The images of Phonebloks we have seen are rather pretty in an Applesque kind of way but are perhaps too ambitious for a small team working by donation to deliver. The basic idea of a cellphone that you can not only pick and choose parts for but can upgrade or replace on a modular basis is a wonderful idea which allows you both the ability to tweak your phones hardware and throw out less waste when a piece of the phone breaks. It would be wonderful to see them succeed and with almost a million backers it is possible they will.
Today we heard about an alternative, Project Ara, which was originally a product called Modu from a startup before Google purchased them. Project Ara will be involve the Motorola, also recently purchased by Google, as well as the Phonebloks team in some fashion but will not aim to make a completely modular phone. Instead they will provide a shell with the major components and provide add-on slots for extra functionality. Think of it as more of a BGA motherboard with a bit of RAM and storage installed as opposed to a Raspberry Pi, you will buy a device with basic functionality but can drop in extra components, you might even be able to print them . Pop over to Hack a Day and see if it passes your BS test.
"Our tips line is blowing up again, this time directing us to Motorola’s Project Ara: a phone with modular components that plug into a base “endoskeleton.” If you missed the news coverage strewn across the web and you are doing a double-take, that’s because Project Ara is frighteningly similar to the (presumed vaporware) Phonebloks concept from a few weeks ago."
Here is some more Tech News from around the web:
- Email-sniffing Linkedin Intro NOT security threat, insists biz network @ The Register
- Intel Performance With Ubuntu Linux vs. Windows 8.1 Is A Mixed Bag @ Phoronix
- Restoration of fire-hit SK Hynix China fab likely to be delayed @ DigiTimes
- Toshiba brings out terabyte laptop drive (yes), miracle enterprise-grade TLC @ The Register
- 3 million Adobe user accounts hacked? No, make that 38 million… or MORE @ The Register
- Zetta Z12 Intelligent Security Camcorder @ NikKTech
Updateable laptops should be
Updateable laptops should be done also, Google get with Nvidia, AMD, and produce laptops with upgradeable GPUs, CPUs and other components, and see how your sales go up! for most people, laptops are the new desktops , aside from gamers and professional graphics designers! why not build a very light weight, laptop framework with a robust and open hardware, standardized upgradeable modules! the framework could include bays for hot swappable SSDs and hard drives, etc.! all the parts could be made for upgrading including the display panel! Make a laptop that is just as customizable and upgradeable as this phone tech, and shut up and take my money!
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