• Google's modular Project Ara smartphone will begin pilot testing in Puerto Rico later this year
    25 replies, posted
this is pretty cool [url]http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/14/7546021/googles-modular-project-ara-smartphone-will-begin-pilot-testing-in[/url] [quote] Google is holding its second Project Ara developer's conference today in Mountain View and is in the process of giving a roadmap on how and when it might get [URL="http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/15/5615880/building-blocks-how-project-ara-is-reinventing-the-smartphone"]its modular smartphones[/URL] out into the market. Probably the most notable bit of news we've learned so far is that Google plans to have a market pilot ready to go in the second half of this year. Unfortunately, if you want to give it a shot, you'll need to live in Puerto Rico — the pilot will roll out in that territory in partnership with carriers OpenMobile and Claro. When Project Ara hits Puerto Rico, users should be able to customize their devices using the Ara Marketplace and Ara Configurator apps. Google's ATAP group will also roll out some "food-truck" style stores for consumers to actually check these devices out before they try them out. Google also says that it'll have some 20 to 30 Ara modules available by launch across 10 different categories.[/quote] [video=youtube;intua_p4kE0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=intua_p4kE0[/video] i'm surprised we are actually getting something before the states, or anywhere else really. bring me some of that google fiber while you're at it.
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[QUOTE=itisjuly;46933358]Where's the thread?[/QUOTE] f5
[QUOTE=itisjuly;46933358]snip[/QUOTE] for some reason when i posted it the whole thing got deleted... don't worry i fixed it
Ara~Ara~Ara My, My, My
I assume the parts will come in different colors? If not now, hopefully in the future. I'd imagine some people, like me, would want them all to match. Other than that small problem (if you can even really call it that), it's awesome to see the idea of a modular smartphone become reality.
Oh that's where it went I was just wondering yesterday what happened to this thing.
I can see use for this personally, Go to party, steal everyones phone, take off camera module, Can get drunk and not care about embarrassing photos next day.
This is a cool idea, but I feel like it's too niche for mainstream use. Smartphones have everything the normal user will need. The only thing I think will be useful is different types of camera lens - but why wouldn't you buy an actual camera if you want to take good pictures? I dunno, I could be wrong, but it just doesn't seem like it has a huge use, and the fact that individual modules will be designed differently means that your phone is going to look tacky as shit if you customize it much at all.
[QUOTE=.Isak.;46933868]This is a cool idea, but I feel like it's too niche for mainstream use. Smartphones have everything the normal user will need. The only thing I think will be useful is different types of camera lens - but why wouldn't you buy an actual camera if you want to take good pictures? I dunno, I could be wrong, but it just doesn't seem like it has a huge use, and the fact that individual modules will be designed differently means that your phone is going to look tacky as shit if you customize it much at all.[/QUOTE] Tbh if I could, I would drop front camera, NFC, BT, Speakers (put some 1x1 speaker in corner) and audio jack in exchange for bigger battery.
[QUOTE=arleitiss;46933907]Tbh if I could, I would drop front camera, NFC, BT, Speakers (put some 1x1 speaker in corner) and audio jack in exchange for bigger battery.[/QUOTE] Just buy a battery case for your phone and you can double or triple your battery life. Modules like that are already a thing for modern phones - and you don't have to give up anything else, just deal with a thicker/heavier phone. The only people using these will be people putting huge Beats-branded speaker modules on them and blasting them in public, or attaching overpriced fancy cameras for Instagram pictures. It just seems pointless to force a user to take something away in order to add something else. Want a bigger battery? Well, first you have to take out the speaker and the audio jack so now you can't use your aux cord in the car, so when you get to the car you should switch them back out until you get to wherever you're going, then you can add the battery back in and take out the other ones... it's just stupidly complicated. Unhappy with your battery life? Buy a battery case, done - you don't have to remove any functionality for that. Carrying around the extra modules (just in case you decide you need them) would be harder than just keeping a charger with you and slapping a battery case on your normal phone.
