[QUOTE=bunguer;42146891]The comparison with computers simply doesn't work because it is still quite different, I can't insert my GPU in the audio slot can I?
[/QUOTE]
But isn't that because nobody's ever actually tried to use this concept in a large computer/machine/whatever?
[QUOTE=Zukriuchen;42147035]But isn't that because nobody's ever actually tried to use this concept in a large computer/machine/whatever?[/QUOTE]
Without going into too much details, it's a simple case of performance, you can have USB cameras, microphones, memories etc etc and it all works well but it's impossible to achieve the speed of an internal system. You have to trade off compatibility and some other stuff in trade of performance.
If this atleast sparks some interest of some hobbyist, who could even make something similar as a proof as concept it would be victory enough.
How complex would the base unit have to be to allow the multiple configurations? Would it as hard to set up the "plug & play" functionality as you guys think? Maybe something similar to the way USB functions? You can send, and receive information and power through a USB, and I can plug the device into any port and it will still work. The blocks would all have to come with some sort of identification chip to tell the main board what's connected, along with some kind of driver perhaps, As long as every pin on the main board can send and receive power and data at fast enough rates.
I guess you would just need the main board to be a computer on its own, defeating the purpose I guess.
[editline]10th September 2013[/editline]
I guess above post explains it. I would be impossible to achieve enough speed to make it worthwhile.
I really don't think electronics work like this. It's a really neat idea, but I just can't see it happening.
[QUOTE=Fatfatfatty;42146773]It would be possible if every part had specific slots, but this seems to be anything goes. Which is insanely complex.[/QUOTE]
doesnt really sound all that complex tbh. i could probably come up with a hypothetical way the arbitrary connections could work in not too long if i cared to
Fun and interesting concept.
But clearly made by an artist/designer.
- Instead of allowing blocks to be placed anywhere, have designated locations for each one (Like a PC).
- Give each block a standard height and width (Like a PC).
- Every "base" should conform to some type of standard that works with all types of blocks (Like a motherboard).
Take out the speculative pieces of information and it's actually quite feasible. I don't see it going so far as to allow you to upgrade your phone's CPU at any point in time, but I can definitely see upgrading cameras, batteries, speakers, screens, etc.
[QUOTE=Swebonny;42147517]But clearly made by an artist/designer.[/QUOTE]
not a bad thing tho, as someone who isnt already deep into the ways something traditionally works can often offer a much more divergent line of thought to solve a problem
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;42147485]doesnt really sound all that complex tbh. i could probably come up with a hypothetical way the arbitrary connections could work in not too long if i cared to[/QUOTE]
Having the circuit redirect current depending where stuff is plugged in really doesn't seem all that simple to do. The board itself may need some form of processor to work such things out. Seeing as the processor can't process until the current has been directed to it.
And just applying a blanket current could be risky to sensitive components.
It's a very cool concept, but it's just that, a concept. It doesn't seem technically feasible at this point in time.
[QUOTE=haloguy234;42147543]- Instead of allowing blocks to be placed anywhere, have designated locations for each one (Like a PC).
- Give each block a standard height and width (Like a PC).
- Every "base" should conform to some type of standard that works with all types of blocks (Like a motherboard).
Take out the speculative pieces of information and it's actually quite feasible. I don't see it going so far as to allow you to upgrade your phone's CPU at any point in time, but I can definitely see upgrading cameras, batteries, speakers, screens, etc.[/QUOTE]
The standards change so fast this would also not work. In less than a year your base wouldn't be able to accommodate newer blocks.
[QUOTE=bunguer;42147608]The standards change so fast this would also not work. In less than a year your base wouldn't be able to accommodate newer blocks.[/QUOTE]
Desktop computer hardware has been maintained by many IEEE standards since its introduction on the public consumer market.
What are you talking about?
A modular phone would be really cool though. It's like the exact polar opposite of everything Apple believes.
[QUOTE=haloguy234;42147680]Desktop computer hardware has been maintained by many IEEE standards since its introduction on the public consumer market.
What are you talking about?[/QUOTE]
To give an example, for PC, CPU socket changes, let's say every 3 years. For mobile we are looking into 1 year.
Ignoring CPU, you could have the same problem with GPU.
