141–150 of 154 posts
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You are the sort of person who would enjoy using modular synthesizers. * Not responsible for possible bankruptcy/ divorce/ loss of employment resulting from acting on above advice
Forum to pump that paycheck into: http://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/
I'd actually love it if this idea extended far enough to let me double my "phone" as an impromptu laptop/desktop. I know that we can use a bluetooth keyboard or whatever and kind of simulate things. But I'd love to carry around a single computing device that I can drop into a cradle at home and it's using my two big desktop monitors and nice keyboard/mouse, and when out and about, head into a coffee shop and swap the…
I like the modularity idea, I don't know if I'd want to be swapping components five times a day though. If the idea is just to have the same files/data on all your "different" devices, I think I like the idea of running a central fileserver with that stuff on it, and having separate phone, desktop, etc, that each do two or three things and do them well, and they all mount the fileserver, which has a much storage as y…
As a onetime Moto Webdock owner though, I'll attest to the fact that the grandparents dream is far from realized. At the time, the phone was simply too underpowered to provide a usable experience running just a browser (outdated Firefox at that). I picked the accessory up on Craigslist and it quickly found a resting place in my closet -- it was neat, but only in the proof of concept sense.
I'd love to see a company attempt something similar with today's hardware. A phone like the Nexus 5 / HTC One could provide a pretty slick experience, given enough RAM.
I think John Gruber over at Daring Fireball said it best: "I remain highly skeptical that a modular design can compete in a product category where size, weight, and battery life are at such a premium. Even if they can bring something to market, why would any normal person be interested in a phone like this?" http://daringfireball.net/linked/2014/04/15/project-ara
I tend to agree with Gruber on this one. Modular phone might be perfect for me (will see when and if it gets released), but I am not sure it can attract the masses as well as polished, high-end phones from Apple, Samsung, Nokia, etc. Size, weight and appearance do matter a lot to average customer.
A musing about the aesthetic of modular: My first 21st century "gadget" (for some obviously arbitrary definition of the term) was an ipod nano. I'm not very sensitive to the niceness of things in general so I was pretty surprised at how much I liked how it looked and felt in my hands. It was, cold metallic, small, sleek and completely solid. It had no give in it at all and felt like a magic rock. The solidness of it…
Ugly as sin, dorky, but fascinating and novel and cool all at the same time.
I'd actually love it if this idea extended far enough to let me double my "phone" as an impromptu laptop/desktop. I know that we can use a bluetooth keyboard or whatever and kind of simulate things. But I'd love to carry around a single computing device that I can drop into a cradle at home and it's using my two big desktop monitors and nice keyboard/mouse, and when out and about, head into a coffee shop and swap the…
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(at least in Android) existing phone selection gives a pretty wide range of possibilities No, it doesn't. None of the following exist with an up-to-date version of Android (at least 4.3) and medium to high specs (comparable to a Moto X or better): * A slider form-factor with a physical keyboard. I have one friend who keeps buying old phones to have that, and another who kept her Droid 4 until it broke despite the opt…
I don't think a modular phone factor like shown here solves any of those problems though... * A sliding keyboard requires pretty intense engineering within the body * It seems ara is targeting very large and very small sizes, but not something like an iPhone. Even if it does, it doesn't solve the "I want a phone thats size X", it still limits your choice of size. Further, I wouldn't call this[0] "considerably wider".…
It may not, though I'd be surprised if nobody hacks together a sliding keyboard for this thing. It'll probably be bulky. The fragility issue can be solved by putting a good case over the whole thing. Assuming the overall platform works out to a limited number of sizes, I'd likely offer to sell cases made of various fiber-reinforced polymers[0] with cutouts in user-specified locations.
The Sony Z1 Compact is approximately the size of a Moto X despite having a smaller screen. I think the waterproofing adds some bulk. The Moto G also has a 4.3" screen and is so close to the Moto X in dimensions that it fits comfortably in a case molded around a Moto X, though some cutouts don't align correctly. All of these are a bit too wide for me to use comfortably one-handed, while the iPhone is not. I don't expect modular phones to address that problem effectively, but I wanted to point it out as a segment the current market does not address at all. Based on totally non-scientific anecdotes I've collected by talking to people online, it's the largest of the three segments I mentioned.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think a modular phone factor like shown here solves any of those problems though... * A sliding keyboard requires pretty intense engineering within the body * It seems ara is targeting very large and very small sizes, but not something like an iPhone. Even if it does, it doesn't solve the "I want a phone thats size X", it still limits your choice of size. Further, I wouldn't call this[0] "considerably wider".…
I don't think a modular phone factor like shown here solves any of those problems though It may not, though I'd be surprised if nobody hacks together a sliding keyboard for this thing. It'll probably be bulky. The fragility issue can be solved by putting a good case over the whole thing. Assuming the overall platform works out to a limited number of sizes, I'd likely offer to sell cases made of various fiber-reinforc…
Once upon a time, when I was younger, I felt very strongly that I needed a computer with everything replaceable. I wanted to replace a CPU when it got too slow, new graphics card, upgradable RAM, storage, etc. But I found that in the end while I'd make small upgrades, I still replaced my computers at close to the same rate. That because some standard that was built into the old machine was no longer fast enough or wi…
Google might benefit strategically from a market where phones are commoditized down at the hardware subsystem level. This would further disempower hardware integrators like Samsung. The analogy is Microsoft:beige box::Google:component phone.
This is already happening with the various Chinese manufacturers and the Mediatek MT65xx platform. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of different models, all slightly different looking and with different dimensions, but based on the same internal reference design with minor changes, often to the point of ROM interchangeability.
If one of the modules can be a keyboard, then I know a fair few people who will buy one...
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wvCXOXQ0f7c&feature=youtu.be&a=
I find this interesting in contrast to Nexus devices. Two or three years ago, most Android phones had SD cards and removable batteries. These features have been conspicuously absent from recent Nexus phones in spite of their appeal to the power-user and developer markets who are among the most likely to want such features. I hope it gets some traction. I'm seeing a lot of sameness in high-spec Android phones, and som…
Nexus doesn't have a storage slot because no one has found a solution to the storage dilemma. How do I add storage without bringing back the broken file explorer interface? Also the market has shown a preference for size and look over replaceable parts, so not surprised Google went that way.
Has it? Samsung is the largest seller of Android phones by a significant margin, and most of Samsung's phones have replaceable batteries and SD cards. This comes with a cost, in that most reviews I've read complain that the removable back panel on Samsung phones looks and feels cheap.
I suspect Google was motivated by some combination of cost and a desire to encourage reliance on web services rather than on-device storage.
