Plug ‘n Play Part Phone Persists
May 20, 2016 1:12 PM Subscribe
David Pierce, writing for the hype factory that is Wired: “Project Ara Lives: Google’s Modular Phone Is Ready for You Now”
Developer edition shipping Fall 2016.
Previously, Preiviouslier.
Developer edition shipping Fall 2016.
Previously, Preiviouslier.
devices can last five years instead of two
Huh? Every cell phone I've owned has lasted about five to seven years, unless I've dropped it and broken it.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:33 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
Huh? Every cell phone I've owned has lasted about five to seven years, unless I've dropped it and broken it.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:33 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yea. I may very well be "less space than nomad, lame"-ing this one but... I predict this to last maybe two revisions and disappear.
Not because of the concept, but because it's google. And their graveyard of abandoned shit could fill a ravine. This will keep the nexus Q, tango, google tv, and all the other stuff warm.
What will be interesting is if it lives on not as a consumer product, but as like a popular platform for microsatellites or small autonomous vehicles or something.
Do i want it? Yea. Do i think that this sort of concept will possibly catch on? Yea. Do i think this project, by google is going to be the one to do it? Not really.
The version that succeeds, if it ever does, will be super duper dirt cheap and the total cost of an assembled phone with a camera and all that will be maybe $100, probably a lot less for a super basic one. Half the people i know with low-midrange(like $75-150) phones have some function broken on theirs. They can't really afford, or don't care enough to replace the whole phone. But they would absolutely buy a $20 display module, or $10 camera, or whatever.
posted by emptythought at 1:34 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
Not because of the concept, but because it's google. And their graveyard of abandoned shit could fill a ravine. This will keep the nexus Q, tango, google tv, and all the other stuff warm.
What will be interesting is if it lives on not as a consumer product, but as like a popular platform for microsatellites or small autonomous vehicles or something.
Do i want it? Yea. Do i think that this sort of concept will possibly catch on? Yea. Do i think this project, by google is going to be the one to do it? Not really.
The version that succeeds, if it ever does, will be super duper dirt cheap and the total cost of an assembled phone with a camera and all that will be maybe $100, probably a lot less for a super basic one. Half the people i know with low-midrange(like $75-150) phones have some function broken on theirs. They can't really afford, or don't care enough to replace the whole phone. But they would absolutely buy a $20 display module, or $10 camera, or whatever.
posted by emptythought at 1:34 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
Every modular phone/PC project I've seen has failed. Quickly and completely.
But I think the point of Project ARA is that it has been failing for two years behind semi-closed doors and is now -finally- starting to perhaps succeed. Not perfectly, perhaps - but certainly up to the level where Google thinks it can withstand Google Glass-style scrutiny. (And my impression of glass was that its failures were less technical and more social.)
posted by Going To Maine at 1:34 PM on May 20, 2016
But I think the point of Project ARA is that it has been failing for two years behind semi-closed doors and is now -finally- starting to perhaps succeed. Not perfectly, perhaps - but certainly up to the level where Google thinks it can withstand Google Glass-style scrutiny. (And my impression of glass was that its failures were less technical and more social.)
posted by Going To Maine at 1:34 PM on May 20, 2016
Huh? Every cell phone I've owned has lasted about five to seven years, unless I've dropped it and broken it.
I'm very nice to my phones. They're always in excellent cosmetic condition when i sell them. But by 2 years there's always some slightly annoying problems that develop like a button you have to press way harder, or the charging socket is getting flaky, or the camera focus now hunts repeatedly before locking, etc. They also often have greatly reduced battery life, and on many modern phones and especially the most popular ones you need tools and to actually tear the phone down to get the battery out.
I've never had a smartphone that didn't feel slightly worn out after two years. It might still technically be fully functional and working alright, but it's always starting to go bad. And it bugs me, because the main phone i had before i got a smartphone lasted at least 5 1/2 years(and is still in a box somewhere, and still works).
