We have reported in the past how Motorola is planning to create a customizable modular phone under Project Ara. The company has now revealed that it will soon be unveiling a functional prototype of the first Ara handset.
The idea of a modular phone is really cool. It is like taking the open-source qualities of Android and implementing them on the hardware side of a smartphone. Motorola CEO, Dennis Woodside, explains it in the following words, “The idea is you have a skeleton that holds together a set of components and the components slide in and out.”
With a modular hardware skeleton, Project Ara aims to empower the customers with the ability to fully customize hardware components of their smartphone. The project is a joint collaboration between Motorola and 3D systems. The company’s recent offering of Moto Maker was also driven by the same philosophy which is behind Project Ara.
Woodside further promises that a prototype of Ara’s modular handset will soon be revealed, “Moto Maker was the beginning of a more exciting and longer term story which is how do we involve consumers and give them more choice. Ara is much further out but you can see how those two things tie together.”
When asked how far does Motorola wish to push the customization philosophy, he states, “What we’d like to eventually get to is customizing functionality within the device and that’s where Project Ara and Moto Maker may converge.”
While it is still too early to say anything about the project, it certainly is very promising. A modular handset may seem a tad bit unrealistic at this point but if it is indeed turned from an idea into a reality, it has the potential to revolutionize the smartphone hardware industry.
Source: YouTube
Courtesy: Digital Trends
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