Ignoring CPU and GPU, good luck dealing with new screens.
Ignoring GPU, CPU and screen and you have a very different product from the video that's quite undesirable.
[QUOTE=icemaz;42146137]I dunno I feel like this could be very expensive. It seems like when other companies are involved, it'll be a razor/razor blade kind of deal, where the initial price is low but upgrades will cost an absolute bomb. Want a better camera, hand over £150 and you can have it? Plus there's limited space, so if that better camera takes up more space you suddenly need to buy several new parts because you've run out of space on the breadboard of the device.[/QUOTE]
Everything else in the thread aside, this is still the biggest roadblock aside from the mind mindbogglingly crazy circuitry.
Does anyone think Apple would back this? Their entire thing is that they market overly expensive but easy to use electronics to people, but they are notorious for trying to annihilate every other competitor unfairly and downright dickishly.
This kind of think requires a lot of collaboration between at least the top 3 phone producing companies which in itself isn't going to happen, let alone individually.
The idea is fucking amazing though. You don't even have to throw out the parts you replace. You could trade them like fucking yi-gi-oh cards or something and no doubt every sort of second hand business/pawn shop ever would have tons of these if they were a thing.
[QUOTE=haloguy234;42147680]Desktop computer hardware has been maintained by many IEEE standards since its introduction on the public consumer market.
What are you talking about?[/QUOTE]
The solder points on cell phone chipsets change almost every year.
The SoC should be permanently attached to the main board while everything else plugs into it
[QUOTE=bunguer;42147763]To give an example, for PC, CPU socket changes, let's say every 3 years. For mobile we are looking into 1 year.
Ignoring CPU, you could have the same problem with GPU.
Ignoring CPU and GPU, good luck dealing with new screens.
Ignoring GPU, CPU and screen and you have a very different product from the video that's quite undesirable.[/QUOTE]
When CPU sockets change on PCs new CPUs are released along with new motherboards to support them. You aren't even obligated to upgrade.
This wouldn't really be any different than that. More importantly, the engineering standards are [I]already in place.[/I] That's why it doesn't require an unreasonable amount of time for more new phones to hit the shelves. Besides, I'm sure if this did happen, upgrading the CPU would be nigh impossible.
As for GPUs, desktop GPUs have been carrying the [I]same exact[/I] standards for output for decades. When a new standard is introduced, new GPUs usually support the legacy standards as well as any new ones. Why can't that system be enforced on mobile GPUs?
The only thing this concept needs to be realized are properly recognized and enforced industry standards. [I]That's it.[/I]
Unfortunately, most companies would likely be opposed to that because apparently nobody likes change.
I also adore• how the video goes on about one part breaking, everything else being fine, just switch the broken piece out!
What if the screen and baseblock breaks or shorts out? That's gonna be a pretty penny to replace considering HD screens and god-knows-what kind of magical nonexistent supercircuitry is inside the base.
[QUOTE=haloguy234;42147929]When CPU sockets change on PCs new CPUs are released along with new motherboards to support them. You aren't even obligated to upgrade.
This wouldn't really be any different than that. More importantly, the engineering standards are [I]already in place.[/I] That's why it doesn't require an unreasonable amount of time for more new phones to hit the shelves. Besides, I'm sure if this did happen, upgrading the CPU would be nigh impossible.
As for GPUs, desktop GPUs have been carrying the [I]same exact[/I] standards for output for decades. When a new standard is introduced, new GPUs usually support the legacy standards as well as any new ones. Why can't that system be enforced on mobile GPUs?
The only thing this concept needs to be realized are properly recognized and enforced industry standards. [I]That's it.[/I]
Unfortunately, most companies would likely be opposed to that because apparently nobody likes change.[/QUOTE]
Take a look into system-on-a-chip and package on package solutions used today, take a look at Apple A4 for example. Notice how it combines both the CPU and the GPU? It also combines more stuff, but just those two are enough to make this device worthless in the future. You need a new CPU and GPU if you want to be updated. Newer screens with increased high-resolution, newer OS with more expensive UI effects. If you ignore all that, the product would have no marketable value and it would be worthless.
The reason it's combined it's because it is much more efficient, having them separated could cause major differences and would make this much more expensive and worse actually.
