Motorola to build modular smartphones with Project Ara.

Motorola, a Google company is known to be working on Project Ara, an open source initiative for modular smartphones i.e. using separate modules for camera, processor, screen etc and assembling all to make a smartphone. In a bid to make phone last longer and reduce electronic waste, Motorola team up with phonebloks to make a smartphone by connecting detachable bloks to the base (endoskeleton or endo). You can easily upgrade or repair the bloks, thereby reducing the waste from the worn out/obsolete phones.

If this modular approach is achievable in real sense then it will be a revolutionary effort in the mobile phones we use today. Just like we use different apps (some good ones, some moderate and some extra featured ones) for the same tasks, we can have variety in the phone hardware. Say for instance, you want to use higher quality camera, faster processor, higher memory space or high capacity battery in your phone, you can just take out the old modules and replace it with better ones. Similar analogy can be found for apps store with blokstore; like a store for hardware (modules). Easy customization of your phone hardware with this approach will cut down the high price in upgrading your phone and even reduces the electronic waste.

I have this feeling that this sort of effort will be more feasible when all of the handset makers agree to bring such modular approach in manufacturing. Now lets say if the project surpasses all the challenges, I now wonder how will the rivalry between Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, and Google look like then. May be in the price or the durability of the modules!