14 DAY TRIAL // There have been lots of prototypes in the form of modular handsets over the past couple of years, but none has seen the light of day.
The only thing close to this type of phone was Modu, a brand that launched modular handsets back in 2009, but ceased operations in 2011 in order to pay back its debts.
Around the same time, Google announced that it had acquired a part of Modu’s portfolio of patents regarding the modular cellular device.
Today, Motorola, wholly owned by Google, announced the so-called Project Ara, which is based on the same idea of a modular phone.
“Project Ara is developing a free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones. We want to do for hardware what the Android platform has done for software: create a vibrant third-party developer ecosystem, lower the barriers to entry, increase the pace of innovation, and substantially compress development timelines,” said Paul Eremenko, head of Motorola Advanced Technology and Projects group.
The device that Motorola is now developing is made of an endoskeleton and several modules. The endoskeleton is in fact the frame that holds the modules together, while the modules can be anything, from a new application processor to a new display or keyboard, an extra battery or something that has yet to be launched on the market.
Furthermore, Motorola has confirmed that it has teamed up with Phonebloks to develop a phone platform that is modular, customizable and open for everyone.
“So we will be working on Project Ara in the open, engaging with the Phonebloks community throughout our development process, as well as asking questions to our Project Ara research scouts (volunteers interested in helping us learn about how people make choices),” added Eremenko.
And that’s not all, as Motorola has announced that it will send invitations to developers in the next few months to start creating modules for the Ara platform. According to the handset maker, the alpha release of the Module Developer Kit has been set for winter 2013.
