#HTE

Google Releases New Project Ara Video

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything from Project Ara, Google’s modular smartphone concept. We were worried it bit the dust, but Google’s ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) group has just released this new teaser video:

We like that rather than hitting us over the head with specifications and megapixels, they’ve chosen to simply show us how such a phone would fit into our lives. To refresh your memory, Ara is basically the guts of a smartphone held within a frame, into which six different components can be swapped. As you can see in the video, one user opts to fill it with speakers and microphones, another with a camera, another with an e-ink screen, another with extra batteries, et cetera. This is meant to be a hassle-free operation allowing maximum flexibility: “Slide any Ara module into any slot,” reads the project page, “and it just works.”

The video was released to stir anticipation, as ATAP will be releasing developer devices this Fall. You can sign up for updates here.