Phonebloks
phonebloks.com
Phonebloks
1–10 of 71 posts
Re: Phonebloks
#2Relevant discussion on reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/electronics/comments/1m4m0f/this_is_...
My opinion is that this wasn't thoroughly thought through...
Re: Phonebloks
#3Lots of people seem to agree this concept is appealing indeed, but physically impossible.
Re: Phonebloks
#4Remember when desktop PC where made from interchangeable components? How many people actually upgraded them instead of buying a new, boxed one?
Re: Phonebloks
#5Hmm. Would you buy phone components from people who can't do Unicode? "It�s pretty cool." Revenge of the SmartQuote.
Re: Phonebloks
#6Lots of people seem to agree this concept is appealing indeed, but physically impossible.
Physically impossible? I've seen crazier things happen.
Re: Phonebloks
#7Please stop. It' so painful to see this link here after reddit.
Re: Phonebloks
#8Remember when desktop PC where made from interchangeable components? How many people actually upgraded them instead of buying a new, boxed one?
A lot of people did and still do. And that was actually quite 'hard' because you had to touch micro electronics. If you make PCs (phones, laptops) out of Lego, people will do it much faster and more often. Going to a gig? Pull out the bluetooth, plug in the midi block. Going on the road in 2 countries? Pull an USB block, plug in a second 4G. Etc.
Edit; not saying this is a good idea for a phone, but to some extend it would be for a laptop (not ultrabook). Some rugged ones are quite like that.
Re: Phonebloks
#9While this is obviously very far from feasible, what _is_ possible is a return to servicability for the two parts that most commonly fail: batteries and screens. The rest of the phone is usually fine unless subjected to serious physical battering. The legendarily reliable Nokia 3210 is your landmark here.
Note that in a modern phone, the screen strength usually is achieved by bonding it to the case, so in practice "replace screen" turns into "take mainboard out of case and place in new case".
Modularity doesn't really help at all with the constant drive to replace working phones with newer, better ones. But there should be an effective secondhand market selling them to the Third world - and there is! No shortage of websites offering people money for their old phones.
Long term, we have to wait for the Moore's law slowdown, and a rise in Chinese manufacturing wages and other costs, before a local western repair industry becomes viable again.
(Apart from all the other issues, phonebloks would turn "Android fragmentation" into a far more extreme version; you can't guarantee that your peripheral will even be there next time you turn the phone on).
Re: Phonebloks
#10Remember when desktop PC where made from interchangeable components? How many people actually upgraded them instead of buying a new, boxed one?
A lot of people did and still do. And that was actually quite 'hard' because you had to touch micro electronics. If you make PCs (phones, laptops) out of Lego, people will do it much faster and more often. Going to a gig? Pull out the bluetooth, plug in the midi block. Going on the road in 2 countries? Pull an USB block, plug in a second 4G. Etc. Edit; not saying this is a good idea for a phone, but to some extend it…
Or buy the integrated phone that includes all of those features and doesn't make you swap them out and risk losing or damaging the blocks.
Modularity often ends up being a _cost_ to the unsophisticated majority of end users. People don't like it in their software (preferring a "complete solution"), nor in their hardware (e.g. cheap integrated hifi versus expensive minority separates).