Google's Project Ara

[jleebiker]

Mods, if this is posted in the wrong area, please move.

Three Big Ideas in Google’s Modular Phone That No One’s Talking About | Design | WIRED

I've been following this for a while now, and quite honestly, I am excited by it. I'm kinda down that it is backed by Google and will most likely run Droid OS, but the fact of the matter is that it is a modular device. You can upgrade and swap out parts as YOU need/want. You need/want different battery, BOOM. You want/need different camera, BOOM. You want/need diff mic, BOOM.
I'm glad to see it gaining momentum. How cool would it be if you cold even swap out cores if say you wanted to run different OS's?

There are a lot of hurdles in the way, i.e. carriers make money off your upgrades, how can they sustain that model? Could people move and jump from carrier to carrier?
But I also see a whole new way of looking at your phone, i.e. it becomes unique to you and how you need it to work. Also, I see whole new industries cropping up that would make JUST the components. This could lead the way to complimentary technology in other markets, think medical.

I also realize this won't be appealing to 90% of the market out there, but what if it did? What if it took off? One of the original specs was to design a device that could meet the needs of price points as cheap as $50 and up to $500. Also, there are people that just want a device that works. They don't want to mess with it.

How many would at least be interested in a device like this that could be customized and upgraded piece by piece?

 

[radmanvr]

If MSFT play their cards right they can make a block that runs WP and it can be an option

Yeah I first saw this as Phonebloks before Google picked it up as Project Ara. Its a really unique concept to phones. Similar to the PC you can mod and upgrade what you need.

 

[zalmah]

I think this project is amazing, I really hope it's pushed further. It seems to be pretty bad for the environment and not so good for consumers that an entirely new phone is required to be purchased every time you need to upgrade. It seems logical that some stuff should be kept and this modular project seems like a great alternative. I hope it reaches a critical mass and gets taken to market.

 

[anon9169769]

Its already out to buy in Japan but not taking off to well just purely on how it looks. But def a great idea. Its been out for a while but what's holding it back is that you cant get a universal cover for it as you will have different length blocks. Nice idea as it is tho