Make the circuit board smaller and shove it in a gutted old phone - now you have open source phone, unrootable and not suspicious.
Edit: sorry, wolfgke informed us that still we can't have the cake.
Edit: sorry, wolfgke informed us that still we can't have the cake.
1. In a sea of people carrying iPhones and/or other various touchscreen smart phones, the minority of people using any kind of alternative seem to possess minscule flip phones with full-color displays. I haven't seen a candy bar phone in ages, unless it happens to be some venerable variety of nigh-defunct BlackBerry. I can't imagine this kit being resized down to a scale that would ever fit into what might be regarded as "common", especially since DIY kits need to be produced with parts big enough to man-handle, lest they risk total obscurity. No DIY kit will ever be successful if the parts involved are small enough to warrant a jewler's or watch maker's precision. Would you sell the kit with a loupe and tweezers?
2. Why should an unorthodox handset be suspicious? I guess it depends on the country one might live in? Also passing through customs and airport security, I guess?
I still use a candy bar Samsung with a slide-out keyboard.
Do you think it would be possible to gut the phone, and replace it with your own home-brew parts? Would the slide-out keyboard be likely to integrate into whatever DIY parts you select?
Though now that Nokia got sold, i have a relic!