First modular smartphones from Google’s Project Ara to debut at MWC

We’ve heard a lot of development in Google’s Project Ara — the ambitious modular swap-the-components-as-you-like smartphone — but the handset has thus far only been demonstrated to select developers. But we may get the best look at the handset, and perhaps see its launch next month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

PhoneArena citing different websites reports that the Project Ara team will put as many as 50 modular components of the handset at the annual trade show next month. These modular components are hot-swappable, which means that they can be inserted to the Ara handset and will automatically start working.

Last week, Toshiba’s Senior Vice President and CTO Shardul Kazi announced that the company had partnered with Gujarat-based chipmaker Einfochips to produce processors for Project Ara handsets. He also noted that the company has already manufactured two different versions of the handset: the Spiral 1 and the Spiral 2, and the Spiral 3 is in the works. Spiral 2 will be launched to consumers soon.

These modules cost between $50 to $500, and the company is working on to make their more reasonable to users, Kazi noted.

Earlier this year, Google had partnered with Rockchip, Marvell and Nvidia to offer three different variants of the modular smartphone. The modular smartphones are a bit thicker and heavier than standard handsets.Google had earlier said that it will

IMPORT:-BGRindia