I know people still using iPhones from 2010 or 2011. Hell, even the ones from 2012 are getting pretty flaky even if the phone is in great shape on visual inspection. It's dumb as hell, and absolutely planned obsolescence.
posted by emptythought at 1:39 PM on May 20, 2016 [6 favorites]
I'm very nice to my phones. They're always in excellent cosmetic condition when i sell them. But by 2 years there's always some slightly annoying problems that develop like a button you have to press way harder, or the charging socket is getting flaky, or the camera focus now hunts repeatedly before locking, etc. They also often have greatly reduced battery life, and on many modern phones and especially the most popular ones you need tools and to actually tear the phone down to get the battery out.
I've never had a smartphone that didn't feel slightly worn out after two years. It might still technically be fully functional and working alright, but it's always starting to go bad. And it bugs me, because the main phone i had before i got a smartphone lasted at least 5 1/2 years(and is still in a box somewhere, and still works).
I know people still using iPhones from 2010 or 2011. Hell, even the ones from 2012 are getting pretty flaky even if the phone is in great shape on visual inspection. It's dumb as hell, and absolutely planned obsolescence.
posted by emptythought at 1:39 PM on May 20, 2016 [6 favorites]
I just traded in an iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s that were both still functioning perfectly, had no scratches, etc. Got $50 EACH.
posted by terrapin at 1:42 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by terrapin at 1:42 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
More previously, here is the first post on the project. How time flies!
posted by a lungful of dragon at 1:50 PM on May 20, 2016
posted by a lungful of dragon at 1:50 PM on May 20, 2016
Google's New Science Journal App Turns Your Android Phone Into a Lab Full of Sensors
posted by Artw at 1:52 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 1:52 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
More previously, here is the first post on the project. How time flies!
So much naysaying in that thread. I guess the answer was, “yes, there were significant technical challenges, but then we reformulated the problem and solved them.”
posted by Going To Maine at 1:58 PM on May 20, 2016
So much naysaying in that thread. I guess the answer was, “yes, there were significant technical challenges, but then we reformulated the problem and solved them.”
posted by Going To Maine at 1:58 PM on May 20, 2016
I was kind of surprised, myself, given the general opposition to walled gardens and so forth. Here was a pretty well-funded and ambitious project with highly motivated engineers behind it, and very few seemed interested.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 2:01 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by a lungful of dragon at 2:01 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Ara frame contains the CPU, GPU, antennas, sensors, battery and displaySoo...add a camera, speakers, fingerprint sensor, maybe a card reader and you'd have a modern smartphone. I guess that's sort of cool but it seems fairly reduced modularity compared to what I think a lot of people's initial impressions were, particularly customizable processing units, radios (lol CDMA), batteries, & displays.
posted by glonous keming at 2:06 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
What a terrible blocky prototype! One can now easily put a Raspberry Pi in an Altoids box, there's a project to put the $5 Pi in a mini-Altoids box, one of those with a cell transmitter and you've got a micro phone that will work for some. Yeah issues with the phone monopolies.
It is all pretty exciting the variety of directions, some stuff will stabilize. But there's something to be said for a simple solid (waterproof) flip phone. The one time I really needed it, single button held and made the connection without looking, I would have to take out the samsung and carefully count how many swipes and taps to make that same call now.
posted by sammyo at 2:09 PM on May 20, 2016
It is all pretty exciting the variety of directions, some stuff will stabilize. But there's something to be said for a simple solid (waterproof) flip phone. The one time I really needed it, single button held and made the connection without looking, I would have to take out the samsung and carefully count how many swipes and taps to make that same call now.
posted by sammyo at 2:09 PM on May 20, 2016
They've addressed a number of the concerns in those previous threads, like too much fragmentation (though they still have square corners).
It's an interesting idea. I'd love to have something like this, but I'm still concerned that there's not a big enough market for such a phone to matter.
But it would be a nice way to get specialist features on phones. I'd like a different kind of camera, like one with a decent macro lens. My wife would want a good condenser microphone to do the occasional recording. That sort of thing. It's not going to replace specialist hardware like a DSLR or a decent field recorder, but sometimes you do with what you have.
