Google has been working on the “future of smart phones”. The result named, ‘Project Ara’ looks like it really could be a revolutionary. Labelled a modular smartphone for as little as $50 you would be able to buy a functional smartphone – made up of “a frame, display, battery, low-end CPU and Wifi”. The genius behind Project Ara is that you buy or upgrade your phone in pieces as and when you need them or can afford them.
With a modular platform, you can pick the camera you want for your phone rather than picking your phone for the camera. You could have a sensor to test if water is clean. You could have a battery that lasts for days. A really awesome speaker. A gamer phone. Or it could even be your car key. The possibilities are limitless.
Project Ara creates a system where developers can make their own modules presented almost like an app store. If you have the required knowledge you should be able to turn your phone into any gadget you can imagine. On the project’s homepage you are with the following mission statement.
This fits with Google’s philosophy. Making a smartphone available to the maximum audience means that, as the most used website on the internet, Google will get more users. Google also likes making things “smart” – look at the Google Glasses, driverless cars or secret robot bases which are just some of the other ideas they are developing.
Project Ara has also hinted that this phone may be 3d printable. This really could make smartphones available for anybody close to somewhere with electricity if Google were willing to provide the 3d printers. Google is set to test their new smartphone in Portugal later in 2015 so it will take a while before everybody in third world countries have access to a smart phone.
It looks like Google may have created a future proof phone system that could potentially make all other phones obsolete.
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