Google has announced that its Project Ara modular smartphone could be available by January 2015 for as little as $50.
Project Ara takes the concept of a mobile device where the major components, including the camera, speakers, GPS and other common features of modern smartphones, can be swapped for new ones, mixing and matching modules to customise the phone to do what the user needs it to do.
At the developer conference, the Ara team talked about their goals and a timeframe for development for the device, attempting to attract developers for both hardware and software to jump on-board the project.
Paul Eremenko, Google’s Project Ara head, told attendees of its developer conference that the modular device is scheduled to go on sale in January next year and will be essentially just a frame, screen, Wi-Fi connection and processor – ready for users to customise with different plug-in modules, colours and accessories.
“It’s called the Grey Phone because it’s meant to be drab grey to get people to customise it,” said Eremenko.
The core frame of the Grey phone will be built to last around five to six years, according to Eremenko, allowing users to upgrade their phones steadily, buying cheap individual components like a better camera, improved Bluetooth or new 4G radio from an app store-like shop.
Read more about the conference here
http://www.projectara.com/ara-developers-conference/