If this works, a thousand kickstarters will bloom.
posted by bonehead at 2:11 PM on May 20, 2016 [4 favorites]
It's an interesting idea. I'd love to have something like this, but I'm still concerned that there's not a big enough market for such a phone to matter.
But it would be a nice way to get specialist features on phones. I'd like a different kind of camera, like one with a decent macro lens. My wife would want a good condenser microphone to do the occasional recording. That sort of thing. It's not going to replace specialist hardware like a DSLR or a decent field recorder, but sometimes you do with what you have.
If this works, a thousand kickstarters will bloom.
posted by bonehead at 2:11 PM on May 20, 2016 [4 favorites]
I think it's cool that they don't really care about the form factor. Can I get a hand computer without a phone in it? Like, I want the data but seriously fuck the phone part.
posted by Annika Cicada at 2:22 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Annika Cicada at 2:22 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Or FLIR could sell you an IR camera that becomes a part of your phone instead of the awful clunky add-on case form factor that they currently sell.
posted by indubitable at 2:22 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by indubitable at 2:22 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
I have always really liked this idea, and I hope it works out because I think that would be cool. That said, I am one of those people who is overwhelmed by choice—one reason I've stuck with Apple for my phones for so many years is that whenever I venture out into the wider world of cellphones, I am completely daunted by the effort I'd have to put in to figure out what to get. So probably I'm going to be a sidelines cheerleader for this rather than an actual customer.
posted by not that girl at 2:26 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by not that girl at 2:26 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Every cell phone I've owned has lasted about five to seven years
How often do you replace batteries? Serious question: I just replaced an 8-year-old work phone, mostly because I was swapping batteries more than once a year towards the end. Though it is nice to have LTE now.
The personal phones we've had now for the past cycle or two have all been sealed (not customer replaceable) batteries, and I have to say, that makes me nervous.
posted by bonehead at 2:30 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
How often do you replace batteries? Serious question: I just replaced an 8-year-old work phone, mostly because I was swapping batteries more than once a year towards the end. Though it is nice to have LTE now.
The personal phones we've had now for the past cycle or two have all been sealed (not customer replaceable) batteries, and I have to say, that makes me nervous.
posted by bonehead at 2:30 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
How do you keep a phone for 8 years and keep the software up to date? The Samsung Galaxy S4 is like 3 years old and is no longer receiving Android updates.
posted by indubitable at 2:33 PM on May 20, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by indubitable at 2:33 PM on May 20, 2016 [3 favorites]
The Ara frame contains the CPU, GPU, antennas, sensors, battery and display
Alright, this formulation of a modular smartphone makes about a thousand times more sense than the "you can freely swap out the CPU/GPU/memory based on what you want or need!!!" that was the original hype. What this product is now is the Arduino of smartphones -- it's a platform that you can add neat things to, not a "build your own phone from scratch." That's actually a great idea!
posted by ReadEvalPost at 2:36 PM on May 20, 2016
Alright, this formulation of a modular smartphone makes about a thousand times more sense than the "you can freely swap out the CPU/GPU/memory based on what you want or need!!!" that was the original hype. What this product is now is the Arduino of smartphones -- it's a platform that you can add neat things to, not a "build your own phone from scratch." That's actually a great idea!
posted by ReadEvalPost at 2:36 PM on May 20, 2016
Google patents 'sticky' layer to protect pedestrians in self-driving car accidents
(because everyone's going to be immersed in their new Google phone while walking?)
posted by chavenet at 2:37 PM on May 20, 2016
(because everyone's going to be immersed in their new Google phone while walking?)
posted by chavenet at 2:37 PM on May 20, 2016
I shat on this idea pretty hard the first time it was posted, so I'm surprised this project is still going. But I still think the idea is dumb and can't possibly prevail over the massive advantages of integration.
