4 ms·

I think the PC analogy is wrong. I also framing this as money saving option is wrong. The potential is in flexibility. Phones are small. Tradeoffs are substant

by netcan 13y ago

I think the PC analogy is wrong. I also framing this as money saving option is wrong. The potential is in flexibility. Phones are small. Tradeoffs are substantial. Some people would prefer 50% more battery life at the expense of the camera or weight. Maybe someone can make an e-ink screen that will double battery life. Some people might want to spend $800 on the camera. IMO, that's the benefit. Commercially, I see this as something can keep buying add ons to. The market of people who buy 2-3 pricey covers for an ipad is legit. People like their phones and add ons might sell because people will just want to buy new things for them. In that sense, maybe this will extend life a little or partially as you take some old modules with you, but that's not the point. The point is can flexibility let people make a phone they like better and enjoy doing it.

abruzzi 13y ago
Perhaps, but (at least in Android) existing phone selection gives a pretty wide range of possibilities without incurring the drawbacks of the modular design. Admittedly, you can't buy a phone with high end CPU/memory/storage and low end screen, but I suspect there is a fair amount of predictability in what people will pair together. I think you find a lot of people who would buy a top of the line phone with everything--i.e. the equivalent of a flagship Samsung phone--and a lot of people that that are not spec/capability focused that want it to basically work--who would be happy with most 'free with contract' type phones, and the people that want that unique mix of features are a small minority. This is my experience with most of the people that I know or work with, and it could be selection bias. But I don't work in a tech hub. I work with people that make low to mid range salaries at a local government agency in one of the poorer parts of the county.
- Zak 13y ago
  (at least in Android) existing phone selection gives a pretty wide range of possibilities No, it doesn't. None of the following exist with an up-to-date version of Android (at least 4.3) and medium to high specs (comparable to a Moto X or better): * A slider form-factor with a physical keyboard. I have one friend who keeps buying old phones to have that, and another who kept her Droid 4 until it broke despite the option of a free upgrade. * Something roughly iPhone-sized; the Moto X and Sony Z1 Compact are small by Android flagship standards, but considerably wider than iPhones and hard for anyone with hands smaller than the average American male to use one-handed. * A ruggedized design. I don't mean simply dust and waterproof like recent models from Samsung and Sony, but capable of withstanding significant abuse. Some cases partly compensate, but what I'm thinking of would probably require a thick layer of tempered glass over the screen and a digitizer intended to compensate for the reduction in sensitivity. I know people who would buy each of these. I'm almost certain that a smartphone manufacturer outside of the top 3 that did a good job making any one of these three options would increase its profits significantly.
  - nwienert 13y ago
    I don't think a modular phone factor like shown here solves any of those problems though... * A sliding keyboard requires pretty intense engineering within the body * It seems ara is targeting very large and very small sizes, but not something like an iPhone. Even if it does, it doesn't solve the "I want a phone thats size X", it still limits your choice of size. Further, I wouldn't call this[0] "considerably wider". * These phones are guaranteed to be much more fragile than current phones, that's a tradeoff of modularity. So really, though I understand your desire, in the context of Project Ara all of these requirements are met better by current available smartphones. [0] http://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Sony-Xperia-Z1-Compact,Apple-iPhone-5s/phones/8283,7710 http://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Sony-Xperia-Z1-Compact...
    - Zak 13y ago
      I don't think a modular phone factor like shown here solves any of those problems though It may not, though I'd be surprised if nobody hacks together a sliding keyboard for this thing. It'll probably be bulky. The fragility issue can be solved by putting a good case over the whole thing. Assuming the overall platform works out to a limited number of sizes, I'd likely offer to sell cases made of various fiber-reinforced polymers[0] with cutouts in user-specified locations. The Sony Z1 Compact is approximately the size of a Moto X despite having a smaller screen. I think the waterproofing adds some bulk. The Moto G also has a 4.3" screen and is so close to the Moto X in dimensions that it fits comfortably in a case molded around a Moto X, though some cutouts don't align correctly. All of these are a bit too wide for me to use comfortably one-handed, while the iPhone is not. I don't expect modular phones to address that problem effectively, but I wanted to point it out as a segment the current market does not address at all. Based on totally non-scientific anecdotes I've collected by talking to people online, it's the largest of the three segments I mentioned. [0]http://i.imgur.com/wcLcKqG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/wcLcKqG.jpg
      - Alphasite_ 13y ago
        How would cases work for a modular design? It might be okay for small modules, but the moment it gets bulky, the phones entire profiles changed, and any normal cases are out.
- netcan 13y ago
  I agree on the high end CPU, low end screen combo. I don't mean living with a lower end screen to shave 7% off the price of a phone. I doubt this will ever offer that anyway. I mean more unusual setups like a huge, expensive camera mic to try and turn a tablet into a portable recording editing thing. More sensors. Joysticks. Little feet or wheels and a laser pointer so that your not just stuck on your back when you're in a video call.
  - abruzzi 13y ago
    I'll be the first person to admit if I'm wrong. I also think that if this product is made, there will be some cool use cases and users currently under-served that will find great benefits form the modular system, but I remain skeptical that there will be enough people positively impacted make up for the possible negatives.