[QUOTE=Excalibuurr;46933952]Can I just replace everything with speakers.[/QUOTE] Sure, here is your starter kit. [img]http://oi57.tinypic.com/2mrh7ib.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=.Isak.;46934001]Just buy a battery case for your phone and you can double or triple your battery life. Modules like that are already a thing for modern phones - and you don't have to give up anything else, just deal with a thicker/heavier phone. The only people using these will be people putting huge Beats-branded speaker modules on them and blasting them in public, or attaching overpriced fancy cameras for Instagram pictures. It just seems pointless to force a user to take something away in order to add something else. Want a bigger battery? Well, first you have to take out the speaker and the audio jack so now you can't use your aux cord in the car, so when you get to the car you should switch them back out until you get to wherever you're going, then you can add the battery back in and take out the other ones... it's just stupidly complicated. Unhappy with your battery life? Buy a battery case, done - you don't have to remove any functionality for that. Carrying around the extra modules (just in case you decide you need them) would be harder than just keeping a charger with you and slapping a battery case on your normal phone.[/QUOTE] It's not a problem, you can just get a regular phone instead of this if you don't like the idea.
[QUOTE=.Isak.;46934001]Just buy a battery case for your phone and you can double or triple your battery life. Modules like that are already a thing for modern phones - and you don't have to give up anything else, just deal with a thicker/heavier phone. The only people using these will be people putting huge Beats-branded speaker modules on them and blasting them in public, or attaching overpriced fancy cameras for Instagram pictures. It just seems pointless to force a user to take something away in order to add something else. Want a bigger battery? Well, first you have to take out the speaker and the audio jack so now you can't use your aux cord in the car, so when you get to the car you should switch them back out until you get to wherever you're going, then you can add the battery back in and take out the other ones... it's just stupidly complicated. Unhappy with your battery life? Buy a battery case, done - you don't have to remove any functionality for that. Carrying around the extra modules (just in case you decide you need them) would be harder than just keeping a charger with you and slapping a battery case on your normal phone.[/QUOTE] The thing is, current phones come with lots of shit packed which specific user necessarily may not need, again, like: NFC, BT, Huge Speakers or Audio Jack. Personally I have OnePlus One, it's a perfect phone for me, battery is decent but over past 4 years of using other phones too - I have never used Audio jack for music or speakers for music, hell I think for me a monotone speaker would be just fine if it reduces battery. Same for front camera. But like you can't call samsung or lg or google and say: yes I will buy nexus 5/note 4, but don't include x and y in mine.
Wasn't this a kickstarter idea or something that surfaced last year? I remember some dude proposed this idea and everyone found it dumb or thought it was a terrible idea.
this should be more with smart tvs, swap in a module like a card in a pc.
Are they completely interchangeable? I don't see how the circuitry inputs/outputs would work if you wanted to put a battery in a camera slot.
[QUOTE=Occlusion;46934157]Are they completely interchangeable? I don't see how the circuitry inputs/outputs would work if you wanted to put a battery in a camera slot.[/QUOTE] Each slot probably can give/take power kinda like usb?
[QUOTE=Occlusion;46934157]Are they completely interchangeable? I don't see how the circuitry inputs/outputs would work if you wanted to put a battery in a camera slot.[/QUOTE] have a whole bunch of generalized i/o pins, if you look above there are different sizes like 1x2 and 2x2. the 1x2 slots probably have pins specific for cameras/speakers/media storage etc.
[QUOTE=dedo678;46934137]Wasn't this a kickstarter idea or something that surfaced last year? I remember some dude proposed this idea and everyone found it dumb or thought it was a terrible idea.[/QUOTE] The only thing people thought was dumb was how someone had "designed" it in the same way doodling a car is designing it. The idea has a lot of upsides beyond customization so I'm on board if it works well.
[QUOTE=YouWithTheFace.;46933351] i'm surprised we are actually getting something before the states, or anywhere else really. bring me some of that google fiber while you're at it.[/QUOTE] Holy crap, someone else from PR! Yeah I agree. I hope we get google fiber, but it'll probably just be the super rich areas that'll get it. *cough*sanjuanbayamon*cough* This looks good too. Im glad I can get this with OpenMobile cuz I dont trust Claro at all.
each slot size has a different bandwidth.
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