Also lol that the parts you can't upgrade are the cpu, gpu, display, and battery, which just happen to be the main bits that get improved each phone generation. I mean didn't this whole idea come from people bitching about the iphone battery not being easily swapped?
posted by ryanrs at 2:38 PM on May 20, 2016 [5 favorites]
Also lol that the parts you can't upgrade are the cpu, gpu, display, and battery, which just happen to be the main bits that get improved each phone generation. I mean didn't this whole idea come from people bitching about the iphone battery not being easily swapped?
posted by ryanrs at 2:38 PM on May 20, 2016 [5 favorites]
Reading this over, I don't totally understand what this is for? I mean, the examples they give are changing the screen, battery, or camera. I guess I can see why it would be cool to switch these things out, but then you'd have to carry around extra screens, batteries and cameras, right? I guess it is probably pretty cool but I'm just having trouble picturing the real world application.
posted by latkes at 2:39 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by latkes at 2:39 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
Less for swapping frequently yourself, but more being able to buy (or configure) as you want? That's my read on it---more like option packages for cars, than a lego phone.
posted by bonehead at 2:50 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by bonehead at 2:50 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
I guess I can see why it would be cool to switch these things out, but then you'd have to carry around extra screens, batteries and cameras, right? I guess it is probably pretty cool but I'm just having trouble picturing the real world application.
It's kind of like those clothing ensembles for women that are like, "a complete work wardrobe in just 7 interchangeable pieces!" but you always end up wearing them exactly the same way.
I was thinking of all the tiny modules that could get lost. And the secondary market in "module wallets" that you could keep them in.
Still, I'm a booster. Because this may be a solution to a problem nobody, or very few, people actually have, but who knows what it might lead to, even if it fails? Or, sometimes there are really great use cases we can't imagine up front. Or some underserved niche that can capitalize on this—like how iPads ended up providing, through apps, much less expensive options for communication devices for some people with disabilities that affect speech than the dedicated devices that had been the only option before.
posted by not that girl at 2:53 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
It's kind of like those clothing ensembles for women that are like, "a complete work wardrobe in just 7 interchangeable pieces!" but you always end up wearing them exactly the same way.
I was thinking of all the tiny modules that could get lost. And the secondary market in "module wallets" that you could keep them in.
Still, I'm a booster. Because this may be a solution to a problem nobody, or very few, people actually have, but who knows what it might lead to, even if it fails? Or, sometimes there are really great use cases we can't imagine up front. Or some underserved niche that can capitalize on this—like how iPads ended up providing, through apps, much less expensive options for communication devices for some people with disabilities that affect speech than the dedicated devices that had been the only option before.
posted by not that girl at 2:53 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Surely I'm not the only one with little/no interest in swapping out phone modules, but who really likes the blocky and colourful Mondrian-ish look?
posted by kickingtheground at 3:08 PM on May 20, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by kickingtheground at 3:08 PM on May 20, 2016 [6 favorites]
I bought a google-branded g2x several years ago. They EOL'd it in 6 months and never even delivered the basic updates that were promised on launch. Google pulls the plug on random shit all the time, and the first generation of "new" tech is pretty much always problematic. I wouldn't touch this thing with my enemies money.
posted by lkc at 3:13 PM on May 20, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by lkc at 3:13 PM on May 20, 2016 [4 favorites]
I've never owned a cell phone - for many reasons, but a big one is a reticence to become a captive consumer in some corporation's product ecosystem. If this phone is really modular like a computer it might be the solution to that, since you could keep upgrading it with new pieces. (And those pieces could be made by companies other than Google.) Not sure what it'll look like, what it will cost or even if it'll be available in my country, but it'll probably get here eventually. Might be worth a look.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:14 PM on May 20, 2016
posted by Kevin Street at 3:14 PM on May 20, 2016
But if it's going to be exclusively a high end device, and the modules aren't really useful (just stuff that can be done slightly less well by apps on a standard phone), then it's not worth it.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:19 PM on May 20, 2016
posted by Kevin Street at 3:19 PM on May 20, 2016
The pictures confused me at first. As far as I can tell, the baseframe has a big display built-into it, which is not shown here, and all these pictures are what the back of the phone would look like.
