Google's Project Ara aims to bring an inexpensive modular smartphone, which allows users to switch out each component as per their needs. Rockchip is developing a processor that supports such a smartphone.
There’s good news for those looking forward to Google’s modular smartphone initiative, Project Ara. Chinese chip maker Rockchip is working on a special processor, built specifically for Ara smartphones. If successful, it would solve one of the biggest problems with the projects.
The modular smartphone allows users to buy a completely upgradable device, which has modules for each component, like the camera, processor and so on. Each component can be upgraded by the user as and when they require. The problem with this though is how to allow users to swap out the backbone of a smartphone, the processor. This will be solved by Rockchip’s new SoC.
The first prototype of the Project Ara smartphone is expected to arrive in January 2015. Also, you may be thinking that this would raise the price of the device. Well, according to reports, it won’t. The smartphone still remains inexpensive, allowing users to buy a completely basic device and then upgrade it according to their needs.
Google's Project Ara was originally under Motorola, before the latter was sold off to Chinese PC and smartphone maker Lenovo. Project Ara though remained under Google, who had also showcased it at its I/O Conference this year.
Source: Engadget
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