HI matchy for this of visual FX and not too much expesive you can make something like this:
I comment sometimes about Arduino, it´s very easy programming, it´s something like GLbasic, or more easy, the only bad it´s the IDE, very very simple, you can use Eclipse too.
Arduino, you can mout yourself a board, for about 8 or 9 E, buying the ucontroller in ebay(if you need info please comment me), and if you don´t have too much idea about soldering, or you have to buy and all this thing, you can buy, an Arduino mounted, each model have a diferent prices... better buy in China, but sometimes not are 100% compatibles.
The matrix led, perhaps this it´s abit more expendive becuase each led, have 3 colors... but I´m sure it´s more cheaper than buy 100 phones... sure

If are interested comment me, but in internet you have a huge information about Arduino.
PS: I think to make a port for Glbasic, i think the great trouble I will have, it´s make the Avr-Gcc compiler works whit the GLBasic IDE... at today I´m a newby whit this of programming.