That little display shown is just an add-on extra display.
posted by w0mbat at 3:21 PM on May 20, 2016
That little display shown is just an add-on extra display.
posted by w0mbat at 3:21 PM on May 20, 2016
Yeah, but then the author talks about swapping in an eInk display so... maybe not?
It was pretty confusing on that point. Obviously it'd be a pain to read a book on a little 1x2 brick, but on the other hand I think they stated somewhere that the display is integrated into the baseframe.
posted by indubitable at 3:26 PM on May 20, 2016
It was pretty confusing on that point. Obviously it'd be a pain to read a book on a little 1x2 brick, but on the other hand I think they stated somewhere that the display is integrated into the baseframe.
posted by indubitable at 3:26 PM on May 20, 2016
It's really hard to find information on what the phone is like now, as opposed to what they originally conceived, but this video from a year-and-a-half ago shows a removable screen. So maybe it's not part of the frame?
posted by Kevin Street at 3:30 PM on May 20, 2016
posted by Kevin Street at 3:30 PM on May 20, 2016
No, if you read the developer page they say, "The Ara frame contains the CPU, GPU, antennas, sensors, battery and display, freeing up more room for hardware in each module.".
So the display is built into the baseframe.
posted by w0mbat at 3:34 PM on May 20, 2016
So the display is built into the baseframe.
posted by w0mbat at 3:34 PM on May 20, 2016
Well shoot, that's not cool. If all the breakable necessities are in the frame, there's nothing important to upgrade with the modules.
posted by Kevin Street at 3:36 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Kevin Street at 3:36 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
The uncharitable reading is that the engineers realized the basic premise was unreasonable, but whichever Google exec is championing the project is still in love with it, so they're walking the goalposts back so far they've lost sight of the point.
This is why the eternally upgradable, infinitely customizable phone of the future is all about:
posted by ryanrs at 3:48 PM on May 20, 2016 [11 favorites]
This is why the eternally upgradable, infinitely customizable phone of the future is all about:
better speakers, flashlights, panic buttons, fitness trackers, projectors, app-shortcut buttons, kickstands [..] compact case for storing makeup, and a small hollow pillboxp.s. that pillbox is actually for coke
posted by ryanrs at 3:48 PM on May 20, 2016 [11 favorites]
The world's most technologically advance PEZ dispenser.
posted by glonous keming at 3:59 PM on May 20, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by glonous keming at 3:59 PM on May 20, 2016 [3 favorites]
But can I just get modules of additional RAM? Because that's all I want. More RAM.
posted by Going To Maine at 4:00 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 4:00 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yeah, unless the CPU/GPU, radio and display are swappable, I don't really see the point...
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:02 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Slap*Happy at 4:02 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
yeah but because it's going to run Android, you'll have to use some kind of obnoxious phrasing like, "I want more RAM, fucker!"
posted by indubitable at 4:03 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by indubitable at 4:03 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
can I just get modules of additional RAM
No, because the 11.9 GBit/s UniPro connectors are only slightly faster than a single PC133 DIMM, which is what we were using 20 years ago before DDR was invented.
posted by ryanrs at 4:13 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
No, because the 11.9 GBit/s UniPro connectors are only slightly faster than a single PC133 DIMM, which is what we were using 20 years ago before DDR was invented.
posted by ryanrs at 4:13 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
There will be certain niche markets where modularity makes sense — specific point of sale modules, sensor modules, smart card or RFID readers, for business, science or schools, plus, of course tinkerers and hobbyists or those who want expensive glass for their phone camera, but it’s never going to make sense in the mass market. These sub-markets may add up to be large enough segment to make a successful smaller scale product, but never a mass market success. And such a device might have an open spec for certain add-on modules, but the basic system will be as proprietary as ever — they’ll be accessories not part of a free as in speech hardware platform.
At the higher end of the mass market the modular version is never going to be as sleek, attractive and well integrated as something that is designed as a whole. And that stylish well designed package is what sells, more than the specific spec of any of its individual parts.
