> This is the 3rd version; their website doesn't list the previous two. Are parts still available? Can you fit the guts of the 3rd version into the shell of the 2nd?
I have no idea, I was just speculating that in theory it should be possible to create a base phone that can be upgraded continuously.
>You do realize that phone is only available for preorder?
Yes, it is only for preorder, but the devkit already exists [0].
> They may not even be around in 3 or 5 years.
If they manage to make the final version of the phone (which is quite likely), it won't matter anymore, since the OS is just GNU/Linux. Correspondingly, the updates do not so much depend on the phone manufacturers.
> I still get a new phone every 1-2 years because the upgrades are worth it
Really? About the only reason why I'm getting a new phone every so often is when the old one stops being updated. (My Nexus 4 lasted 3 years, and it would have done another year.)
Because it's cheaper and easier than throwing out a phone and getting a new one. Phones could less 10 years with ad hoc upgrades instead of 2. I'd love to have been able to take my galaxy nexus (best phone ever) and add more ram and a faster processor.
> Can anyone explain why they think that this is wrong?
I suspect it is this: > Only forced obsoleting by the company. No other reasons exist.
While companies do want you to buy the newest version every year or two, it is more likely that cost-benefit analysis tells them to build the way they build; they know they must release newer better phones periodically because the competition will do this also. But to support older phones has a cost, and at some point those old phones don't generate enough revenue to justify the cost of supporting them.
> I suppose it might be nice to upgrade the camera,
Yes, exactly. Every aspect can be upgraded, at the best time to upgrade that part. I've upgraded entire devices in the past simply to make one component better (switching to higher network speeds, getting a better screen, getting a larger screen, getting a faster processor). Instead of buying 4 entire devices, I could have accomplished the same upgrade path for half the cost. This would not only save me money, but would cause less harm to the environment.
I would love to be able to switch screens on my phone depending on what I am doing. For example, slot in an eink screen when reading on a flight, and enjoy that sweet long lasting battery.
You could switch carriers and keep your phone, just by slotting in a new module.
You could buy a hugely expensive, awesome camera module, and not only be able to keep it even when you want to upgrade to a faster phone or a larger phone, you can share it with your ara using friends.
>> Also, I wonder how Android might support this.
Yes, apparently they've already made a lot of progress in this area.
1. It continues to be true that a new phone is noticeably faster and has a noticeably better camera than a 3-year-old phone (regardless of how gross the reasons are).
2. Phones break.
3. Phones are lost.
4. Phones are given away.
5. Some batteries in the batch lose capacity faster than they should.
6. New phones are given as gifts to people who might have gone longer before buying a new phone with their own money.
7. Features.
Even regardless of all that, three doesn't seem unreasonable if you have the money. I seem to be able to go about five years before the battery life and performance become too painful (though it's hard to get an average with data points that far apart), and my tolerance for those issues is probably higher than a normal person.
> You always have the option to build your own phone.
That sounds factually false to me.
Seems to me that I can't do it. Others have tried, how's that going?
For a start I don't think the components are easily available. Both software and hardware.
> "With easily available components and open source software"
For me the modern definition of a phone is "a device that can make voice calls, message people on their required messaging network, and give me access to my bank accounts".
I don't think I can actually do that with easily available components and open source software right now. It would be interesting to be proved wrong.
<quote>I am expecting some resources to be spent on porting my phone to an OS that was announced and available to OEMs when my phone was released.</quote>
Why didn't you just buy a phone which already had the latest OS on it at the time if having the latest OS is important to you? Are there no custom ROMS for the phone you have?
> Give me a phone with a proper usb port, a couple sim cards, an SD slot, a replaceable battery and a headphone jack. I couldn't possibly care any less about making it any thinner. It's going into a protective case anyway.
Almost nobody wants this phone. Sure you'll get cheered on by some small group of people that wouldn't actually buy this phone either, but it just wouldn't sell well enough to justify its existence. There's probably already a phone with most of these features.
> Do you know if there is going to be software for picking up phone calls and sms/mms?
Yes, AFAIK we can reuse all the (great) stack Nokia N900 were using. It's open and packaged.
> Or would something such as the N900 be better for something like that
I was very enthusiastic about the N900, but it's taking forever and the hardware is a lot less powerful. I currently use a Nokia N9 and the N900 would not be much of an upgrade. It struggles to run some applications. In contrast, the Pyra is very powerful. I could see myself using it for many years.
>> It's not as if anyone truly imagines every part needs to be modular,
Are you saying that Project Ara will still allow the consolidation of separate functions into integrated SoCs, when it makes sense to do so?
Or are you saying that the consumer won't be obligated to piece their phone together? Nor swap out modules any more frequently then they currently upgrade phones?
>It seems like the only reason you'd buy one would be to develop.
And there's something wrong with that on a OS reference phone manufactured for developers in far smaller quantities than a Moto E or a Moto G? The only reason I'm buying one is to develop. I'm happy that it will even make calls; I've spent money on hackable phone/OS pairs that couldn't.
> Also, honest question; What do you actually 'use' the latest specs for?
Browsing, chatting, navigating and some smaller task. Don't get me wrong, the hardware specs aren't _bad_ and 3G are okay now, but this phone costs as much as all three smartphones I've owned combined and I don't think this will be enough 5+ years in the future, which would by my expected lifespan of this device. Adding to that are the singular speaker and, by todays standard, rather weak camera offering.
Again, don't get me wrong: I'd love to buy one of those and support their (absolutely great!) cause. It's simply hard to justify the investment, when 700$ are a lot to me.
I'm seriously considering my next phone to be one I build.
The hardware is available - cheap 4G LTE modules that plug right into a Raspberry Pi Zero exist; that and a cheap touchscreen will get you around 90% of the functionality most of us need, hardware-wise. You won't have a camera, or motion sensors. You will have GPS, voice, data, a screen, storage...
Basically everything you need for most purposes. And adding a camera and an IMU isn't that difficult, either.
The difficult part is - as always - the software. But people out there are building those pieces. Quite a bit can be done using plain-old Raspbian and Python on top, because the cellular module is essentially a virtual serial port device, and everything else has simple drivers or is otherwise easy to interface to.
Where I'll probably start, though, is with the idea of a custom "cyberdeck"; I already have most if not all of the parts, I just need to find the time to do it. It's form factor will be close to what the TRS-80 Model 100 was, though the screen will be...well, different. I'm considering a few options; probably a standard 800x600 HDMI screen along with a secondary 128x64 monochrome serial GLCD.
The ultimate thing about the whole project is independence (well, as independent as I can get - still have to pay some piper - aka T-Mobile - but maybe voip over wifi could be done in the future?) - and customization.
I may not have everything I want in the beginning, but what I want may only be a bit of extra coding, a tad bit of soldering, or likely a bit (or a bunch!) of both. I'm honestly tired of the games Google and pals are playing; kicking them to the curb may be the best thing to do.
I have no idea, I was just speculating that in theory it should be possible to create a base phone that can be upgraded continuously.
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