WIDGET MAKER D-LINK has desperately tried to shed its boring image by designing a funky phone, dubbed the FuChat.

The new device is a concept phone that won a bronze prize in the 'Concepts and Prototypes of Communication Tools' category at the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2008.

So what, have you ever known of a product that hasn't won an award?

The question people will want to know about this phone is this: It's 'funky'; does that mean it stinks? Let INQUIRER readers be the jury and let the message broad carry your verdict. All we're going to do here is present the evidence.

The FuChat apparently serves as a next generation cordless phone that can make both landline and internet calls. So far, so good. D-Link has a record of making no-nonsense comms products, cheaply. They are one of the few companies in IT that actually dares to be dull.

And yet in August they created what is, essentially, a mood phone. A bit like those tacky plastic mood watches we had in the 70s.

The handset has built-in sensors that gauge the changes in a user's voice and body temperature. As it determines the user's emotional state, the phone responds to inform the user of their current status through sound, lights, and colour on the phone.

Still, we reckon the kids will probably like it. Better still, it’s made of renewable plastic, so it's recycling friendly should be chucked out three days after Xmas.

This is a concept phone and not yet for sale so the question becomes: Should they bother taking it further?

Members of the jury, we await your verdict. µ