At the low end where you compete on price and volume and cents matter, the modularity will cost extra mostly for the ability to replace broken parts; if you are in the market for a $100 phone you are not likely to go out and buy a $200 FLIR module for it. And because small run modules will have no economies of scale they will all be expensive even if they are not very good. You'll have to spend $100+ to get a new camera module as good as the one in whatever iPhone is current at that point. If you’re a real klutz, you might pay a bit extra to buy a modular phone with replaceable parts, but it would probably make more sense just to buy insurance.
There are a few other products that do count as modular: kitchen appliances come to mind and some tools, but even then they aren’t so much modular as standard sizes. The things I can think of that are truly modular are things like higher end cameras, more Hasselblad than point and shoot, and and other pro equipment. I wish them well an I’m interested in what they develop, but I don’t expect them to to be any cheaper than a premium phone if they are going to have the advantages that make them powerful and durable enough to be suitable for specific demanding sub-markets.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 4:28 PM on May 20, 2016 [5 favorites]
At the higher end of the mass market the modular version is never going to be as sleek, attractive and well integrated as something that is designed as a whole. And that stylish well designed package is what sells, more than the specific spec of any of its individual parts.
At the low end where you compete on price and volume and cents matter, the modularity will cost extra mostly for the ability to replace broken parts; if you are in the market for a $100 phone you are not likely to go out and buy a $200 FLIR module for it. And because small run modules will have no economies of scale they will all be expensive even if they are not very good. You'll have to spend $100+ to get a new camera module as good as the one in whatever iPhone is current at that point. If you’re a real klutz, you might pay a bit extra to buy a modular phone with replaceable parts, but it would probably make more sense just to buy insurance.
There are a few other products that do count as modular: kitchen appliances come to mind and some tools, but even then they aren’t so much modular as standard sizes. The things I can think of that are truly modular are things like higher end cameras, more Hasselblad than point and shoot, and and other pro equipment. I wish them well an I’m interested in what they develop, but I don’t expect them to to be any cheaper than a premium phone if they are going to have the advantages that make them powerful and durable enough to be suitable for specific demanding sub-markets.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 4:28 PM on May 20, 2016 [5 favorites]
I know people still using iPhones from 2010 or 2011. Hell, even the ones from 2012 are getting pretty flaky even if the phone is in great shape on visual inspection. It's dumb as hell, and absolutely planned obsolescence.First off, that's not obsolescence at all, you are describing wear and tear. And though it's possible that its planned, I don't think that they are known for having shoddy parts, or that there higher quality mechanical components that are more resistant to wear and tear.
I had an iPhone 5s since launch, and at one point I thought the charge port was wearing out. However it just turned out that there was lint deep in there and it had to be cleaned out. Happened to a friend too, he thought he'd have to get a new phone but it was an easy and quick thing to fix.
My battery did wear out, as lithium ion batteries do as you use them. But replacing it was something that I did on my own, at home. No more difficult than assembling a PC. They are fantastically repairable devices. And if you don't want to do it yourself, there are all sorts of repair shops that repair screens, replace batteries and even the buttons.
I got an iPhone SE when it came out, precisely because I thought that I'd have a newer phone that would have fewer delays, etc. But I literally can not tell the difference from the previous phone, except for addition of NFC communication for payment services.
In short, the modular phone seems to solve no real problem. It also comes at tremendous costs in terms of the design.
Also, perpetuating the outdated idea that phones have to be replaced, when they don't, just serves to misinform people and lead them away from searching out repair services. Your phone is a fantastic device that can serve you for years, at a cost lower than your laptop and likely for much longer. All the talk of consumerism misses the mark, IMHO, phones open up the Internet to a huge audience at lower dollar and environmental cost than laptops or desktop computers.
posted by Llama-Lime at 5:23 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Ara frame contains the CPU, GPU, antennas, sensors, battery and display
Which sounds like a bait and switch. The original Ara hype sounded like a mix'n'match fantasia of modularity: upgrade CPUs and RAM when the technology moves on, swap radios if going somewhere with a different system, switch between processing power and battery-life parsimony, completely rebuild your system, like a souped-up DIY gaming PC. The reality is: essentially Apple's Lightning port, only with novel industrial design.
