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Pretend you have Project Ara with this modular smartphone case
As awesome as Project Ara is, we've yet to hear a solid timeline nor pricing info for Google's ambitious modular smartphone. But we bring you good news: For those who lack patience and want to try the next best thing, you may want to consider the Nexpaq, a modular case for the iPhone 6, Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6 Edge and many more devices to come. Admittedly, we were a bit skeptical with this project's claim upon receiving the startup's pitch, but after meeting two of the co-founders in Hong Kong, we know they mean business.
Here's what Project Ara phones will actually look like
Sure, we've seen prototypes of Google's Project Ara before, but these dummy modules from budget phone maker Yezz mobile are as good a hint to how the phone might actually look in real life. We already saw how Google envisioned Ara to look, but given its plans for a store where you'll be able to browse different components for your phone, it's unlikely things will be that uniform. It doesn't take much to imagine that Ara's customizable nature will mean all the different clip-in components will rarely be an aesthetic match. That's to say, your phone is likely going to be a patchwork of colors and designs, so why not embrace that and go all in? Yezz's prototype modules show us how that future will look.
Sling TV's success, selfie brushes and other stories you might've missed this week
This week has been a doozy: We got an update on Google's Project Ara, learned about the possible future of television from our Best of CES winner, watched a Beachbot draw Disney characters on the shoreline, oh, and did we mention our hands-on with a selfie brush? (C'mon, you know you're at least a little intrigued.) Details on all these things and more could be yours -- simply read on past the break.
4K, VR and a watch by Apple: What we're excited for in 2015
Now that we've emerged from the technological wonderland of CES unscathed, the rest of 2015 is coming into focus. It's going to be a year where the smart home, connected cars and the entire "Internet of Things" concept finally reaches everyday consumers. And, on the whole, it looks like we're going to see plenty of other long-anticipated products and technological concepts come to fruition. Barring any major surprises, it looks like 2015 is going to be a year of evolutionary progress, rather than a revolutionary one. But that doesn't mean we're not excited for what's to come.
Sound Off! Are modular smartphones the way of the future?
Initiatives like Project Ara and Vsenn show that modular smartphones might very well be the future. The idea of selectively upgrading various parts of a device at your own convenience appeals to a lot of people. Does this sort of approach sound interesting to you? Head over to the Engadget forums and share your thoughts.
Taking apart Google's modular smartphone
What do you want to know about Project Ara? Does a modular smartphone actually work? Yes. Is it very different from Android phones? In a basic how-a-phone-all-works, yes indeed. Paul Eremenko, Technical Project Lead on Google's modular phone project just called in at Expand NY, and he brought along the latest working prototype. Modular phones do indeed work: you can take out a component without bricking the device, it can already run Angry Birds and we just got to play with one.
Barely Related: Marvel movie madness, Harry Potter can rap
Happy Halloween, everyone! Stay safe and have fun. Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
Google plans to make a component store for its modular phone
Project Ara is surely one of the most exciting things Google is working on right now -- at least from the ones we're aware of. Better yet, given how young it is, chances are it will only keep getting better and more interesting. While speaking at a Purdue University event, Google's Paul Eremenko, director of Project Ara, recently revealed that the company will be taking a cue from the Play store to create a similar shopping experience for its modular smartphone. What this means, essentially, is you'd be able to buy or sell different components from a single hub, just as is the case now with apps, music, books and more on Google Play -- and it would also include reviews and recommendations. Eremenko didn't mention any details related to the status of Project Ara, but you can check out the full talk after the break.
Feedback Loop: Bad Apple, app automation and more!
In this week's edition of Feedback Loop, we discuss Apple's rough September, share our favorite tools for automating tasks and talk about Google's Project Ara. Head past the break to find out what Engadget readers like you have to say.
More to expect at our free Engadget Expand event in NYC!
If you're keeping score, we've announced a bunch of great speakers heading to this year's Engadget Expand (such as RJD2 and the head of DARPA, Arati Prabhakar). Of course there's plenty more where that came from and we're excited to announce what else you'll see at the Javits Center on November 7-8 in New York City!
Engadget Daily: Google's modular smartphone, Kevin Spacey stars in COD, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Engadget Podcast 393 - 4.18.14
We have less libations, but more tech-related news than last week's peaty podcast and that's just fine for your sleep-deprived hosts. First up is some informed speculation on Amazon's new smartphone, based on a few inconclusive photos that recently surfaced. Another work in progress is Google's Project Ara, a modular concept that looks to make swappable smartphone parts a reality. The one thing that's all too real and in your face, however, is the recent Heartbleed exploit, which has had widespread impact across the web. While you're racing to update all those passwords -- yes, it's OK to do that now -- it couldn't hurt to get a refresher on exactly what happened and which sites were affected. So head on down to the streaming links and get your brain fix with this week's episode of the Engadget Podcast. Hosts: Terrence O'Brien, Ben Gilbert Producer: Jon Turi Hear the podcast:
Google's Project Ara wants to revolutionize the smartphone industry within a year
The night before Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division was supposed to show off the one and only functional Project Ara prototype to a room full of eager developers, someone dropped the phone and broke the display. At any other product reveal, this worst-case scenario would be a nightmare come true. Not to Google: The company made lemonade out of a lemon by turning it into a selling point for the modular smartphone. A year from now, painful situations like this might be easily fixed by simply buying a new display and swapping out the broken one. Not that it would've made much of a difference if last night's fiasco never happened. Attendees at this week's Project Ara developer conference wouldn't have been able to boot up the prototype and play around with it like any typical smartphone -- in this case, "functional" is not the same as "functioning" -- but at least it would've made for a better presentation. Regardless of how it looked, however, we were able to briefly handle the Project Ara prototype and some of its first modules. To be clear, this is an extremely early model and there's a long way to go before it sees the light of day, but it at least allows us to get a good glimpse of what's to come over the next year as Ara continues to prepare for launch.
Daily Roundup: PlayStation 4 and Xbox One comparison, unlocked iPhone 5s from Apple, Yoga Tablet review and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
