The Washington Post featured an article on the "Kosher" phone - a no no frills mobile device being marketed in Israel by local provider Mirs for Orthodox Jewish and other conservative groups. It allows you to make phone calls and not much else. It has the blessings of several Rabbinical groups and a bright future if marketed correctly. What's more - devices and services like this are growing.

No SMS or mobile video:

The kosher phone is stripped down to its original function: making and receiving calls. There's no text messaging, no Internet access, no video options, no camera. More than 10,000 numbers for phone sex, dating services and other offerings are blocked. A team of rabbinical overseers makes sure the list is up to date. 

Faith adapting to technical neccessity:

These are the same rabbis who have told followers to scorn television and radio. But mobile phones are considered just too essential in one of the world's most tech-friendly nations. The ultra-Orthodox account for about 7 percent of Israel's 7 million people.

Potential market with conservative groups:

Now MIRS is thinking bigger. Talks are under way to introduce a kosher phone to Jewish communities in the United States and other nations possibly later this year. Israeli Arabs -- about 20 percent of the population -- have also taken notice of the phones as a possible option for those trying to protect conservative Islamic sensibilities.

The  IFTF blog on religion and technoloy states that such devices along with other services such as Xianx ( a christian themed version of MySpace) are a logical outflow for conservative groups and should be not be interpreted as an anti technological drive, saying:

"Xianz and the kosher phone are likewise expressions of the tension between the desire to embrace the new, while reaffirming the traditional. What both of these examples share is a desire to use these technologies, but at the same time to protect believers from the negative effects-- porn and predators. Finally, they remind me of the Chinese government's attempts to make the Internet "safe" for its citizens (and itself): to harness what's powerful about technology, while minimizing exposure to the bad stuff."

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