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Tag: Modular Phone

  • Google Is Working On A Modular Smartphone Again

    Google Is Working On A Modular Smartphone Again

    Google suspended the overly ambitious Project ARA in 2016, putting the dream of getting a fully modular smartphone to rest. Since then, we have seen smartphone makers try and recreate modularity and to an extent, they have succeeded too. Motorola launched the Moto Mods in 2016 as a way to attach accessories to improve the functionality of the smartphone. Now fresh patents filed by Google show that they are also working on a similar project to make a smartphone fully modular.

    The patent was filed at the World Intellectual Property Organization or WIPO and was published on January 31, 2019. The patent is titled “MODULAR DEVICE AND METHODS THEREFOR”. This could mean that the next Google device may arrive with the option for modularity.

    Google And Project ARA

    When Google acquired Motorola, it used its patents to develop a modular smartphone concept. This eventually gave birth to Project ARA in 2014. It focussed on arranging the essential components of smartphones in modules or blocks. The idea was to replace the modules for better ones whenever an update was required. The project was short lived and was finally shelved in 2016. When Google finally sold Motorola to Lenovo, it kept most of the patents with themselves. Motorola, under Lenovo, launched Moto Mods in 2016 which was another idea on making smartphones modular. 

    It is completely possible that the concepts we are seeing in the patents once belonged to Motorola. Now that Google is has filed a patent for a modular technology in a smartphone, it might mean that a device in the near future may include this concept. A patent doesn’t necessarily translate into a finished product or a promise of there ever being one. It would just mean that Google is toying with the idea and it may make it to a consumer product in the future. 

    Also read: Full Spec Sheet Of The Galaxy S10 Series Leaks

    But an idea like this is still exciting to look at. Maybe Google will eventually release a foldable smartphone or maybe it will get shelved again like its predecessor. But the fact that a shelved project is being experimented with again, makes it exciting and worth looking forward to.

    You can view the patent listing by Google here.

  • Modular PuzzlePhone Launches Crowdfunding Campaign on Indiegogo

    Modular PuzzlePhone Launches Crowdfunding Campaign on Indiegogo

    There are smartphones and then there are modular phones. We hear something new about smartphones everyday, but even modular phones need their day in the sun. Last year, the PuzzlePhone was introduced to the masses. The modular phone is made up with multiple pieces that can be upgraded, swapped or replaced as needed. The PuzzlePhone has three pieces: the Brain, the Spine, and the heart.

    The ‘brain’ contains the processor, camera, RAM, and storage; the ‘spine’ provides the structure and screen; and the ‘heart’ holds the battery and secondary electronics. Finnish company Circular Devices initially offered multiple size options for the PuzzlePhone, but had to streamline their offer for its initial crowdfunded release.

    puzzlephone 01

     

    The team behind the PuzzlePhone has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo seeking to raise $250,000 to kickstart production. So far the site has received $40,234 with 41 days left. The Indiegogo money will be used for manufacturing, shipping, and the product itself.

    PuzzlePhone 02

    In terms of features, the PuzzlePhone features a 5-inch 1080p display, an unspecified 64-bit octa-core processor, 3GB RAM, a 2,800mAh battery pack, a 12-megapixel back camera, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow (or higher depending on the release date). The PuzzlePhone will have 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage options for various backers of the campaign.

    We’ll know in a few weeks whether the team behind the PuzzlePhone has everything to go ahead with the production. If you want to be a part of the campaign then head on over to Indiegogo and do your part.

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