Lego for smartphones? How is that even possible?
Project Ara is the idea of a smartphone that you build yourself using separate modules that slot together like "Lego". Each housing a specific feature or function, is definitely interesting, but it seems like this project has both good and bad results:
The benefits of a modular, build-it-yourself phone:
- Phones could be $50 up front:You could start with a bare bones phone with a crappy, low-resolution screen and weak processor, then slowly upgrade it as you get the money.
- You only buy the features that you want:You can customize your experience and avoid paying for functions that don't interest you.
- Your phone could last indefinitely:Instead of discarding your device and buying a new one, you could just upgrade and swap components as and when you need to.
- Repairs are easier and cheaper.You only need to swap individual modules when they fail or break, there's no need to send your phone off for repair.
- You could have two versions of your phone.You could re-use the same modules in a small frame for traveling light, or slot them into a larger frame on a day you have your bag with you.
Problems with a modular, build-it-yourself phone:
- It will be bigger and heavier than a standard phone:Individual modules with connectors are certainly going to add up to extra bulk.
- It will be more expensive:If a phone manufacturer is offering the same design smartphone in a package, it will inevitably be cheaper than the Ara equivalent. The only difference is that you can buy your Ara one piece at a time.
- The connectors are guaranteed to cause problems:The magnets that hold the modules together may be strong enough to make sure that it doesn't come apart in your hand or break into pieces when dropped, but what if a connector is damaged or dirty?
- Certain combinations won't work:If you opt for advanced modules for features like the camera, then it's not going to work properly if you put a slow processor or a small battery. There's no way every possible type of component can be compatible with one another, so there will have to be a complex set of exceptions.
- It won't be optimized:Phone manufacturers like Samsung stick their hardware together with their software and enhance the package to run smoothly. How will an Ara phone contest with a purpose-built device?
The original idea of Project Ara came from a Dutch designer Dave Hakkens. He revealed Phonebloks, which was first considered as a way of reducing electronic waste. Motorola's Advanced Technology and Projects Group (ATAP) began to work with Phonebloks and when Google agreed to sell Motorola Mobility to Lenovo it decided to keep the group.
Majority of people want a complete product that requires no extra input from them.
Since then, Google has contracted NK Labs and 3D Systems, the major maker of 3D-printing equipment to work on the project, it has released a Module Developer Kit, and announced a plan for a January launch for Ara.
3D Systems is developing a new high-speed continuous 3D printer capable of cranking out enclosures for Ara modules in volume, allowing for phones to be both mass-produced and custom-designed in a way that's new for any consumer product. Sooner or later, even electrical elements such as the antennas might be printed rather than manufactured by conventional means.
"If this is successful, it could become one of those watershed moments for 3D printing," says 3D Systems CEO Avi Reichental. "All of us passionately share the vision of what this could become, and the passion to do our best to make it happen."
Moreover, the Ara platform authorized the hot-swapping of modules, without requiring you to power down the phone - which means that you could slide out the camera and replace it with a battery whenever you needed it.
Project Ara phones will also run an improved version of its upcoming Android L operating system, which it has developed with the help of developers of the Linaro Linux-based software.
Google gave additional details on Project Ara that the modular mobile phone concept is scheduled for early 2015. Specifically, it will be sold via "a new online store" as well as Google Play once released, according to Phoneblocks; Ara's developer blog.
