Google is said to be working on a Project Ara modular smartwatch which will come in blocks just like the Project Ara smartphone. It is also feature open software that will allow developers to create new apps or build their own Blocks. The smartwatch is expected to be launched in 2015 and will provide users with an endless choice of functions on their personal smartwatch.
The individual blocks for the smartwatch will tell the time, give directions, receive calls, and could include a multitude of customizable features like which sensors you want to add, whether you want a basic fitness band or a fully featured smartwatch. Users will have to buy new unique Blocks once the original ones wear out or are updated. The modular smartwatch will support both design personalization and function flexibility — to allow for wearables that can suit various tastes, wrist sizes and personality.
“We currently have a functional prototype that proves the concept. More specifically — that the connections are reliable enough to send data from block to block, and that the communication protocol can support the data rate at which the information is being transferred around the device,” says Blocks’ Serge Vasylechko.
“The current aim is to look at design issues around Blocks and make it comfortable and appealing to wear for the user. Once that is done we can move on to full prep towards a crowd funding campaign which we plan to release in the near future. In the longer run, we aim to release the full product itself by mid 2015, with developer editions ready before that.”
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Wearable tech is on the rise, recently Google Inc had announced Project Android Wear and partnered with LG, Motorola among others to launch new smartwatches. Motorola and LG have been in the news for showing teasers of their upcoming smartwatch concepts and are expected to launch them this year.
Source: Motorola Ara