This is Google’s new Project Ara modular phone: Spiral 2

 Jan 14, 2015

Chris Davies

Google has revealed its newest Project Ara prototype, Spiral 2, the latest iteration of the block-based modular smartphone it expects to change how users interact with software and hardware. Spiral 2 builds on the MDK version 0.20 which Google released earlier this month, and was shown today for the first time at Google's second Project Ara developer conference. Now with eleven different prototype modules, each of which will act as a reference design for third-party developers hoping to get onboard with Ara themselves, Spiral 2 supports hot-swapping those modules as well as making 3G calls.

The hardware for Spiral 2 is done, Head of Project Ara Paul Eremenko said, though the firmware itself is not. "Firmware is hard," he joked, inviting any firmware experts attending the developer event to contact him regarding a job.

The changes in Spiral 2 has seen the electro-permanent magnets which hold the modules in place moved, now into the endoskeleton frame, leaving more room in the modules themselves. There are two application processors, from Marvell and NVIDIA, while Rockchip is working on a dedicated chip itself.

Google has also confirmed the exact Spiral 2 reference specifications. There'll be a 1280 x 720 display, light & proximity sensors, a 5-megapixel camera, WiFi and Bluetooth, 3G modem with a Band 2 antenna, separate Band 5 antenna, battery, and speaker module, as well as the choice of a Marvell PXA1928 or NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor block. A final block will have the USB charger port.

Spiral 2 also shifts the cellular antennas from the modems themselves, which will lead to more flexibility when 4G LTE modules arrive.

What there won't be is 3D printing of modules, at least initially. According to Eremenko, getting 3D printing technologies to a point where they were realistic for production volumes and at the quality that consumers would expect was simply too ambitious for the current timescale.

Instead, ATAP turned to a second proposal it had been working on simultaneously. Using dye-sublimation, modules made of injection-molded polycarbonate plastic will be able to be customized at high resolution and in full color.

Meanwhile, Google also previewed some of the changes the ATAP team expects for Spiral 3. Biggest of those will probably be contactless data connections between the different modules, replacing the spring-loaded pins with inductive systems that stop the scratching the Spiral 2 experiences, as well as making them more flexible.

Spiral 3 will also have new magnets, and the antennas will be shifted into the endo - the backbone of the phone - rather than putting them into the modules.

Power consumption will be lowered, bigger batteries supported, and new battery technologies introduced. That has seen Google engage with battery manufacturers that might not normally see their wares in current smartphones - usually because they don't meet the recharge cycle requirements - and offering optional higher-density packs with shorter lifespans for those consumers willing to make that compromise.

We'll have more from the Project Ara developer event over the course of the day.

Story Timeline

• Project Ara Spiral 2 PCB teased, DevConf to be livestreamed
• Google's Project Ara adds NVIDIA and Marvell chips
• Project Ara released 2nd dev kit ahead of February conference
• Project Ara Module Marketplace ushers in Dev Event 2

구글 조립형 스마트폰 '아라폰' 공개 임박.. 업계 반응은

source: http://www.sentv.co.kr/news/view/463453

구글 조립형 스마트폰 '아라폰' 공개 임박.. 업계 반응은

서울경제 | 입력시간 : 2015-01-09 17:12:11

구글의 야심작인 50달러(5만5,000원) 조립형 스마트폰 '아라폰' 공개가 임박하면서 업계의 이목이 집중되고 있다.

9일 관련 업계에 따르면 구글의 아라 개발팀인 '프로젝트 아라'는 홈페이지를 통해 1월 14일과 21일 미국과 싱가포르에서 개발자 회의를 개최한다고 밝혔다.

업계에서는 이 자리에서 아라의 실체가 드러날 것으로 전망하고 있다.

아라는 휴대전화의 카메라, 배터리 등 각 기능을 블록(모듈)으로 만들어 사용자가 취향대로 선택해 조립하는 스마트폰이다.

업계에서 아라를 주목하는 이유는 성공할 경우 구글의 영향력이 하드웨어까지 확장돼 모바일 시장이 '구글 천하'가 될 수 있다는 우려 때문이다. 제조사들이 구글의 안드로이드 운영체제(OS)에 예속돼 있는 상황에서 아라 마저 성공하면 구글에 하드웨어 플랫폼까지 예속돼 단순 부품 업체로 전락할 수 있다는 것이다.

구글의 저가형 조립폰 등장에 대한 시장의 반응은 엇갈린다.

우선 저가를 무기로 성장 중인 중국 업체들에 위협적 요인이 될 수 있다는 지적이다. 아울러 과거 조립형 컴퓨터에서 볼 수 있듯 사용자가 고가 부품을 구입해 초고사양의 스마트폰을 제작할 경우 삼성전자와 애플도 견제를 받을 것 수 있어 시장에 상당한 영향력을 발휘할 수 있다는 분석이다.

반면 집 안에 두는 컴퓨터와 달리 디자인과 브랜드가 각광 받는 휴대전화 시장을 고려하면 한계가 있다는 지적도 나온다. 인도나 아프리카 등 일부 저가 시장에서 인기를 끄는 데 그칠 것이라는 전망도 나오고 있다.

