Google Decides To Dump Its Modular Smartphone Project

It was only recently that tech giant Google had announced about the launch of its much awaited modular Project Ara phones next year, in 2017. But, now according to a shocking latest update, Google has decided to shelve the project altogether.

While the announcement did come as a surprise, it is no hidden fact that the project had been facing some hurdles since its announcement back in the year 2013 by Google's Motorola division.

Google had invested a lot of time and resources in developing the concept since the project's announcement, giving the awaiting people sleepless nights. People were initially promised a commercial launch date of 2015, which then got pushed to 2016, and then to 2017.

The fact that one could land themselves a handset with pick-and-choose parts feature, had made people interested in the project ever since its announcement. Google's main idea behind the project was to make an entirely modular device, meaning one in which the user could separately select almost all the components and build themselves their own unique phones reflecting their personality and needs.

The axed Project Ara was part of one of the flagship efforts of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group, which aims to develop new devices. In 2015, the tech giant had decided to drop its plan to sell the modular phone with Latin American carriers in the Puerto Rico region.

With all the delay happening, Google's Project Ara had undergone several significant design changes. The final product was to be a little less modular as initially projected. Instead of having fully replaceable components -- like a CPU that one could swap out for an upgraded one whenever they needed -- the tech giant went ahead with an Ara version that had many of the key components directly built into the frame. This meant, parts like battery, CPU, GPU and antennas could now only be supplemented with modular chips, instead of the previous plans of replacing them with upgraded ones.

According to industry insiders, Google is meticulously trying to streamline many of its ongoing hardware projects, and Google's Project Ara was a victim of the company's this plan.

While it is an end of the road for Google and Project Ara's relationship, all isn't over for Ara yet. According to experts, Google can still license Project Ara's technology to any other firm interested in building the project from where it left.

Google Decides To Dump Its Modular Smartphone Project

It was only recently that tech giant Google had announced about the launch of its much awaited modular Project Ara phones next year, in 2017. But, now according to a shocking latest update, Google has decided to shelve the project altogether.

While the announcement did come as a surprise, it is no hidden fact that the project had been facing some hurdles since its announcement back in the year 2013 by Google's Motorola division.

Google had invested a lot of time and resources in developing the concept since the project's announcement, giving the awaiting people sleepless nights. People were initially promised a commercial launch date of 2015, which then got pushed to 2016, and then to 2017.

The fact that one could land themselves a handset with pick-and-choose parts feature, had made people interested in the project ever since its announcement. Google's main idea behind the project was to make an entirely modular device, meaning one in which the user could separately select almost all the components and build themselves their own unique phones reflecting their personality and needs.

The axed Project Ara was part of one of the flagship efforts of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group, which aims to develop new devices. In 2015, the tech giant had decided to drop its plan to sell the modular phone with Latin American carriers in the Puerto Rico region.

With all the delay happening, Google's Project Ara had undergone several significant design changes. The final product was to be a little less modular as initially projected. Instead of having fully replaceable components -- like a CPU that one could swap out for an upgraded one whenever they needed -- the tech giant went ahead with an Ara version that had many of the key components directly built into the frame. This meant, parts like battery, CPU, GPU and antennas could now only be supplemented with modular chips, instead of the previous plans of replacing them with upgraded ones.

According to industry insiders, Google is meticulously trying to streamline many of its ongoing hardware projects, and Google's Project Ara was a victim of the company's this plan.

While it is an end of the road for Google and Project Ara's relationship, all isn't over for Ara yet. According to experts, Google can still license Project Ara's technology to any other firm interested in building the project from where it left.

Google's modular Project Ara phone to launch next year

For people awaiting an update on Google's Project Ara for long, here's something for you all. According to the recent information made available by the tech giant, the most awaited Project Ara phone is almost into the last stages of production and can be expected to reach the markets by early next year. Further, the company also revealed that developers can expect to lay their hands on the device by sometime around October.

It has been two years now that the tech giant has been meticulously working on the project. These two years have seen Google closely guarding all the secrets related to the project but according to industry sources, the company has made quite a few changes in the final product when compared to its original idea. The final product can be expected to be a little less modular as initially projected.

The updated Project Ara phone would have its processor, display, storage and RAM fixed in the frame. According to the previously disclosed concept and prototype, the idea was to have the entire device modular, which meant one could separately select almost all the components and build themselves their own unique phones reflecting their personality and needs.

The project's website reads that the modular smartphone will come with power packed with six very useful swappable parts. A video posted further shows a glimpse of swappable modules like the fingerprint scanner module, camera module, e-ink display for notifications, kickstand, GPS module and speaker and microphone module. However, according to various tech experts, the company could end up adding many more by the time the phone reaches the market next year.

One major difference from the earlier times is, that one doesn't need to remove a module mechanically anymore. Now, in order to remove and swap a module, the user is just required to press a button present on the side of the device and then carefully select from the settings menu the component that they wish to eject. Keep watching this space for more on the project.

Microsoft May Be Working On A Project Ara Equivalent For PCs

Remember search giant Google's much ambitious and talked about Project Ara? Yes, the same one where the company is exploring the possibility to have an open hardware platform where one would be able to create modular smartphones. Well, it seems, Project Ara has found itself a competitor in Microsoft's newest venture.

According to rumours doing round in the tech rumour mill, Microsoft is building a version similar to Project Ara, the only difference being that it will allow people to put together a modular computing device instead of a modular smartphone as in Project Ara's case.

When we say modular computing device, we're basically referring to customisable Personal computers that will allow for replacement of some specific individual parts rather than pushing the PC users to go for entire new PCs every time they are looking for an upgrade. Yes, such amazing control while assembling your PC might soon become a real deal since a new patent for such a computing device has already been applied by the software giant.

[caption id="attachment_104827" align="aligncenter" width="699"] The new patent comes from one of Microsoft's Surface designers.
[Image: Microsoft Technology Licensing ][/caption]The patent applied by Microsoft has the name of Tim Escolin, a senior designer on Microsoft's Surface devices, as a co-author. Whenever or if ever this becomes a reality, it will become a revolution making way for highly modular Personal computer that will be different from the Personal Computers that are traditionally assembled. The software giant, Microsoft, is known to be a great supporter of modern hardware. In fact, the company in collaboration with Scuf Computing recently unveiled a modular Xbox One Elite controller.

Such a level of granular control while assembling your PC may soon become a reality considering that the Redmond giant has already applied for a patent for such a computing device.

The patent description reads "a computing device comprising: a display modular component including a housing, a display device physically and communicatively coupled to the housing via a hinge, and one or more display hardware elements disposed within the housing and configured to output a display for display the display device; and a computing modular component including a housing that is physically and communicatively coupled to the display modular component, a processing system disposed within the housing, and memory disposed within the housing, the processing system configured to execute instructions stored by the processing system to generate a user interface for display by the display device of the display modular component, the processing system and the memory being swappable within the housing of the computing modular component."

To explain the above description in simple words, one can look forward to a main display unit that will be connected to a stack of hardware which is self-chosen through the means of a hinge. Further, users will be provided with the choice to add or subtract certain components in their stack. The components could be anything from battery to speakers to a graphics card.

So, are you ready for the future? Well, it seems Google and Microsoft most certainly are.