From Wi-Fi balloons to self-driving cars and its famously free and healthy staff meals, Google is known for doing things differently. Now it’s looking to change the way smartphones are manufactured and bought, creating a scalable consumer smartphone with fully customisable hardware. The tech giant stepped up the development of Project Ara yesterday, announcing a market trial of its modular smartphone to begin in Puerto Rico later this year with a global launch — hopefully — thereafter.When Project Ara hits Puerto Rico, users should be able to customize their devices using the Ara Marketplace and Ara Configurator apps.
Google’s ATAP group will also roll out some “food-truck” style stores for consumers to actually check these devices out before they try them out. The trucks will be equipped with 3D printers and dye sublimation printers so that you can customize the phone right from point-of-sale. Google tells us they want the customization time to be under 5 minutes. The packaging will be in the shape of a bento box, with all the modules organized neatly in their own compartments, and the cardboard package itself will have sliding and moving pieces to show how all of the modules fit into place. And if you’d rather have just a simple pre-designed version, they’ll also offer ready to-go kits.
Google also says that it’ll have some 20 to 30 Ara modules available by launch across 10 different categories.