizing that he had potentially hit on a previously untapped marketing opportunity, Hage spent nine months writing software for the phone, which relies on programming in the phone to render the device physically incapable of texting or accessing the internet.
“An experience hacker would find it extremely difficult to get around the programming,” said Hage.
Hage finds his method superior to that of having the wireless carrier turn off texting and data capabilities, a process that is often ineffective and can be circumvented with relative ease.
Once he was satisfied that his phone met the criteria to be deemed a “kosher phone”, Hage approached several certification agencies in the hopes that adding a hechsher to his phone would prove to be a useful selling point.
“I did reach out to several agencies but most didn’t know how to handle a product like this,” explained Hage. “The Star-K is well known for their research and they have certified technology before. They were open to the idea, they thought outside the box and they knew exactly what needed to be done. They understood the product right away and they embraced it.”
Hage called his affiliation with the Baltimore based Star-K “a match made in heaven.”
Rabbi Zvi Goldberg, who certifies the Kosher Phone, praised Hage and the phone for its ability to allow phone access while protecting users of all ages from the dangers of unmonitored texting and internet access.
“Schools and camps are becoming very strict with their phone policies,” said Rabbi Goldberg. “If everyone brings their own phone, there is no way to verify whether or not the phones have texting or internet and we think that this could prove to be a useful tool for those institutions.”
In addition to having the Star-K logo appearing both on a sticker on the phone and on its screen, at the request of Star-K president Dr. Avrom Pollak, the phone flashes a reminder not to speak lashon hara when it is powered up.
Currently the Kosher Phone is only available at www.kosherphonewireless.com and retails for $49.99 with free shipping available in the United States. Users have the option of purchasing a $30 unlimited monthly plan with their phone or users of GSM based carriers can put their own SIM cards into the phone, enabling them to use the Kosher Phone on their regular monthly plan.
According to Hage, in the two weeks since he has started making his phone available to the public, he has already sold approximately 200 units, with some being sold to parents who wanted their children to have a phone while they were away in camp.
“What is great here is there is a lot of flexibility in what the end user can do because they can buy minutes month to month and are not tied down to a two year contract,” observed Hage.
OK I’ll ask the obvious questions:
In what way is texting worse than speaking?
In what way is a camera on the phone worse than a camera?
What’s the problem with connecting the phone to a computer–if a phone is OK, and a computer is OK, why shouldn’t they be connectable?
What’s wrong with Bluetooth?
How silly.
Thank the Lord. Hopefully, there will continue to be more and more areas of life and the world we live in that are regulated by kosher certifications. We must put our trust in groups of rabbis who are qualified to tell us exactly what to do and when to do it, as there is no other way in which we will be able to live any sort of spiritual life. And even if this kosher phone has very little utility in the modern world, at least we can now eat it.
I propose that the next area ripe for regulation is clothing. Why don’t clothing have hechsherim? No valid reason, that’s why.
This phone can fetch $300K in auction together with apple 1st computer!
how about giving a hechsher on the galaxySIIII.
Another entreupeneur capitalizing on frumme chumras, with a frum mossad profiting along the way. It would be nice if we can focus on the many things we should be doing better that dont involve taking more $ out of the pockets of working parettns trying to pay yeshiva tuition.
How is texting inherently not kosher? Is it because one is communicating inapproproiately? Talking can accomplish the same. Is it because of sending links or attachments? On an internet disabled device, they should draw a line between SMS and MMS so at least one could text.
I will only trust it if gets an O.U. stamp. Star K sounds less strict.
If you’re reading this comment, then you are not concerned with the idea of a Kosher Phone.
Bull just get a plan from a provider call only might be cheaper
A sucker is born every day
I cannot decide who is the bigger fool….the entrepreneur who invented it, the rav who gave the “hashgacha” to this useless device, or the am haroetz who purchased it. Given that a phone has become an essential tool for basic communication, banking, travel reservations,information gathering, and job-related messages (as well as daf yomi, questions on halacha and most importantly access to VIN) the absurdity of selling a “kosher phone” affirms the greater fool theory.
Can it be used on shabbos ,?
Its not kosher this phone because I t was bishul akum. A gantze gelechter
The fact that he spent nine months designing software and all it is, a simple phone…. Let him put effort in designing a smarthphone to be kosher or atleast well developed wth strong filter
So I’m trying to understand this article in light of the article on VIN about how to be more machmir on bishul akum.
Does the yid have to build the phone, or is it enough if he just turns it on?
For $50 to have a phone you can use in any country is a metzia in itself.
Can’t it be restored with the original drivers for this model phone?
It is clear to me that you’re all not in Chinuch. If you ask ANY (down to earth) experienced Mechanich for adolescents, they may be able to answer your questions and explain to you the great problem with internet and text etc. (mainly based on EXPERIENCE, not necessarily logic)
If one would attempt to talk loshon hora. The phone would automaticaly shut down.
Pipk – LOL to your bishul akum comment.
Except for #18 , all the comments are bashers who probably couldn’t boil water, let alone create a product for which there is some demand. No one is saying YOU have to buy it. But as a parent of 8 kids, Ka”H, I can totally understand that there are people who would be interested.
I don’t believe this phone is kosher enough.
I myself invented a phone that not only has all tha advantages that this phone has, but has the ADDED feature that it prevents you from talking loshon hora by de-activating the talk function.
Additionally, it saves you money by not requiring a contract from AT&T or T-Mobile, etc., and instead comes with a FREE, LIFETIME activation from me.
Think of it: NO text, NO internet, NO camera, NO talking. This comes in a precious wood model that is 100% fine wood, or for heavier duty applications, comes in the “Brick” model. Also mincludes FREE lifetime warranty: if it ever starts working, it will be replaced at no charge!
Avoid these guys like the plague! I ordered a phone from them and was promised 2-day delivery. When the phone hadn’t arrived a week later I sent an email of inquiry, which was ignored. I sent a second email a week later, since the phone still hadn’t arrived and that was also ignored. A few days later I emailed that I was going to cancel the order and finally received a response – the phone was sitting in my local post office (who ships anything USPS these days???) No notification of delivery attempt was left. The post office, after several trips, was unable to locate the package. I asked the seller to send out another one (via UPS or FedEx and offered to pay for the additional shipping cost. He refused, unless I paid for the “lost” phone and its shipping! Seller refuses to give his name. This is a shady outfit; buy your kosher phone elsewhere!