Best To Watch: Yezz Project Ara Module Development
Although some would debate the need for or excitement over Google's Project Ara modular smartphone, the prospect of a true enthusiast-type smartphone — that is, one with discrete parts that users can upgrade piece by piece, just as they do a PC — is tantalizing for many.
So much of Project Ara is promises and plastic prototypes, but there is a pilot launch happening this year (in Puerto Rico), and at least one company, Yezz, is actually producing modules for Project Ara. The company stated that it will have at least 10 modules for the Spiral 3 pilot (exactly enough to flesh out a full Endo, or Ara phone skeleton).
It does not appear as though many companies are diving into module-making, likely because they're nervous about the eventual success of Project Ara. That's unfortunate, because if indeed Project Ara works out, forward-thinking and brave companies like Yezz will be the ones to hit the ground running on a new and exciting (and potentially quite lucrative) cottage industry.
It's still possible that Project Ara amounts to nothing more than vaporware, but keep your eyes peeled for developments. Yezz deserves recognition for being gutsy enough to plan a full spate of modules for Project Ara.
