Modular smartphones could be a reality with Motorola’s Project Ara

Back in May when the Moto X was still in the leaks and rumors stage, it was hinted that it would be more customizable than it ended up being. It was believed that we would not only be able to choose the color of the device, but also choose the memory, CPU, etc. Today we have an idea where those rumors originated from: Project Ara from Motorola.
Project Ara takes it a step further by creating a completely modular phone. It means that you would start with an endoskeleton, which is the frame of the phone. You would then be able to purchase modules that can be inserted into the frame. These modules would consist of the processor, the display, a battery, a keyboard, etc. This means that not only will you be able to decide what specs you want, you can also upgrade any of the specs at anytime.

Motorola has been working on Project Ara for over a year with the overall goal being to do for hardware what Android has done for software. That is “create a vibrant third-party developer ecosystem, lower the barriers to entry, increase the pace of innovation, and substantially compress development timelines.”
Motorola is also working with Phonebloks, which shares the same vision. In fact, Dave Hakkens, the creator of Phonebloks, released a video on YouTube a month ago demonstrating the concept. Motorola plans to invite developers in the coming months and expects and alpha release of the Module Developers Kit (MDK) this winter. Check out the video from Dave Hakkens and Phonebloks to get an idea of where this is headed.