UPDATED 23:26 EST / JANUARY 11 2016

NEWS

Do you vape? If the answer is yes there’s now a smartphone that doubles as an e-cigarette

Do you vape?

The rise of electronic cigarettes as an alternative to smoking has been profound over the last five years, and rightfully so, as they provide a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes for those who are addicted to nicotine.

Vaping requires a user to carry an e-cigarette device with the decent ones, at least, being somewhat large and bulky.

But what if your smartphone could double as an e-cigarette?

Well now it can with the Jupiter IO 4, a 4G LTE Android smartphone with 5.3-inch display that has a removable rear cover that allows users to attach cartridges of liquid for vaping.

Described by the company as integrating “texting, talking, surfing, and vaping into one spectacular, innovative technology,” that will “change the world as we know it,” the device includes the ability to vape fluids, medicines, and something called nutraceuticals.

The phone itself comes with (we’re not making this up) “interactive surround lighting” and the “groundbreaking Lightning Box which contains a phone, a hex wall charger and USB cord,” according to the company.

Not only does the device naturally offer vaping, it also features an “innovative, advanced vaping App” that tracks your vaping use, and dual batteries given that between Facebook and puffing away you’re going to need the extra power.

To use, users attach a mouthpiece to the phone and push a button on the display to trigger the vaping process, with the app tracking how much juice is left, the type of flavor the user is puffing on, and how many times you’ve vaped and when.

Novelty

While some details about the phone are not clear, such as the processor running the phone or how many megapixels the cameras are, it’s still nonetheless a novel idea that stands out at a time when there are now an inordinate number of smartphones on the market from over 1,000 manufacturers, with many of them offering the same boring things.

A survey in June 2015 found that a remarkable 1 in 10 Americans now vape, and while we can’t see all of them giving up their iPhones and Samsungs to embrace the Jupiter IO 4, that’s still a potential market of 31.8 million people in the United States alone, and that’s before you look offshore to other places where vaping is both legal and increasingly popular such as the United Kingdom; if it sold even 100,000 units it would still be a massive success for what is a unique and niche product.

How much for this marvel of modern technology?

$499 with the website saying that orders are limited to five per customer due to high demand.

Image credit: Jupiter/vaporcade

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