Ahead of Google's first Ara Developers Conference, the software giant today offered a sneak peek at what developers, and eventually consumers, can expect from the build-it-yourself Project Ara smartphone.
In a 3.5-minute video (watch below), the curtain is lifted on the Ara team, which shows off a few of the tidbits you can expect to learn more about during the April 15-16 developer event.
Among the early details is a prototype of the Ara's endoskeleton (endo), or structural frame, into which other modules slide into place via electro-permanent magnets. These components can be anything from an application processor or a keyboard to an extra battery or pulse oximeter. Because they can be used to operate various elements of the phone, the handset does not require a traditional case.
"We ended up deciding that embracing this block and modular aesthetic … was part of the phone—let's not hide it, let's not put it behind the cover," Daniel Wakowski, head of design for Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group, said in the video. "Perhaps the best design statement we could make was that this phone can flow and adapt just as much as our lives flow and adapt, and that in itself is an aesthetic."
Project Ara is housed within Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group, and overseen by Regina Dugan, former director of the U.S. Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The team was unveiled in October and tasked with doing for hardware what the Android platform has done for software: create a vibrant third-party developer ecosystem. It was initially part of Motorola Mobility, but Google retained ATAP when Motorola was sold to Lenovo in January.
The Ara group partnered with Phonebloks on the project, and has teamed up with 3D Systems for a high-speed 3D printing platform for Ara's hyper-personalized features.
This month's developer conference will be the first of three. The inaugural event will be live-streamed online and allow for interactive Q&A. A limited number of participants will be able to attend in person at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif.
For more, watch PCMag Live in the video below, which discusses the Project Ara update.