Motorola's Project Ara continues to progress at a steady pace. This week brings reports that the prototype phone is almost ready. Speaking during a Google Hangout, Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside confirmed that an Ara prototype is 'pretty close' to completion. Though we're still a long way from seeing the modular smartphone in stores, Woodside said the phone may eventually be available through Moto Maker.
For the moment, MotoMaker is only used for customizing Moto X devices (customers can choose colours for the front and back of the device as well as accents, storage, and wallpaper. You can also pre-configure your Google account. If Project Ara was available through MotoMaker, the options for customizations would no doubt be far more abundance. Ara allows you to select different components for your phone based on your preferences. For example, folks that want their phone to last all day can choose a larger battery but a smaller camera module.
Project Ara was announced back in October and hopes to increase the life of smartphones via upgradable and swappable modules. These modules would cover everything from the keyboard to the display and the battery, to more unique models like the pulse oximeter. The company partnered with Phonebloks creator Dave Hakkens. Hakkens first talked about his concept for a modular, open source phone in mid-September.
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