Without upgradeable GPUs or CPUs, what do you have?
Amazing idea, but it doesn't work that way.
[QUOTE=DOG-GY;42146648]why? this is basically like building your own computer, just extremely simplified so anyone can do it. this is the most economically sustainable and efficient thing that could ever happen to phones.[/QUOTE]
computer building 101: you can't remove your hard drive brick in favor of 'the cloud' to make space for socketing a larger speed cube to a breadboard and expect it to do anything short of a pyrotechnics display when the power crystal box is pegged directly into the circuitry nextdoor
also I still have a book here from forever ago with your name in it, it return-to-sender'd four times over, what is even up with canada
[QUOTE=Swebonny;42147517]Fun and interesting concept.
But clearly made by an artist/designer.[/QUOTE]
from an artist who does design visualization, I'm going to wager he's an ideas guy in a college course involving product design/problem solving who got a graphic designer friend to make a video in the hopes of good grades and maybe striking gold if it got out to the world
Even if this were feasible it would probably stagnate the market rather than promote competition.
I think it's fair to say that the lack of modularity has lead to the rapid improvements in the phone market.
Also, a semi interesting comment from youtube
[quote= caschoener]I think this might just be an attempt at viral marketing for Thunderclap, a useless kickstarter knockoff for harvesting tweets. There's really no other reason to make this ad considering• that the idea is completely impossible for numerous reasons. This doesn't even work on PCs without space restrictions so there's no chance it would be a viable way to create a smartphone with tight space constraints and few hardware standards.[/quote]
Ok, you guys convinced me that right now, it'd be really really hard to make, and even if possible would be unpractical with current technology
However, I think you guys are giving technology less credit than it deserves. I'm sure someone, somewhere will come up with something that makes this or something like it work, even if it takes 10-20 years
The only way I can see this working is with a standardized "block" scale, with the pins for each block being done in clusters the size of the smallest block's pin cluster.
But, even then, the board they attach to would be insane. Intelligent enough to adapt to hardware changes and plot the most efficient path for all parts. All pin clusters would have to be able to carry the full battery's current to anywhere it needs to be [I]without[/I] going where it shouldn't be.
And regardless, with the ability to scramble your phone bits, you could very easily lose a bit or find yourself in a situation where a module you need simply cannot fit because of other things attached.
Furthermore, while phones could be utterly personalized, they'll be even [I]more[/I] different and hard to keep track of than phones are today.
Great idea, but at least with tech available now I see no practical way it could be accomplished.
There is a reason we used on board chips and non-modifiable hardware in phones today, it keeps the size down, and allows for engineers to engineer the fastest possible connection between components they can within reason. Electricity is not instantaneous, the more things it has to travel through, and the longer the pathway, the slower communication between components will be and the slower the device can end up being.
It's one of the bigger reasons consoles can stand up with awful hardware longer than a PC, everything is so integrated that there is minimal latency.
I wonder if the board itself could be programmed on a computer to reroute the connections. Like you setup the board on a computer, the board then uses microswitches to reroute the board and you're free to now plug it in.
Still wouldn't be easy, but the idea of having it automatically reroute isn't necessarily the only way.
It could work by having every block be digital and describe its function( similar to USB ) before sending the data. It'd up the price of the blocks but it'd allow better functionality
This would be fucking brilliant.
Some parts of it need to be smoothened out, but overall it's a pretty fantastic idea. God, this reminds me of my kindergarten years, playing with circuitry on a board. I was a lonely child...
This motherfucker, right here.
[IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81Shxf4IITL._SL1500_.jpg[/IMG]
I spent hours, even days on this thing.
[QUOTE=bunguer;42146891]I can't insert my GPU in the audio slot can I?[/QUOTE]
you can, that's how pci/pci-e/etc. cards work
This is fucking retarded and it wouldn't work. Just an "idea guy" video. Tons of people have ideas, but why does it matter unless they know how to make it happen? I have no idea why this has so many winner ratings.
[QUOTE=butre;42149888]you can, that's how pci/pci-e/etc. cards work[/QUOTE]
Bad example I know, it was the first thing in my mind but you're right, you could even attach SSD into PCIe, a more correct example would be attach the graphics card into an cd drive slot.
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