Google’s Project Ara has been making headlines over the past year for its modularity, which will allow buyers to swap new parts into their Ara phone without having to buy an entirely new device. It turns out that Google’s not the only one aiming to bring modular phones to the public, though as a Finnish startup has a similar plan.
Puzzlephone is a new product created by Finnish startup Circular Devices. The goal of Puzzlephone, as with Project Ara, is to create a smartphone with individual parts that can be upgraded as you see fit, without requiring you to buy a totally new phone. Puzzlephone is made up of three main parts: the Brain, which holds the main electronics of the device; the Spine, which is home to the display, speakers and microphones; and the Heart, which contains the battery.
On the software side of things, Puzzlephone will run a forked version of Android. Circular Devices says that the device will eventually support other OSes as well, like Firefox OS, Sailfish, and Windows Phone, in the future.
The first Puzzlephone is expected to launch in the second half of 2015, with a price that’s slated to be about as much as you’d pay for a mid-range smartphone.
Obviously we’re still a ways away from seeing Puzzlephone launch and actually swapping modules with a unit. The concept looks interesting, though; while you won’t have quite the same level of customizability as you do with Ara because of Puzzlephone’s three main parts, having just three sections to deal with could be easier for mainstream consumers to use and understand.
What do you think of Puzzlephone?