Project Ara has had its fair share of headlines over the last year and for good reason. Ara in short is Google’s attempt to reinvent what is understood to be a smartphone. Ara handsets will not only be smart in terms of their features and software, but also their hardware allowing users to swap-in and swap-out the components. This modular concept means you will not have to ever buy an entire new device again to reap the benefits of new and updated hardware. A new camera comes out on other devices. That’s fine. Buy just the camera module from the module store and replace your old one. The concept is quite revolutionary in terms of smartphones and as such many are awaiting more news on when all of this will hit the public.
Well the latest news is that Google are planning to hold two Ara dedicated conferences in January. The first is scheduled for January 14th and will headlined form Google’s Mountain View, California office although smaller events will also be jointly held in London, New York and Buenos Aires on the same day. Following these events a second conference is scheduled for January 21st in Singapore. Like the first event additional smaller events will also be happening in Bangalore, Taipei, Tokyo and Shanghai. There is no difference between the two dated events with the second (January 21st) simply being a replicated event for Asia. If you are interested in attending then applications must be filled and submitted by November 26th and if accepted a registration fee of between $25 and $200 will need to be paid. Although before you make your application it is worth noting that Google do state that preference is given to developers as this is a developer conference
In terms of what is going to happen well Google state that the main focus of the January conferences is the second release of the Module Developer’s Kit (MDK) aptly dubbed version 0.20. However, more interestingly Google also advise at the conference they will demo a working prototype and the developer hardware. Even more interestingly Google seem still set on a 2015 release as they also note they will be sharing early plans for the 2015 market pilot. Are you excited about Ara? Do you think it really will be a game changer? Let us know your thoughts.