이현호기자 hhlee@sed.co.kr

Ara project 시제품 2015 1월

http://www.itnews.or.kr/2014/12/%ea%b5%ac%ea%b8%80-%ec%95%84%eb%9d%bc%ed%8f%b0-%eb%82%b4%eb%85%84-1%ec%9b%94-%ec%b6%9c%ec%8b%9c-%ec%82%bc%ec%84%b1-%ec%98%ac-%ea%b2%83-%ec%99%94%eb%8b%a4/

source: http://www.zdnet.com/googles-project-ara-gets-some-new-rivals-as-finnish-startups-invent-the-next-wave-of-modular-devices-7000036091/

Google's Project Ara gets some new rivals as Finnish startups invent the next wave of modular devices

Summary: Handsets where you can upgrade hardware as easily as software have always been a dream for consumers. Now, that dream is fast becoming a reality.

By Eeva Haaramo for Norse Code | November 26, 2014 -- 09:40 GMT (01:40 PST)

The latest design of the Puzzlephone. Image: Circular Devices

Nokia branding on smartphones might be history for now, but that hasn't scared Finnish startups away from the mobile market. What sets the country's newest entrants apart from other manufacturers is their focus on modularity — making handsets where hardware elements can be swapped out and updated as easily as apps. 

Chief among Finland's modular phone firms are Vsenn and Puzzlephone. Like the most notable modular phone project to date,Google's Project Ara, both startups are planning to launch their first phones in 2015.

Oulu-based Vsenn has piqued the curiosity of the tech world partly because it was co-founded by a former program manager of Nokia's Android X smartphone range.

The company, which only announced its branded modular phone plans in early November and remains mostly tight-lipped about the forthcoming product, is confident enough to name Project Ara as its main competitor. It aims to be nipping at Google's heels when it launches its first device in the second quarter of next year, the quarter after Project Ara's own commercial release.

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Vsenn claims it is building "the most secure and regularly updated Android OS platform using modular hardware". For the company, this emphasis on security means that all data on the phone will be protected using triple-layer encryption, and users will be provided with free access to a VPN network. Vsenn owners will also be offered guaranteed updates for the next four years for the vanilla Android OS. 

The idea behind modular phones is to give users the opportunity to modify the hardware to personalise their smartphone, so that it matches their needs and preferences - and to easily replace a part when it breaks.

While Project Ara aims to build highly-modular devices, like its second prototype device Spiral 2, the currently self-titled Vsenn device will have three modules that can be replaced or upgraded: the camera, the battery, and the processor. In addition, changeable back covers will let users customise the look of their phone.

Although the company has yet to release pricing details, it has said that the Vsenn's market price will be lower than those charged by the current big smartphone companies. That doesn't mean Vsenn will be easily affordable, however: the entry level iPhone 6 retails for £539 in the UK and the prices for Google's newly launched Nexus 6 phablet start at £499.

Added edge from sustainability 

Meanwhile the company behind the Puzzlephone, Helsinki-based Circular Devices, has taken a different approach. It has been very open about the development of its modular phone since the concept was first revealed to the public in January 2013. Officially founded this year by Spanish engineer Alejandro Santacreu, the company now has an international team of 11 finalising the Puzzlephone prototype for launch by the end this year. Its major differentiator is a focus on sustainability.

"The smartphone market's forecast for the next five years is it's an 'invaluable' market," says Santacreu. "What they forget to mention is that it's also an 'unaffordable' scenario: six billion people using devices with a lifespan shorter than 18 months and not meant to be repaired or upgraded? It is like the perfect recipe for a total disaster, those devices are built with rare and scarce materials." 

Circular Devices' answer is to build an easily repairable and upgradeable smartphone based on open source, initially Android. The materials currently considered for Puzzlephone are recyclable and have a low environmental impact. 

The Puzzlephone consists of display, battery, and main modules, the latter of which includes the rear camera and the processor. The display module packs stereo speakers and volume buttons. Neodymium magnets are used to attach these modules together and a mechanical latch keeps them in place.

While Vsenn has said its phone will be equipped with a 4.7-inch full HD screen, Puzzlephone, similarly to Project Ara, is planning to offer different display sizes:  4.3, 4.7 and five-inches.

According to Puzzlephone, focusing on three changeable modules means standard adoption will be quicker and cheaper as the physical layout is similar to smartphones today. 

"We are similar [to Project Ara] but with different physical approaches, in the sense that three pieces are closer to the device's actual internal distribution which translates into a cost-effective adoption by the industry," said Santacreu.

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"If you open your smartphone you will find these three vital body parts: the brain (electronics), the spine (display), and the heart (battery). They are already there for a good reason. For many years industry manufacturers have found it is the most efficient way of doing things. By trying to change this by splitting them into further modules, the supply chain would only suffer."

If Circular Devices is able to secure the funding needed for full R&D, the company expects to release the first Puzzlephone in the second half of 2015 in the mid-range price category.  Firmware and hardware standards for third parties to use will follow.

David takes on Goliath

Despite the competition, Santacreu believes there is plenty of room for smaller companies in the smartphone market.

"The illusion of saturation is the biggest challenge for any new hardware startup company talking about making phones. How can a market be considered saturated when all the sales forecasts point to immense growth yet at the same time there is a duopoly and one half of Android devices are lacking a real standard?" says Santacreu. "Luckily we are witnessing successful devices like the OnePlus One showing that there are consumers out there looking for alternatives no matter at what price range."

In a recent interview with the Finnish magazine DigiToday, Santacreu compares Puzzlephone and Project Ara to the old myth of NASA investing millions of dollars in a 'space pen' while the Soviet astronauts simply brought a pencil. It's easy to guess which one he thinks is the pencil.

At this stage Vsenn remains only words on a website and Puzzlephone has yet to reach a full prototype, but 2015 could well prove to be a defining moment not only for these startups but for modular phones in general.