Motorola announces Ara, a new modular phone concept

[Xahid]

We have seen the ambitions Phonebloks concept in the past. But while the idea was definitely amazing, it was hard not to get cynical about its success, considering it was just guy with an idea trying to get the attention of companies around the world to make it a reality.

But what if one of those companies decided to take the idea and do something about it? Presenting the Motorola Ara, a modular phone concept that might actually become real one day.

 

Just like with Phonebloks, the Ara will have removable modules that will let you replace or upgrade specific parts of the device. This makes repair and upgrading easy but also lets you customize the phone to your exact needs. You can choose only those modules that are important to you and skimp out on the others.

 

The Motorola Ara project has been in development for a year now, so it's not something Motorola put together when they saw the Phonebloks video. Motorola will also be working with the creator of the Phonebloks concept Dave Hakkens on the Ara project.

Motorola will soon be sending invites to developers to start working on modules for the Ara and an alpha version of a Module Developer's Kit will be released in winter.

 

Copied from GSMArena.com (Source)

 

[Max Norris]

Ok.. color me impressed with the concept. Curious to see how it plays out in reality.

[firey]

That's pretty cool.  I wonder if AMD/Nvidia will release Graphics modules.  "Take your mobile gaming to the next level with the geforce-p 260. Graphics Module!"

[neufuse Veteran]

drop it and all the modules just fly out of the device :rofl:

 

seriously though, they better lock those modules in pretty well.....

[Arachno 1D]

Seriously though havent they been trying this for years with PCs but each manufacturer and each upgrade in tech makes the pieces incompatable.

[firey]

Seriously though havent they been trying this for years with PCs but each manufacturer and each upgrade in tech makes the pieces incompatable.

I dunno.. I mean I could upgrade my graphics card to a new one and it will work no problem.  I could upgrade my HDD or install a new one and it will work perfectly.. same with the ram.   Updating the CPU.. that's a different story.. but everything else will work. 

 

[Arachno 1D]

Yes but how many differences have we had from ISA to PCI express and memory has several differing speeds and types none of which fit in the same connector or are compatable.

[Growled Member]

I would serious consider this if they could ever get it released. It might be the next evolution of phones even.

[Xahid]

Motorola and 3D Systems team up to build the Ara modular handset

When it got announced by Motorola late last month, Project Ara captured a great deal of attention by showcasing a modular smartphone concept which allows users to replace specific parts of their device. Today, the concept came closer to reality, as Motorola and 3D Systems announced a partnership to manufacture custom-built, modular smartphones.

The two companies will team up to create a high-speed 3D printing production platform and fulfillment system. The partnership will see both 3D Systems and Motorola make advancements in the usage of new materials, as well as production methods.

If it completes the development phase successfully, 3D Systems will become an exclusive fulfillment partner to Motorola. The company will manufacture both smartphone enclosures and modules.

 

Source

[HawkMan]

This just screams bad idea.

 

it's going to be expensive, and being modular the different parts of the phone won't work that well together. 

[Phouchg]

More likely it won't (be allowed to) happen because it'd kill the insane markup presently enforced by brands. Just consider easily upgrading storage space, where 32 GB costs $25, 64 GB actually costs $50 and 128 GB just $100 (I'm using USB flash drive prices here), for example. Ridiculous, isn't it?

[riahc3]

Hello,

WOW, this is starting to roll, isnt it?

[medhunter]

Fantastic for me.Some parts can be easily accomplished such as Batteries, Cameras, Storage Media...I persume

[LittleNeutrino Veteran]

i remember earlier this year someone on kickstarter tried to get something like this off the ground and i can honestly say that if this becomes a think i would switch to it in a heart beat. Being able to just upgrade pieces parts of a phone rather than the whole device is amazing. just upgrade what you want at the time.

 

the only downside to this is there would have to be frequent updates to the software of the device to allow for the new hardware parts.

[riahc3]

Hello,

the only downside to this is there would have to be frequent updates to the software of the device to allow for the new hardware parts.

Linux has always been doing this pretty OK...

[corrosive23]

Seriously though havent they been trying this for years with PCs but each manufacturer and each upgrade in tech makes the pieces incompatable.

wtf are you talking about? PC has had thisfor decades.pci-e is a standard slot, ddr3 is a standard slot sata is as well.

[medhunter]

i remember earlier this year someone on kickstarter tried to get something like this off the ground

 

Sure there was.You reminded of Ubuntu Edge....Too good to be true (both of them)

[123456789A]

Hopefully I can attach a few GTX Titans to this phone.

[FiB3R]

So much wasted space taken up by the frame, and the shell of each component. I'd rather just have everything built in, you know, just like it is today.

 

The only things I want to be "modular", are the battery and extra storage.

[FloatingFatMan]

Drop this thing and BAM! Bits everywhere!