posted by acb at 5:39 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
Which sounds like a bait and switch. The original Ara hype sounded like a mix'n'match fantasia of modularity: upgrade CPUs and RAM when the technology moves on, swap radios if going somewhere with a different system, switch between processing power and battery-life parsimony, completely rebuild your system, like a souped-up DIY gaming PC. The reality is: essentially Apple's Lightning port, only with novel industrial design.
posted by acb at 5:39 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
And here I thought Moto Maker on steroids actually sounds pretty good to me. At this point, there isn't a huge need for faster CPUs or more RAM in phones and screens have reached a point where increasing pixel density is no longer physically useful. (Your eyes can't really resolve any more pixels once you get up to 1440p on a 6 inch phone, much less a 5.2 inch phone) Get one with a waterproof nano coating on the electronics, as many do today and one of the biggest killers of smartphones no longer an issue. That makes what the Ara team is doing seem a good place to start to me.
Four or five years ago, I would have been pretty disappointed, but now that smartphones have reached the point that PCs did 4 or 5 years ago in terms of slowing advances in the basic components, it seems a lot more reasonable to have those bits static for the life of the device. We've reached the limit of what you can do in terms of CPUs in the form factor thanks to power and heat dissipation limits. Since 2012 or so the flagships have been unable to run their CPUs at full tilt for more than a few seconds without throttling due to heat. Even midrange phones are thermally limited now.
posted by wierdo at 9:00 PM on May 20, 2016
Four or five years ago, I would have been pretty disappointed, but now that smartphones have reached the point that PCs did 4 or 5 years ago in terms of slowing advances in the basic components, it seems a lot more reasonable to have those bits static for the life of the device. We've reached the limit of what you can do in terms of CPUs in the form factor thanks to power and heat dissipation limits. Since 2012 or so the flagships have been unable to run their CPUs at full tilt for more than a few seconds without throttling due to heat. Even midrange phones are thermally limited now.
posted by wierdo at 9:00 PM on May 20, 2016
the outdated idea that phones have to be replaced, when they don't
The big thing that will kill most phones after about two years (or rather, should kill them) is lack of OS updates. Vendors won't support them after two or three years, and mobile malware is going to blossom in the next few years like crazy. And while a few people can take ownership of their device and run Cyanogen or whatever, most people can't or won't.
posted by Candleman at 9:02 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
The big thing that will kill most phones after about two years (or rather, should kill them) is lack of OS updates. Vendors won't support them after two or three years, and mobile malware is going to blossom in the next few years like crazy. And while a few people can take ownership of their device and run Cyanogen or whatever, most people can't or won't.
posted by Candleman at 9:02 PM on May 20, 2016 [2 favorites]
This new article in The Verge actually shows the front of the phone with its big screen, rather than just showing the back.
posted by w0mbat at 11:40 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by w0mbat at 11:40 PM on May 20, 2016 [1 favorite]
I've never owned a smartphone. This is especially strange because for various lengths of time in my career I've been an Android developer. Still, crusty old flipphones serve their purpose well, and I don't even like carrying my cell around with me anyways.
Ara really excites me, its the first time I've ever been excited about a smartphone. Higher res screens? Faster processors and GPUs? More megapixels in the camera? Rose gold? Meh, not interesting. But the ability to customize, now that is my killer smartphone feature.
I grew up building PCs, customizing them, geeking out on actual silicon instead of buying some kit prefab, troubleshooting, etc. It is exciting to think we might be able to customize cellphones in a similar but more robust manner.
This is really neat! Being able to not have a camera, or only attach it when needed, throwing on some powerful speakers when I want some music to jam too, VIDEOGAME CONTROLLER MODULES, or a USB hub and HDMI and suddenly I've got a personal computing module I can take with me anywhere.
The possibilities are endless. Maybe that is kind of the point too, Ara really isn't just a smartphone. Its a platform for customizable mobile computing, and my inner geek is paying attention.
