Would you own a "modular" phone?

Project Ara is Google's latest forary into the smartphone industry. It's actually something that I heard about last year and is starting to be sent to developers this autumn.

https://atap.google.com/ara/

Pretty much it's a device with all the capabilities of a smartphone, but has 6 interchangeable slots, that the various modules can be slipped into. Want a better camera? Buy the module and place it in, boom, better camera.

The Verge had an interesting article about the possibilities.

http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/20/11721594/google-project-ara-teaser-video-modular-smartphones

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RING RING RING BANANA PHONE
CELLULAR MODULAR INTERACTIVE ODULAR

The Sidewards Man

Rumour has it that it has a vibrating module for the ladies or the lads who like insertion.

Rayne Wooney

It sounds like a piece of crap to be honest

A gimmick smartphone broken down into pieces you have to pay individually for which no doubt costs more than what it would cost if they just made a phone of those capabilities?

jca

I like it. Kind of a phone version of raspberry pi. Did I see a modular computer, it looked like lego stack.

endacl

My next phone will incorporate a time machine. It'll make calls, take calls, send and receive texts, and I'll only have to charge it once a week. Data charges? What data charges?

Really tempted by this: https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp01-mobile-phone/

kneemos

Sorry,didn't understand any of that article.


Sounds like they want people to pay twice for some crappy looking phone.

The Sidewards Man

It will become a huge trivial annoyance to some.

My name is URL

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

It sounds like a piece of crap to be honest

A gimmick smartphone broken down into pieces you have to pay individually for which no doubt costs more than what it would cost if they just made a phone of those capabilities?

The very idea of smartphones is gimmicky

Tbh I'd sooner have a say in what hardware is on a device than be expected to pay a premium for stuff I'd never use, just so the one feature I would use in incorporated well.

The way I see it is a you need to buy a top of the range Swiss Army knife to open beer bottles, but the mobile market atm expects anyone with a need for one specific quality feature to pay for all the other top quality features that they don't need or want. Those toe clippers are great and all but it's beer I'm drinkin'

jimmycrackcorm

Rayne Wooney wrote:

A gimmick smartphone broken down into pieces you have to pay individually for which no doubt costs more than what it would cost if they just made a phone of those capabilities?

I know someone who replaced their perfectly good laptop because a salesman told him newer laptops were much better because they came with ssd drives.

kneemos

kneemos wrote: »

Sorry,didn't understand any of that article.


Sounds like they want people to pay twice for some crappy looking phone.

It looks how you'd want it to look, I think.

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

It sounds like a piece of crap to be honest

A gimmick smartphone broken down into pieces you have to pay individually for which no doubt costs more than what it would cost if they just made a phone of those capabilities?

I reckon that a smartphone that would have all the capabilities of the specific modules you'd want would cost an absolute fortune.

They're shipping it out to developers and are actually inviting anyone that would like to create a module to actually do it, so you could get one that does almost anything.

I love the thought of wanting a better speaker, so I plug one in. Then deciding to want a better camera, so putting that in instead. Hell, even having a storage compartment on my phone is a cool idea.

Eugene Norman

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I know someone who replaced their perfectly good laptop because a salesman told him newer laptops were much better because they came with ssd drives.

That's kinda true.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=intua_p4kE0

This video expands on the idea a lot more.

I love the idea of putting in a module that effectively doubles the power of your device. Or dropping your phone and instead of a costly repair and whatnot to replace the screen, just fitting in a new module to replace it.

kneemos

They're going to flog constant upgrades.
Don't see it working personally.People like to have the latest shiny new phone,capabilities are almost secondary.That thing looks like a childs toy,where's the glass and metal?

Some nerdy types might buy it I suppose.

Poor Uncle Tom

Would you own a "modular" phone?

Ara, I wouldn't boi....

Spanish Eyes

Just as soon as I get the iphone 6, and think it's bloody great, something else appears.

TBH I'm phoned out now. What I have will do me for the duration.

There is too much innovation going on and I can't keep up with it at all!!