Cebuano inventor makes eco-friendly smartphone dock

MANILA, Philippines - An award-winning Cebuano inventor made an environment-friendly smartphone dock from recycled forest dirt, debris and castaway limestone materials, and is eyeing Japan and Europe’s techie markets.

Pedro Delantar is set to ship 200 units of his Mijo Phone Deck, which he said is especially designed for Apple iPhones but can be used also for Blackberry and other smartphones.

“The phone dock serves as a hands-free device for conference calls and of course, regular voice and video calls,” Delantar said.

Its use does not need a speakerphone and electricity because the design is meant to maximize acoustics and volume.

The Mijo Phone Deck is made from the Naturescast and Marmocast technology Delantar developed. This technology also allows him to make furniture, home decor and furnishings from afro-forest debris and small castoff limestone from Cebu’s limestone quarries.

Asked why he decided to make the Mijo Phone Deck, Delantar said the gadget would have a ready market in Japan.

The Japanese, he said, are the type of people who spend on gadgets and are also appreciative of products that are eco-friendly but still aesthetically beautiful.

“Forty percent of the people in Japan use an iPhone. I wanted to come up with a new product for the Japanese market,” Delantar told The STAR in an interview in his factory and showroom complex in Compostela, Cebu.

Delantar also wants to market his Mijo Phone Deck in Europe, initially Turkey.

Prior to this, Delantar bagged the top prize at the Department of Science and Technology’s National Inventors Contest and Exhibit held during National Science and Technology Week in July.

Delantar is a former president of the Rotary Club of Cebu and a member of the Filipino Inventors Society.