Google Project Ara 'Modular' Phone Starts To Get Real

Google's 'Lego Phone' Is Starting To Look Very Awesome

Google wants you to build your own phone - and now its emerging Project Ara experiment is getting serious.

The latest version of the modular device, which would let users swap out cameras, processors, storage and modems on demand, was shown on Wednesday at the Project Ara Module Developers Conference.

The Spiral 2 prototype has 11 modules which can slide into the phone, creating new types of devices at will.

The technical details are intriguing - including the use of a new type of processor (application-specific integrated circuits) for the device.

But really what's captured the internet's attention are the pictures of the prototype, which combine exciting technical innovation with Instagram-style photos of dogs and rainbows. And as a result, we can't look away.

Here's what Google says about Ara:

"The smartphone is one of the most empowering and intimate objects in our lives. Yet most of us have little say in how the device is made, what it does, and how it looks. And 5 billion of us don't have one. What if you could make thoughtful choices about exactly what your phone does, and use it as a creative canvas to tell your own story?"

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