As an aside, to each their own, but I love the way it looks, very solid and extremely nerdy.
posted by getting_back_on_track at 8:27 AM on May 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Ara really excites me, its the first time I've ever been excited about a smartphone. Higher res screens? Faster processors and GPUs? More megapixels in the camera? Rose gold? Meh, not interesting. But the ability to customize, now that is my killer smartphone feature.
I grew up building PCs, customizing them, geeking out on actual silicon instead of buying some kit prefab, troubleshooting, etc. It is exciting to think we might be able to customize cellphones in a similar but more robust manner.
This is really neat! Being able to not have a camera, or only attach it when needed, throwing on some powerful speakers when I want some music to jam too, VIDEOGAME CONTROLLER MODULES, or a USB hub and HDMI and suddenly I've got a personal computing module I can take with me anywhere.
The possibilities are endless. Maybe that is kind of the point too, Ara really isn't just a smartphone. Its a platform for customizable mobile computing, and my inner geek is paying attention.
As an aside, to each their own, but I love the way it looks, very solid and extremely nerdy.
posted by getting_back_on_track at 8:27 AM on May 21, 2016 [2 favorites]
Regarding the battery, from the Verge article:
The battery on this prototype is hot swappable, too. Yup! Caramago opened up the bottom, pulled out the battery, and there was enough juice in the frame to just keep the phone running. It probably wouldn't last very long, but definitely long enough to put in a fresh battery, all without rebooting.
posted by The Minotaur at 9:51 AM on May 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
The battery on this prototype is hot swappable, too. Yup! Caramago opened up the bottom, pulled out the battery, and there was enough juice in the frame to just keep the phone running. It probably wouldn't last very long, but definitely long enough to put in a fresh battery, all without rebooting.
posted by The Minotaur at 9:51 AM on May 21, 2016 [1 favorite]
My battery did wear out, as lithium ion batteries do as you use them. But replacing it was something that I did on my own, at home. No more difficult than assembling a PC.
Personally I found taking apart an iPhone far harder than putting together a PC, and when I put the phone back together it never worked again - presumably in the process some cable came loose or something or whatever. An iPhone is a very unforgiving and small collection of very delicate pieces. A PC is basically lego in comparison.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 11:48 AM on May 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
Personally I found taking apart an iPhone far harder than putting together a PC, and when I put the phone back together it never worked again - presumably in the process some cable came loose or something or whatever. An iPhone is a very unforgiving and small collection of very delicate pieces. A PC is basically lego in comparison.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 11:48 AM on May 21, 2016 [4 favorites]
I'm not saying that every modular phone/PC project I've seen
Not to be too picky or too PCMR, but aren't all PC desktops modular?
I can swap out plenty of shit in the desktop I built.
Yeah, I see modular phones as a failure, but let's be real, the desktop PC has always been modular and successfully so.
---
A PC is basically lego in comparison.
Down to having all the cables keyed so you can't put them in backwards. Everything is labelled to the point that it is pretty much impossible to screw it up.
posted by deadaluspark at 11:49 AM on May 21, 2016
Not to be too picky or too PCMR, but aren't all PC desktops modular?
I can swap out plenty of shit in the desktop I built.
Yeah, I see modular phones as a failure, but let's be real, the desktop PC has always been modular and successfully so.
---
A PC is basically lego in comparison.
Down to having all the cables keyed so you can't put them in backwards. Everything is labelled to the point that it is pretty much impossible to screw it up.
posted by deadaluspark at 11:49 AM on May 21, 2016
The big thing that will kill most phones after about two years (or rather, should kill them) is lack of OS updates.
Yeah, I'm still using an iPhone 4, and this is a bit of a sticking point, along with the associated inability to install or update some apps. The thing is still in near-perfect condition cosmetically.
posted by pemberkins at 12:55 PM on May 21, 2016
Yeah, I'm still using an iPhone 4, and this is a bit of a sticking point, along with the associated inability to install or update some apps. The thing is still in near-perfect condition cosmetically.
posted by pemberkins at 12:55 PM on May 21, 2016
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posted by Devonian at 1:28 PM on May 20, 2016 [4 favorites]