Google loves to work on new, challenging, and startling projects. One such futuristic project of Google is Project Ara modular Smartphone. It is going to be one of its kinds in the Smartphone trade. The trait that makes it unique is its “built-it-yourself” feature. Project Ara will give Smartphone users an opportunity to build the phone of their dreams. This project is in the early stages of development and will be available for the buyers by the first half of 2015.
Project Ara is a part of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group. The modular phone will come up as a base hardware or you can even call it a skeleton, with small rectangular or square shaped blocks called plug and play modules. These modules will be a camera, display, operating system, cellular radio, battery, processor and more. The skeleton or the base hardware is given the name – Endo. Buyers have the freedom of choice to pick the modules as per their desire, wish, and then fit them into the Endo. The Endo holds interchangeable modules with the help of electro permanent magnets.
In the tailor made world of today, Project Ara is an addition to various tailor made products. You can create a phone that exactly matches up to your expectations and it works precisely the way you want it to be. If you are a passionate photographer then you can add the best camera module to the Endo. Similarly, avid power users can add a second battery module.
You can always swap the fitted modules as per your convenience. This way you can customize the Project Ara Smartphone everyday in a different way and take the best out of it.
At a Project Ara developer event in Santa Clara, California, Google said, their developers will make modules by using MDK (Module Developers Kit) that is an all-new way to build a Smartphone. This technique will help users in a way, that no other Smartphone has done before. The first lot of Smartphone will probably hit the shelves in early 2015. The main aim of the project is to enable the users to update their phones by changing modules themselves.
Talking about the size, buyers will get three sizes of Project Ara Smartphone to choose from, ranging from mini to medium (similar to the size of iPhone and others) and large for the fans of Samsung Galaxy tablet. However, nothing much has been revealed about the cost factor yet. The project head, Paul Eremenko said the commerce partners would decide the price.
The buyers can buy different modules as per their need from the ecommerce site of Google. Similar to the app purchase, you will be able to purchase modules online. Google has prepared three systems to help the buyers to choose the best modules. One system will sell the Grey Phone and enable the buyer to use an app that gives demonstration on the functioning of various modules.
The second way is to use a friend’s phone in guest mode and check out the module performance on that phone, and the third option is a physical pop-up booth.
Buyers will be able to use Project Ara phones for a minimum of five to six years, which is in contrast to other Smart phones that have a much smaller life span. This will cut down your expense on gadgets. Moreover, Ara Smartphone will be easy to maintain and repair, for instance the broken screen needs a replacement with a new screen module.
Another very important and a not-to-miss benefit of Ara Smartphone is, unlike other phones you will not have to drop your Ara phone for some other phone with new feature because instead of changing the whole set, you can change the modules and save your money.
