Have you ever wanted to change the specifications of your smartphone after it was purchased?

You will. And the company that is developing this technology further is Google. Google, with its research and development team, is aiming to reinvent the smartphone. This conceptualization is primarily due to Motorola’s secretive Advanced Technology and Projects division. (You may remember, Google purchased Motorola back in 2011.) A team of engineers and designers are creating a phone with interchangeable parts. With Project Ara, the first prototype named Spiral 1 was shown in a prerelease video during the last quarter of 2014.

The premise of Project Ara is that users could build a smartphone how they saw fit, with whatever features they wanted or needed. This incentive was confirmed in the first month of 2014, the goal to release a modular smartphone would indeed be a game changer. If completed, Project Ara states the phone consists of an endoskeleton shell with connectors. The components would still need to be invented, then shaped into modules with different dimensions. The device will use wireless capacitive interconnects to swap different components or autonomous modules whenever necessary.

While it is quite ambitious, Google touted initial estimates of $ 50 for Ara’s main board, and customization for the device could be done with the Ara app. The modules would offer standard equipment, such as cameras, speakers and various sensors. During a conference held one year later, Google unveiled the second generation prototype named Spiral 2. Initially a pilot was projected to launch in Puerto Rico with the technology in 2015.

Why is Google choosing Puerto Rico? Eremenko said it is the ideal test bed because it has a diverse user base. Its population has a good mix of smartphone and feature phone owners, and 75 percent of Internet access takes place on mobile devices

Yet the undertaking of a modular smartphone is more problematic than Google initially calculated. And they are not the only ones attempting to bring this product to the public. We find a new modular phone concept, named Fonkraft created by a start up Austrian company, also in the mix  Like most new startup’s, Funkraft ventures to raise capital by crowdfunding source Indiegogo for its first Pilot model. However, Indiegogo’s Trust and Safety Team suspended the platform due to the inability to meet certain standards.  Following this, Indiegogo immediately reached out to its contributors and refunded the backers.

Vsenn, a Finnish startup,  also announced a modular smartphone promising upgradable components. Led by former Nokia employees, this would run current Android OS with guaranteed updates for the next four years. In a social media release after two years of progress, the company announced discontinuing the product before completion.

Vsenn is licensing its technology to another brand. We tried everything to remain independent but we couldn’t fight the financial pressure,” they said. “This means that Vsenn is no longer a brand, but a movement for modularity and low environmental impact electronics.

Project Ara was delayed until this year…….because it broke. Basically, if you dropped it, there was a tendency for the modules to break apart from the body of the phone. I’m sure this is nothing that Google can’t overcome, hopefully sooner rather than later. We’re sincerely hoping this project doesn’t just fade away like some of it’s competition.

But now, there might just be a glimmer of hope. Even as we see VSenn struggling with financial hardship, Fonkraft’s dealing with their backing scam, and Google working to get past their marketing woes, yet another Finnish company is making some headway. PuzzlePhone, also using Indiegogo, raised $ 116,000 from 302 backers by December 2015. This modular smartphone is made from three parts, the Brain, the Heart and the Spine. The Puzzlephone is also designed to be upgraded when necessary, thus making it the first sustainable smartphone in years. The three editions are 16Gb, 32Gb, 64Gb with specifications include LTE connectivity, octa-core ARM processor, 5″ Full HD display, 3GB RAM & 2.800 mAh battery. The 16Gb Early Bird 1st Edition ships with an estimated delivery of September 2016.  We’ll keep you tuned in.

Did you enjoy this article?

SIGNUP TODAY  and receive free updates straight to your inbox. We will never share or sell your email address.