The whole point of Google’s Project Ara is to give users more control over their phones’ hardware: no longer would shoppers be constrained to the prefabricated designs chosen by OEMs, and instead would enjoy untold freedom in combining a number of feature-packed modules with an endoskeleton frame. With the release of the Module Developers Kit early last month we got a great look at some of the configurations that might be possible with the Ara system, including a very petite option (above, right). Apparently this smaller form factor is attracting a lot of attention, as it inspires hope that the dream of a flagship-level compact smartphone may soon become a reality.
It’s a problem smartphone fans know all too well: if you want the latest and greatest hardware, all too often that means going with a handset in the five-inch range. Sure, every once in a while we see a Mini or Compact version of a flagship that still manages to maintain its top-shelf specs, but too often features start evaporating as we scale-down screen size.
Gadi Amit heads up a design firm that’s been working on Ara, and claims that people who have seen the smaller endo design are utterly captivated by it. Ara would give them the freedom to pair a small but still high-res display with the sort of other modern hardware options that can be tough to find on smaller phones currently.
Personally, Amit says his dream Ara configuration would take this smaller form factor and pair it with a huge battery (or just an easily-swappable spare), an enhanced antenna for better connectivity, and a multi-SIM module.
Source: GigaOM
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