Phonebloks creator not happy with Google's changes to Project Ara

Dave Hakkens, the guy who dreamed up modular phone company Phonebloks, has posted a message to Google on his blog. "Re-think Project Ara," is the headline in big letters. Among the issues he has with the program is a change made by Google that has made the frame of the handset a totally functional phone. The frame includes the CPU, antennas, sensors, battery and display. These parts will not be swappable; if the screen cracks, you will need to replace the whole phone, not just the glass as envisioned. Yes, this phone can get obsolete.

When Hakkens came up with Phonebloks, and worked with Motorola on Project Ara, the game plan called for all components to be replaceable on a modular level. Now that Google has changed that, he isn't happy. However, he does like the blocky design, which makes it more like the original Phonebloks concept.

Hakkens had a very interesting line in his blog. "A system like this makes other companies want to compete instead of collaborate." He points out that had Google really planned on building a phone for the entire world, it should have made it an open system with standards owned by the industry. Instead, he worries that "Everything happens under the umbrella of Google. They are in charge, they make the rules. They can decided to suddenly change the connectors, or design."

The Phonebloks creator says that Google is pushing the limits and actually praises the company for how far they have come. But he says that with the amount of resources that Google has, they could do better. Instead of an open marketplace where owners can purchase modules for their phone, modules will be sold through Google with the company taking a small cut.


source: DaveHakkens via Engadget