The excitement of fans of Google’s Project Ara has been long gone, but news of the modular smartphone could bring some of the fire back. According to Phonebloks’ Dave Hakkens, however, that should not be the case.
In fact, Hakkens believes that Project Ara has much more potential than what Google has done with it so far. Recent updates from the search company talk of the modular smartphone with its working prototype.
For one, Hakkens’s disappointment was caused by Google’s decision to fit the essential specs – such as the processor, sensors, antenna, screen and battery – in the core skeleton of the phone. Among the external modules are the camera, speakers, and projector.
Phonebloks has a similar concept for the modular smartphone, but there is no actual product yet in sight. According to Engadget, Hakkens partnered with Google and Motorola on Project Ara.
Phonebloks was meant to help decrease electronic waste caused by the continued purchasing of new phones; instead, users could simply upgrade each part that has become obsolete.
Phonebloks shares its vision with Project Ara, except that Google has already announced a working prototype. The company is now trying to figure out how to make the modular smartphone look more appealing to consumers because a plain blocky device is not necessarily enticing.
But there’s a problem, says Hakkens. The system implemented by Google for their modular smartphone does not encourage collaboration but competition. He believes that the modular smartphone should have been created as an “open system,” one that would allow developers to help improve the end product.
“However, it isn’t truly open. Everything happens under the umbrella of Google. They are in charge, they make the rules. They can decide to suddenly change the connectors, or design,” Hakkens explained in a blog post.
He added that Google did one thing well: pushing through with the Project Ara modular smartphone. However, the company has the resources and the brain to make something much better than this.
Google’s focus right now – as far as Project Ara is concerned – shouldn’t be to make a smartphone that would sell, but rather “a smartphone for the future.” Thankfully, a lot could change in the time that the project remains under development.
Image Source: Ars Technica
