PuzzlePhone modular smartphone now on Indiegogo, due Sept 2016

We’ll always be interested in modular phones. Ever since Google and Motorola introduced the idea with its yet-to-be-finalized Project Ara, the mobile industry has been anticipating for a real modular phone. One that will go from being a concept phone to a reality. You see, there are already several modular smartphones introduced to us. There’s the Phonebloks, as well as, the Fairphone 2 which we said we could get sooner than Ara.

We also learned of a possible Project Ara competitor in the form of Vsenn. The concept then gave birth to similar ideas for tablets, smartwatches, and accessories like the Click ARM One, Blocks Wearables, and MODR. We’ve heard of the PuzzlePhone December last year as another Project Ara competitor when it comes to modular phones and it looked very promising. Why, the Project Ara has been delayed a few times already. Last we heard, the module magnets failed a drop test so Google is looking for an alternative. It’s been pushed to a 2016 release and is being tested in new locations in the US. A functioning Project Ara was shown off at the Google I/0 last May but there’s still more work to be done.

With PuzzlePhone, the team behind this project seems to be ready to move to production as soon as the $250,000 fund goal is raised in less than two months. The PuzzlePhone is a modular mobile device that you can customize, repair, and upgrade on your own. It will come from Finland (Nokia’s home country) and it’s expected to last more than the current units we have in the market. It features three easy-to-change modules so you know your phone will last and won’t be obsolete after just a few months or years. Phones become old news only after a few months because new ones are being introduced left and right.

PuzzlePhone features a timeless and functional design that people won’t easily get bored with. The three modules of the phone can be replaced, repaired, and then upgraded–from the Heart to the Brain, and the Spine. The idea is really to build a custom phone that will never be outdated because modules are interchangeable depending on the user’s needs. No need to throw out or trade in your phone because just by changing a module or two, you get a new smartphone.

As of this writing, over $34,000 has been raised through Indiegogo. There are about 77 people already backing this crowdfunding project with 41 days more left until deadline. Circular Devices, the company behind this project, has partnered with The Imagination Factory to work on the device.

The modular PuzzlePhone features a brain, spine, and heart where the following modules will be placed:

• Brain – processor, storage, RAM, camera
• Spine – central housing structure and the screen
• Heart – battery and any other component needed

Phone features a 5-inch Full HD display screen, an octa-processor, 3GB RAM, and up to 64GB built-in storage. PuzzlePhone is said to be powered by Android 6.0 Marshmallow already when it’s released in September 2016. Google would have announced Android N by then so it should be easily upgradeable to the next version.

If you want the PuzzlePhone, be ready to shell out a few hundred dollars. The Very Early Bird 1st Edition will be $333 while the Early Bird PuzzlePhone will be $444. There’s also the Indiegogo Limited Edition that will be pricey at $777. The company said the modular phone will be ready by September next year. Let’s start hoping it won’t be delayed.

SOURCE: INDIEGOGO

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