Google's modular smartphone named Project Ara is one step closer to reality, as it has now reached a new model called the "Spiral 2."
On Wednesday, Jan. 14, Google held its Project Ara developer conference and offered more details about this intriguing modular smartphone concept. While Motorola offered unprecedented customization options with its Moto X, allowing users to personalize the appearance of their smartphone, Google takes things to the next level with its Project Ara.
More specifically, Google's modular smartphone will allow for far more customization, offering the option of changing the smartphone's hardware. Users would be able to add new pieces or replace existing ones with more powerful pieces to better suit their needs. If you need a more powerful battery, for instance, you'd be able to change the existing battery unit with a better one. The device uses physical pin contacts to connect each module to its skeletal parts.
The new Spiral 2 model now brings Project Ara closer to reality, but this is not the final version of the device either. This model comes in several custom colors and designs, but these are not the final colors and designs of the device either. Google is expected to add more options and better specs in the future, before the modular smartphone is ready for prime time.
For instance, the camera unit presented for now is a 5-megapixel module, but a 13-megapixel camera from Toshiba should grace the device in the future. Other third-party manufacturers should also offer a number of other higher-end modules. The whole system is created to allow users to change each individual part of the smartphone, choosing the module they like best from their preferred manufacturer.
The Project Ara prototype has more modules on its back than on its front, as it still retains the standard smartphone layout: a large touchscreen on the front, with a couple of more modules such as a speaker or such.
The units presented at the developer conference show mainly the hardware, aiming to give a better look at what Google has planned on this front. In terms of software, little else is seen other than the lock screen.
The future Spiral 3 model should further perfect the technology and bring electro-permanent magnets, among other things, but the Project Ara modular smartphone is nonetheless approaching its final form. In the meantime, check out Google's website at this link to learn more about Project Ara, or watch the video below.
