Project Ara delayed until 2016 – what was that again? – Personal Computer Magazine

Google’s modular smartphone, Ara Project, has been postponed again. The phone is only now in 2016 on the market, while Google always insisted that the device would be launched this year. What was that again with Project Ara?

Project Ara

Project Ara is an idea from the pen of Google. Ara is a modular smartphone, which means that all parts of the device to be replaced loose. So you can not only the battery or upgrade the memory, but also hardware such as the screen, the processor or RAM.

Project Ara is an experimental part of Motorola, which in 2011 was acquired by Google. The company initially did not do much with the modular phones, but began in April 2013 with cautious expansion project.

 

Difficult start

In recent years, Google has slowly been trying to bring the concept to the man. This occurred particularly through developer meetings where hackers were able to work on the parts. In early 2015 Google first talked about a consumer launch in late 2015 would take place. That would be first in Puerto Rico, with the taking Google saw a playful launch for themselves which parts from a foodtruck were sold.

Now the launch is postponed to 2016, as the company says in a very brief statement on Twitter.

 

 When in 2016 this is, is not entirely clear. However, like the makers say that there are more problems resolve than originally thought.

Gain

The added value of a modular phone can guess. Phones currently have a life, pack-’em-bite, three years. Then, a device is too old and you can depreciate it. With Ara Project is not the case. If your phone gets too slow, you can easily replace certain parts. Think of more RAM or a better camera.

That’s a lot cheaper than buying a new phone every time. The concept is similar to (and inspired by) the sale of PCs. It is much more attractive to build your own PC where all parts to be replaced separately if improvements are cheaper.

Take for example the memory of devices. Of this, the cheaper each year to buy more of it. But if you have a phone from two years old, then the chances are you still with 8 GB opscheept is. Now memory via micro sd still expanding, but camera lenses get more and more pixels that can not be replaced.

Strategy Google

Project Ara fits by Google’s mobile strategy. The project has been very good agreements with Android, especially open character. Like Android Ara Project is focused on openness, and manufacturers. Google lays the groundwork, and manufacturers may elaborate on it. For example, different phone makers build their own parts, but because Google is the foundation decides Google in which all the components are based.

In this way, Google has not only control over the software (like Android) but also hardware devices.

Success (?)

About the success of such a method is still debated. Although Google believes that the concept of a modular phone is revolutionary, but there seem to be few potential buyers for such a device. That may be because there’s so little is known:. Few consumers know what the project entails, and ‘we’ have become accustomed phones to buy as a whole to a maximum of two or three years go

All project also depends to a large extent on manufacturers, because it has to be easy to soon be able to buy parts. However, this is a chicken-and-egg story, because large manufacturers do not get excited about a project that has few (potential) buyers.

Cons

has a modular smartphone also a few drawbacks. You may for example ask how beautiful a phone is made up of so many different blocks. With a smartphone it is no longer just about functionality as a unit is also a status symbol. That should be a bit nice. The fact that the phone mainly of magnetic blocks exist can sometimes present a danger if for example, you keep bank cards in your pocket.

But more important than aesthetics is that in such devices quite easy compatibility problems. Like software now, it is quite possible that some systems do not work well together.

This is not an unthinkable thought, as developments go fast. If a manufacturer now makes a specific module for Ara-phone, it is quite possible that new modules about two years back are available that are not connected to each other. Also, it may well be that some software will no longer compatible with the hardware, for example because it is unsafe.

There are in this case, two scenarios are possible. In one case all parts Google together with the manufacturers to make sure that must remain compatible with each other for years, but that means that you have outdated technology after a while, ‘ordinary’ smartphones to have passed. Otherwise keep users keep outdated smartphone technology, and Project Ara trying to prevent.

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