Xiaomi tries building what Google and Motorola couldn’t – the modular smartphone

The modular smartphone still remains an elusive pipe dream, nearly a decade after the Phonebloks surfaced on the internet. Google tried it, Motorola managed to execute a strange version of it with the Moto Mods, and every company that considered it eventually abandoned it because it was a logistical nightmare with very little net positive benefit. It’s safe to say Xiaomi isn’t ‘every company’. The Chinese giant’s company’s name loosely translates to ‘little grain’, and it talks about a philosophy of building a lot from a little. This means they’re not averse to taking risks, and they’ve definitely surprised before, with their phones like the Mi MIX 2 that was designed by Philippe Starck, the Mi TV LUX, a transparent television, and even their latest bit of innovation in the Mi MIX Fold, with its liquid camera lens. According to LetsGoDigital, it seems like the company is also trying its hand out at designing the modular smartphone by splitting the device into four distinct parts – the screen, the camera, the battery+pcb, and the speakers.

LetsGoDigital uncovered the patent on the 26th of April, and partnered with Jermaine Smit (aka Concept Creator) to bring the patent drawings to life. The phone’s components attach to one another using sliding dovetail joinery, with contact points that allow for communication between modules. Finally, a primary screen snaps on the front, hiding the crease-lines and providing a large, bezel-less display. The three modules play a rather interesting role when combined together. The upper module houses the camera, but also contains the phone’s motherboard. The central module houses the battery, while the third contains the speaker along with the phone’s charging port. Conceptually, the modules would be interchangeable, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you had to switch the phone off prior to swapping parts.

Jermaine Smit’s camera modules give this conceptual Xiaomi smartphone a variety of features, including camera modules with different capabilities. The different modules have anywhere from a 3-4 lens setup, with one of the higher-end ones even coming with its own backward-facing display that’s emblematic of the Mi 11 Ultra that released earlier this year. Unlike the Ultra, which had a tiny display, this concept’s display is a respectable 2-inches diagonally. I’d assume it would be big enough to use as a viewfinder for selfies (given that the phone doesn’t have a front-facing camera) and even for notifications.

Although this concept, and Xiaomi’s patent, unlocks some pretty interesting possibilities, it should be taken with a grain of salt. Not many of these patents really make it to a public reveal or to a retail outlet, but instead, aim at protecting a company’s intellectual property and research. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if Xiaomi just announced it as a one-off concept to show that their tech isn’t just a dream, it works in reality too. Until then, all we have are these (pretty intriguing) renders!

Designer: Jermaine Smit for LetsGoDigital

Image Credits: LetsGoDigital

Remember Phonebloks? This company is trying to bring the same modularity to laptops

There’s no such thing as a perfect laptop. As someone who’s gone through three of them (and is looking to now buy his fourth laptop), there’s always a trade-off somewhere. Either the keyboard’s pathetic, or there aren’t enough ports (or even the right ports), or you aren’t happy with the screen. Up until now, there have been only two solutions – either accept the problem and live with it, or buy a new laptop to find that it has some other problem. Laptops, just like phones, have become devices that are difficult to upgrade, modify, or repair… and Framework is changing that.

The way the Framework laptop is built reminds me of Phonebloks – a video that went viral in 2013, outlining a modular phone with swappable components. Phonebloks would present the holy grail of consumer electronics by putting the power right in the hands of the consumer. The block-based smartphone would allow you to change batteries, upgrade storage, or replace an old camera or broken screen by simply sliding the old part out and putting the new one in. The idea seemed simple, and Google even tried their hand at building it, but complications arose midway (I suspect it also had something to do with the marketing team saying it was bad for business)… however, Framework is bringing that idea to laptops, which could really use modularity given how expensive laptops can be, and how people tend to hold onto one laptop for at least 3-5 years, if not longer.

The idea, just like with Phonebloks, is simple. Framework just announced a 13.5-inch notebook with a number of modular parts that are easy to repair and replace… even for novices. The screen sits on a magnetic bezel, allowing you to easily snap it off if you ever want to upgrade your display (or replace a broken one). Underneath it is a keyboard with 1.5mm of travel, also replaceable, along with the battery, RAM, SSD, and even the WiFi module, all fitted using industry-standard sockets. On the top, right above the display, lie the webcam and microphone modules, that come equipped with hardware switches that let you disconnect them for privacy reasons… and if you’re looking for a laptop with ports, look no further. The Framework laptop’s infinitely swappable port modules mean you can choose ports you NEED, rather than settle for ports the manufacturer selected for you.

