“Google is jumping into its next futuristic hardware project,” Heather Kelly reports for CNN. “This time it’s a modular smartphone dubbed Project Ara that can be customized by swapping out individual pieces, such as the battery and the camera.”
“The company previewed the very early-stage project at a developer event in Santa Clara, California, this week. Google said the first version of the phone will likely be available in early 2015,” Kelly reports. “Though the company didn’t mention a sale price, it said the devices would cost anywhere from $50 to $500 to manufacture, depending on the model.”
“The phone will come in three sizes, ranging from mini to ‘phablet,’ and it will run on a future version of the Android mobile operating system. A frame called the Endo will hold the interchangeable components together with magnets,” Kelly reports. “Because the Ara project is open-source, the fun will be adding third-party modules or even printing your own with a 3D printer. Instead of relying on a single hardware manufacturer, people could shop around and add unusual elements made by startups, cameras produced by camera companies, or custom hardware for highly specialized work phones.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Edward W.” for the heads up.]