Spiral 2 announced, first Project Ara model that will go on sale

On Wednesday, at the Project Ara Developers Conference in Mountain View, Google announced the Spiral 2. This will be the first version of the modular phone that will be offered for sale. The specs are far from flagship material. Resolution on the screen is 720 x 1280. The dual application processors include the Marvell PXA1928 and the NVIDIA Tegra K1. A 5MP camera is on board and the phone would feature 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

With a battery that offers 20% to 30% less capacity than the average smartphone cell, battery life for the Spiral 2 is not what most handset users are accustomed to. The device has 11 working modules at present, a number Google expects to see hit as high as 30 by the end of the year. There will be a module offering an improved camera and another one featuring 4G LTE connectivity.

The Spiral 2 will be offered in Puerto Rico later this year where it has the advantage of being a small market, and is connected to the U.S. This will allow Google to work with the FCC on the project before it is widely launched. There is already talk of a Spiral 3 which will have a longer lasting battery and 4G LTE connectivity pre-installed.

Google has released a clever little video showing how easy it is to turn your phone into a higher spec'd model by snapping in modular parts. The video also shows how a cracked display can be easily replaced by sliding in a new one.



source: Google via AndroidandMe