While the idea of Framework’s laptop is about empowering users to rebuild/fix/upgrade their laptops, there’s a case to be made about how the laptop is good for the environment too. It drastically cuts down on e-waste generated, while also meaning less laptops need to be manufactured/sold in the long run. In fact, founder of Framework Nirav Patel (an ex-Oculus engineer) even addresses the fact that the laptops are made from up to 50% post-consumer recycled aluminum and up to 30% post-consumer recycled plastic. The packaging’s designed to be recyclable too, with no single-use plastic pieces, and carbon emitted during shipping will eventually be offset too, making the Framework a laptop that isn’t just great for consumers, but is also great for the planet! The Framework laptop’s due to ship this summer with a variety of configurations to choose from, and if you’re interested, you can just head down to their website and hit the Notify Me button to sign up for updates.

Designer: Framework

Six futuristic phone designs

By Cat DiStasio Cell phone technology continues moving forward year after year, but many of the developments are incremental—a better camera, more storage space, or a faster processor. Those are just the improvements that make it to the mass m...

Google Will Give Developers a Lesson in Modular Smartphones in April

Google Modular Smartphone, Project Ara

The alpha version of the Project Ara MDK (module developers’ kit) will be unveiled by Google on April 15-16, at the first Ara Developers’ Conference.

Motorola ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects), the home of Projects Ara and Tango, is one of the things Google kept after selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo, the others being about 17,000 patents. The concept behind Ara was first presented by Motorola last year in October, and the project is said to also be based on several patents that Google bought from Modu prior to acquiring Motorola Mobility.

What seems to be the ultimate modular smartphone could turn into a nightmare for other smartphone manufacturers. Google wants to enable people to change the underperforming modules when new ones hit the market, rather than changing the entire smartphone, something that doesn’t seem to bother iPhone users, despite the exorbitant prices practiced by Apple.

Google plans to organize a series of three Ara Developers’ Conferences this year, the first one being scheduled for April 15-16. This is a sign that the search giant might not launch the modular smartphone before 2015, but even if it is so, the wait will be worth it. Let’s face it, Motorola under Google ownership did not really launch anything otherworldly, but Ara has great chances of being something revolutionary. It might be for the best that Google wants to launch smartphones under its own name, considering the weight of this brand.

One other thing that will set Ara apart from all the other smartphones, be them modular or not, is the price. According to the latest reports, the barebone smartphone will cost $50, while the price of the modules will depend on the capabilities of each one of them. Do you want a great camera, but don’t care that much about gaming and the smartphone’s GPU? Do you need a lot of RAM because you run a lot of apps at the same time? There are plenty of other scenarios in which Project Ara looks like the perfect solution.

Rest assured, Google’s Project Ara is not the only modular smartphone out there. Competition includes Boeing Black, Phonebloks and ZTE Eco-Mobius. I’m glad that this is becoming a trend, as it’s much better to replace a single module than the entire smartphone when new features appear.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about Google’s Project Tango, a 3D mapping smartphone, and Boeing Black, another modular smartphone.

Motorola inks deal with 3D Systems to build its modular ‘Ara’ smartphones

When Motorola threw its weight behind Phonebloks' modular smartphone concept, it pretty much signaled to the rest of the industry that the Google company was dead serious about customization. But that radical vision of a completely upgradeable handset needs an equally radical manufacturing partner and Motorola's found that in 3D Systems. Today, the two companies have announced a multi-year deal that'll see 3D Systems building what Motorola calls "the factory of the future," and providing a complete end-to-end fabrication process for 'Project Ara.' As part of the deal, Motorola's exclusively tasking 3D Systems with creating new "multi-material printing capabilities including conductive and functional materials" to build these modules (e.g., chassis, battery, etc.) and help it keep pace with eventual consumer demand for 'Ara' phones. That's all if 3D Systems can prove its undeveloped printing process actually, you know, works. If not, well, 3D Systems can kiss that exclusivity agreement goodbye.

Filed under: , , ,

Comments