Project Ara is the codename for an initiative by Google that aims to develop a free,open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones. The platform will include a structural frame that holds smartphone modules of the owners choice, such as a display, keyboard or an extra battery. It would allow users to swap out malfunctioning modules or upgrade individual modules as innovations emerge, providing longer lifetime cycles for the handset, and potentially reducing electronic waste.The first model of the modular phone is scheduled to be released in January 2015 and is expected to cost around $50. Google says the phone is designed to be used by six billion people, including the one billion smartphone users and the five billion feature phone users.Google intends to sell a starter kit where the bill of materials is US$50 and includes a frame, display, battery, low-end CPU and WiFi. Google wants Project Ara to lower the entry barrier for phone hardware manufacturers so there could be hundreds of thousands of developers instead of the current handful of big manufacturers.Anyone will be able to build a module without requiring a license or paying a fee. #google #projectara
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 05:10:36 +0000
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