What is Ara?

Ara is the name of a modular smartphone that is currently being developed by Google under the project name Ara. The modular smartphone is called Ara because the lead mechanical designer that is working on the project is called Ara. Google liked the name, so they decided to name the device Ara.

“A modular smartphone is a cellphone that can be upgraded through the attachment or replacement of discrete components.”

All smartphones are made up of different components but unlike the common smartphone, modular smartphones are comprised solely of the components chosen by the individual user. These components are called modules. Google’s current modular smartphone is made up of 10 modules that are attached to the main frame (the endoskeleton) by electropermanent magnets. Similar to apps, modules will be made by developers that are located all over the world and will consist of all sorts of current and future technology.

The current development Stages of Ara

Google has set for themselves five development stages in which they plan on going through to complete the Ara modular smartphone:

First stage (4Q 2013) MAKEwithMOTO – It all started with what you could call a crazy road trip. Google customized a Velcro-covered van with all sorts of equipment’s such as 3D printers and rapid prototyping equipment’s that are capable of making NFC-enabled topographic dog tags, mobile phone cases customized to your delight, bracelets and basically anything nerdy that you can think of. The aim of MAKEwithMOTO was to visit top schools across the US to promote creativity and to see what people want from their phones.

You could also say that Google got some inspiration from this awesome video which was created by Dave Hakkens. The video shows a smartphone that is made out of blocks. Its main purpose was to, “encouraging the development and production of products that produce less electronic waste.”

Stages two to four (2Q 2014 – 2Q 2015) – The second, third and fourth stages of Project Ara are focused on creating and refining the modular smartphone. The first working prototype (Spiral 1) was demonstrated last year, followed by the second version (Spiral 2) in January of this year. We expect that Google should now be working on the final consumer version (Spiral 3).

Spiral 3, Final Version of Ara.

Google’s main goal for spiral 3 is to have it on par with current hi-end smartphones that are already on the market. As Ara’s director Eremenko explains, we can expect the Spiral 3 to “match or exceed the functionality of a state-of-the-art smartphone today”

List of changes, Spiral 2 – 3

Spiral 2

For the UniPro switch, Ara got switched from FPGA(field-programmable gate array) to ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). This switch should result in a performance boost between modules. Unipro is a high-speed interface technology for interconnecting integrated circuits. An ideal technology for Ara modular smartphones in that it is capable of a vast amount of varied communications between hardware devices.

Electropermanent magnet which is used to keep the modules connected to the endoskeleton has been moved from the modules to the endoskeleton. This should result in more space in modules for developers to work with.

An Analog RF bus has been added to endoskeleton, this allows multiple modules to communicate with a single modem.

Added support for 3G modem.

3D printing has been put on hold. Modules will be made out of injection-molded polycarbonate material. Though not as customizable as 3D printing them yourselves, polycarbonate allows for the printing of full high resolution images.

Spiral 3

Inductive data connection will be added, this will allow modules to communicate with the endoskeleton without any actual contacts.

Endoskeleton will be getting built in antennas.

Added support for 4G LTE connectivity.

An estimated 30 modules will be available including hi-res camera modules.

A new module marketplace that will facilitate customizing and purchasing of a complete Ara modular smartphone should be up and running.

A New MDK version 5.0 will be made available for developers

Full day’s battery life is expected. This is thanks to a recent breakthrough in battery technology that is coming to Ara thanks to SolidEnergy.

The fifth and final Project Development Stage – The final stage in Project Ara’s timeline is all about the market pilot which will take place towards the end of 2015, location, Puerto Rico. This is where the first set of Ara modular smartphones will go on sale to the public.

Google chose Puerto Rico because, “Puerto Ricans are mobile first …The carrier landscape is diverse and competitive with U.S., Latin American, and local carriers. As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico is under FCC jurisdiction so we would continue our work with the FCC on a regulatory approach for Ara. Puerto Rico is a gateway from the U.S. to the world … It is well-connected as a communications, logistics and trade hub. It has designated free trade zones which we can use for importing modules from developers worldwide. University of Puerto system (all 11 campuses) has joined the ATAP Multi-University Research Agreement (MURA) which provides an agile and flexible mechanism for engaging individual faculty and labs in research to support Ara and other ATAP projects.”

Puerto Rico a much smaller market than the US, this gives Google better control over correcting possible issues that could arise in the early stages of consumer use. They will also get the time needed to squash bugs that could popup in the new software and more or less see how the device will perform in real world conditions.

Modules Currently In Development For The Ara Modular Smartphone

The modular nature of Ara is most exciting; we can expect to see modules with all sorts of capabilities in the future. But for now, here are some of the modules that developers are currently working on:

Revolutionary metal anode battery module – This module will be created by a recent startup company called SolidEnergy. The new metal anode battery modules will have the same capacity of our current smartphone batteries while remaining 50% smaller.

Health focused medical modules – A Company called Hearts, plans on making available multiple health focused medical modules for Google’s modular smartphone. The modules will include: Glucose meter module, thermometer module, Urine test module, eye exam module and a blood testing module.

Biosensor module – This is another module that is focuses on the health department. It is currently being developed by Vestigen, and the BIOEE Group from the University of California. The biosensor module will be capable of checking the quality of foods, as well as common diseases such as HIV, influenza, malaria and more.

128 GB memory module – One of our most popular flash memory companies Kingston, is working with Marvel to make available a memory module with incredible storage capacities of up to 128 Gigabytes. And as impressive as this is, the technology has been already available to make double that storage capacity in the form of a module.

These are just a very small example of known modules that are currently being worked on by module developers. Ara already has a good amount of module developers who are working on modules and in addition to the modules mentioned above, we hear talk that we can expect modules such as: Graphics accelerators for gaming, 3D cameras, dual cameras, thermal imaging camera, E-Ink display, 3D display and much more. And of course, there will be modules that have the most common smartphone technologies, such as Wi-Fi, 4G, Bluetooth, NFC etc. With no limits on what technology can be added to a modular, anything is possible.

Cost Of The Ara Modular Smartphone

Unlike top hi-end smartphones that are available on the market today with prices ranging from US $500 – $1000, a modular smartphone with all the new technology that went into manufacturing it, will cost a mere fraction of that price. One of Google’s main goals for Ara is to produce a device for everyone. With this goal in mind, they are trying to have the manufacturing cost for a working Ara device to range between US $50 to $100.

The price range that Google specified could be the price that you pay for a basic modular smartphone (this should include all the modules required for it to function). And remember, modules will be available with lots of different specifications and functions; you will be able to purchase any module/s to improve or add new functionalities to your device..

Release Date Of Ara Modular Smartphone

The Date hasn’t officially been set; Google expects the Ara modular smartphone to be available through the first market pilot that will take place in Puerto Rico possibly in the fourth quarter of this year (2015). The market pilot will be a testing phase for the device and the results will determine what time in 2016 we see an official release of Ara.