Google’s modular Project Ara smartphone gets an ETA

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

News about Google’s Project Ara, the effort to transform smartphones from these pre-configured all-or-nothing options we have now to something much more modular, akin to a build-it-yourself PC, has been absolutely exploding in recent weeks. Just a few days back we were checking out the release of the Ara Module Developers Kit, and this week brings the arrival of the first Ara dev conference, which kicked off earlier today. There, Google shared some of its ...

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Pocketnow Weekly 091: brace yourselves – the reviews are coming

Posted on by Michael Fisher

When an avalanche of reviews is rumbling its way down your mountain, it’s rarely easy to assemble a podcast team – but as we frequently remind you, the Pocketnow Weekly has never missed a week, and we’ll be damned if it’ll do so now. So despite the forthcoming reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S 5, Gear Fit, Gear 2, Oppo Find 7a, Nokia X, and the just-completed reviews of the ZENS Qi line, BlackBerry 10.2.1, and the Verizon HTC One M8, we’re banding together behind microphones in three separate cities on two continents to bring you the news and editorials of a very ...

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iPhone 6 1080p display, Google Project Ara progress, HTC One M8 in stores & more – Pocketnow Daily

Posted on by Jaime Rivera

Watch today’s Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the availability of the HTC One M8 on other carrier stores and even Best Buy. Then we talk about some next-generation iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display rumors which include an A8 chip and Touch ID. Then we talk about the iPhone 6, the rumors of a 5.5-inch 1080p display on one model though with varied sapphire scenarios. The iWatch follows the news as we talk about the rumor that there are two models, both fashionable, but one may cost thousands of dollars. We end today’s show talking about Motorola’s new President ...

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Google releases Project Ara Module Developers Kit

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

We’re right at the cusp of an exciting period in the development of Google’s Project Ara, with the firs dev conference just days away and rumors suggesting prototype hardware might be fully functional within a matter of weeks. Today Ara hit one big milestone, with Google making available the Module Developers Kit that hardware guys can use to start crafting their own ...

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A Project Ara working prototype could be just weeks away

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Google’s modular Project Ara concept design is coming along at a breakneck pace. In just a matter of months, the notion of a modular smartphone went from “what a neat idea,” to “oh, that conceptual render looks pretty nice,” to “holy crap, are they actually making this thing?” Sure enough, it’s all coming together, and by now we’re just days away from ...

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Phonebloks shows off Project Ara prototype hardware in new video

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

While it may lack the immediate wow-factor of efforts like Google Glass, the modular Project Ara could prove to be just as, if not more exciting, offering smartphone users the promise of untold levels of control over what hardware goes into the handsets they use. As such, we’ve been actively following development on project Ara, from its early days as a Phonebloks concept, to Motorola really grabbing the idea and running with it, to Google’s taking the ...

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“We know we have made a difference”: Phonebloks on the future of the modular smartphone (Interview)

Posted on by Alex Greenspan

When the Phonebloks video was released back in September 2013 by Dave Hakkens as part of his design academy graduation project, it quickly went viral. The concept was a game-changer: an environmentally sustainable, modular mobile phone. The video showed a phone built from Lego-like modules, or “blocks,” each part easily replaceable and upgradable. Need a bigger battery or a better camera? Don’t worry about buying a new phone – just replace a block. The project’s Thunderclap campaign was first aimed at reaching 500 people ...

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Google demos Project Ara prototype hardware on video

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Project Ara is only just getting started, with the first dev conference still over a month away, but we’re understandably excited about the sort of possibilities the project promises to offer. We have a long way to go before any of this starts approaching the phase were it might be ready for commercial deployment, but that hasn’t stopped Google (and Motorola before it) from sharing with us ...

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Pricing can make or break Project Ara, and Google knows that

Posted on by Taylor Martin

If you look back just a few years in the timeline of modern smartphones, we’ve come a tremendous distance. To think the HTC ThunderBolt was, at one time, innovative and groundbreaking is pretty humorous these days. It’s difficult to remember that the original Motorola DROID was an impressive piece of kit and that 3G data speeds were normal just three, short years ago. Design, specifications, and especially software have all matured in a way few of us would have thought possible at the time. And it’s spoiled us to the point that we’re displeased with the announcement ...

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The base Project Ara hardware could be incredibly affordable

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Last night we heard a great development in Google ATAP’s ongoing work with Project Ara, announcing the first of several developer’s conferences to take place throughout the year. At this first one in April, interested devs will get the tolls they need to start deigning the interchangeable hardware modules that will ultimately give Ara the level of customizability that’s at the heart of the effort. Time Tech has a great write-up on what Ara’s ...

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Google Project Ara dev conferences coming soon

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Will the ambitious Project Ara, born under Motorola and living-on with Google through the company’s Advanced Technology and Projects group (the team behind that tantalizing 3D-mapping handset), really end up shifting the smartphone market from one dominated by pre-built monolithic phones to eminently customizable models, formed from a number of individually upgradable components? That would be ten ...

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Pocketnow Weekly 081: Lenovo buys Motorola, Galaxy S5 fingerprints, & interview with special guest Ryan Negri

Posted on by Michael Fisher

When you can kick off a tech podcast with a string of expletives taken right from your publication’s teamwide chat records, you know it’s been a crazy week in the news. The Lenovo Motorola deal, announced late yesterday afternoon, threw our whole week -and perhaps our whole world- into disarray, and we’re grateful for the chance to sit down and talk it through on today’s show. But the news doesn’t stop there. Galaxy S 5 speculation is still coming fast and furious, with details like Samsung’s rumored fingerprint scanner beginning to take shape; ...

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What the Lenovo Motorola purchase means for Project Ara

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

We’re still reeling a little bit from this evening’s wholly unexpected news of Lenovo acquiring Motorola’s smartphone business from Google. Shortly after first hearing it as a rumor, confirmation swiftly arrived, and we’ve had some time since to reflect on just what all this means. One question that we noticed popping up quite a bit in your comments following this news has been what this sale might mean for ...

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Motorola recruits 3D printing company for Project Ara

Posted on by Stephen Schenck

Motorola gave hope to a lot of smartphone fans who have long been frustrated by the limited number of hardware options available to them when it announced its Project Ara late last month. The wildly ambitious effort seeks to change how we think about hardware design, no longer forced to choose from combinations of phone components as dictated by a manufacturer, but free to combine interchangeable modules to build exactly the phone we’re looking for. While Motorola offered some very cool images of ...

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Google Nexus 5 pre-registration and smartwatch leaks, Motorola Project Ara & more – Pocketnow Daily

Posted on by Jaime Rivera

Watch today’s Pocketnow Daily as we talk about Google’s event, which didn’t talk about the Nexus 5, but did focus on some enhancements to Hangouts. Then we talk about the Nexus 5, as carriers like WIND Mobile can’t wait to get you one through their pre-registration form, aside from the possibility of the phone actually making it to Sprint. We then talk about the Google Smartwatch, and how we can expected it sooner than later. We later focus on Motorola, and the leaks of the Moto G, even if we only get a name. We end today’s show by talking about ...

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