Google's Project Ara Is Science Fiction, Says Critic

John Walko
EETimes (8/27/2014 10:30 AM EDT)

LONDON -- Google’s Project Ara to develop a modular mobile smartphone is destined to remain nothing more than a science project, Richard Windsor, founder of the blog-site Radio Free Mobile and a former senior analyst at Nomura Securities, has warned in his blog. He said he believes Google has the resources to overcome the engineering problems involved in making the device a reality, “but the ergonomic and economic issues will never work.”

Separately, it has emerged that Google is partnering with Chinese fabless chip group Rockchip for the development of an applications processor for the customizable handset project whose aim is to develop hardware blocks that can be swapped in and out, as with a Lego set. On the ergonomics side of the equation, Windsor suggests that the nature of the modular design outlined by Google would prevent substantial parts of the device from being integrated together, removing the potential space-saving benefit gained.

Click here to read more ...