Google shows prototype of Project Ara phone

Sahil Mohan Gupta New Delhi, June 27, 2014 | UPDATED 14:57 IST

Google has unveiled a working prototype of its 'Project Ara' modular smartphone platform at Google I/O. The device which booted to Android also froze, but the fact that Google was able to show-off a product that was able to boot the Android OS is laud worthy.

Developed by the skunk-works ATAP group headed by former DARPA director Regina Dugan, the project had its origins at Motorola, when it was a Google company. When the Google sold off Motorola to Lenovo, it retained the ATAP group.

The project basically attempts to create a smartphone that has different interchangeable modules that the user can replace or swap out for a customised experience much like one creates assembled PCs.

The technical lead for Project Ara, Paul Eremenko also announced a $100,000 challenge for developers for a working module for the phone that does something the phone has never done.

Eremenko noted that Android will need changes so that it supports the modular nature of the proposed product. He said that his team planned to 'stress test' the operating system so that it could handle the modularity of the device.

A lot of new possibilities have been imagined for Project Ara. For instance, it was claimed modules for a key fob for the car could be created. There could be an expensive camera module so that people share with each other and also a night vision module could be created.

New battery technology is being explored by Google which is more powerful than today's battery tech found in smartphones. However, these batteries would have shorter life spans.

Overall, Google is showing great progress with the proposed product typifying the work ethic of Regina Dugan who introduced the ATAP group at Google I/O as a 'small band of pirates, doing epic sh*t.'

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