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Google Delays Modular Mobile Phone Project "Ara" Until 2016
By Ian Morris
18 Aug 2015, 9:36 a.m.
It's vapourware and it will be for some time to come
Google has delayed its modular smartphone known as Project Ara until 2016. The device is designed to give users the option to customise every aspect of their phone.
Although actual information about what form the phone might take is scarce the idea is that people would be able to swap out components and keep their phone constantly up-to-date. For example, when the camera technology allows you could swap the appropriate module and upgrade from a 6-megapixel to 12-megapixel sensor.
As appealing as the idea might sound, it comes with a set of its own challenges, which is why Google says it has delayed the project. It will now get a trail in 2016 in the US, although Google suggests that the date might move again.
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The question still remains about the need for a device like this. It could help reduce waste, with customers not having to discard their whole phone every time they want an upgrade. The problems might come when someone doesn't upgrade the processor, but new software to make the camera work runs too slowly on their old hardware.
The idea is one that intrigues people, but the practice would likely result in a phone that's bulky, liable to fail and ultimately just more trouble than it's worth. Modular mobile phones are unlikely to see the light of day any time soon.
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