by netcan 13y ago

abruzzi 13y ago

Perhaps, but (at least in Android) existing phone selection gives a pretty wide range of possibilities without incurring the drawbacks of the modular design. Admittedly, you can't buy a phone with high end CPU/memory/storage and low end screen, but I suspect there is a fair amount of predictability in what people will pair together. I think you find a lot of people who would buy a top of the line phone with everything--i.e. the equivalent of a flagship Samsung phone--and a lot of people that that are not spec/capability focused that want it to basically work--who would be happy with most 'free with contract' type phones, and the people that want that unique mix of features are a small minority. This is my experience with most of the people that I know or work with, and it could be selection bias. But I don't work in a tech hub. I work with people that make low to mid range salaries at a local government agency in one of the poorer parts of the county.

Zak 13y ago
(at least in Android) existing phone selection gives a pretty wide range of possibilities No, it doesn't. None of the following exist with an up-to-date version of Android (at least 4.3) and medium to high specs (comparable to a Moto X or better): * A slider form-factor with a physical keyboard. I have one friend who keeps buying old phones to have that, and another who kept her Droid 4 until it broke despite the option of a free upgrade. * Something roughly iPhone-sized; the Moto X and Sony Z1 Compact are small by Android flagship standards, but considerably wider than iPhones and hard for anyone with hands smaller than the average American male to use one-handed. * A ruggedized design. I don't mean simply dust and waterproof like recent models from Samsung and Sony, but capable of withstanding significant abuse. Some cases partly compensate, but what I'm thinking of would probably require a thick layer of tempered glass over the screen and a digitizer intended to compensate for the reduction in sensitivity. I know people who would buy each of these. I'm almost certain that a smartphone manufacturer outside of the top 3 that did a good job making any one of these three options would increase its profits significantly.
- nwienert 13y ago
  I don't think a modular phone factor like shown here solves any of those problems though... * A sliding keyboard requires pretty intense engineering within the body * It seems ara is targeting very large and very small sizes, but not something like an iPhone. Even if it does, it doesn't solve the "I want a phone thats size X", it still limits your choice of size. Further, I wouldn't call this[0] "considerably wider". * These phones are guaranteed to be much more fragile than current phones, that's a tradeoff of modularity. So really, though I understand your desire, in the context of Project Ara all of these requirements are met better by current available smartphones. [0] http://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Sony-Xperia-Z1-Compact,Apple-iPhone-5s/phones/8283,7710 http://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Sony-Xperia-Z1-Compact...
  - Zak 13y ago
    I don't think a modular phone factor like shown here solves any of those problems though It may not, though I'd be surprised if nobody hacks together a sliding keyboard for this thing. It'll probably be bulky. The fragility issue can be solved by putting a good case over the whole thing. Assuming the overall platform works out to a limited number of sizes, I'd likely offer to sell cases made of various fiber-reinforced polymers[0] with cutouts in user-specified locations. The Sony Z1 Compact is approximately the size of a Moto X despite having a smaller screen. I think the waterproofing adds some bulk. The Moto G also has a 4.3" screen and is so close to the Moto X in dimensions that it fits comfortably in a case molded around a Moto X, though some cutouts don't align correctly. All of these are a bit too wide for me to use comfortably one-handed, while the iPhone is not. I don't expect modular phones to address that problem effectively, but I wanted to point it out as a segment the current market does not address at all. Based on totally non-scientific anecdotes I've collected by talking to people online, it's the largest of the three segments I mentioned. [0]http://i.imgur.com/wcLcKqG.jpg http://i.imgur.com/wcLcKqG.jpg
    - Alphasite_ 13y ago
      How would cases work for a modular design? It might be okay for small modules, but the moment it gets bulky, the phones entire profiles changed, and any normal cases are out.
netcan 13y ago
I agree on the high end CPU, low end screen combo. I don't mean living with a lower end screen to shave 7% off the price of a phone. I doubt this will ever offer that anyway. I mean more unusual setups like a huge, expensive camera mic to try and turn a tablet into a portable recording editing thing. More sensors. Joysticks. Little feet or wheels and a laser pointer so that your not just stuck on your back when you're in a video call.
- abruzzi 13y ago
  I'll be the first person to admit if I'm wrong. I also think that if this product is made, there will be some cool use cases and users currently under-served that will find great benefits form the modular system, but I remain skeptical that there will be enough people positively impacted make up for the possible negatives.