The world of modular smartphones might still be in its baby stages, but when Google decided to sell Motorola to Lenovo they kept Project Ara, convinced that they could do something with the team working on the smartphone.
Project Ara, for those unaware or that cannot remember, was Motorola’s official response to PhoneBloks, a viral campaign on making a modular device to help the environment and lower costs in the developing world.
Google wants to make this a reality, where a buyer will grab the barebones package and begin customising it with an expert to their own price point and needs, perhaps a user wants a smaller screen or LTE, or even just a larger battery.
Project Ara is still a few years out, but Google and the team working on the project believe it can be a reality and something both consumers and manufacturers by into, allowing more openness and competitiveness.
The most exciting bit of news coming from the article in Time Techland is Google not wanting to make any money on Project Ara, at least not for themselves, selling the barebones package for $50.
After Google sells the boards, assuming the make them in house, the user should be able to pick from a variety of processor, screen, audio and battery manufacturers, with expert help to point them to the best one.
Like we said, it is a long way away and Google will need to school users on what to buy and what to look for in a smartphone, if they were to make the Project Ara store public and add a range of components.
Our wonder is how far Project Ara will go if it ever become public, the iPhone, HTC One and Galaxy S5 already offer differences and choice and it may become more costly the more high-market users go on the modular smartphone.
