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SALT LAKE CITY — A new concept picked up by phone mogul Motorola could change the way the world interacts with cellphones.
The cellphone company announced Monday they are working on a modular phone, or a device where key components could be interchanged and replaced without having to trash the whole unit.
According to the project’s website, Motorola is proposing a phone with a solid-state ‘exoskeleton’ but with components similar to Lego blocks. The camera, the hard drive, the battery and the screen would all be removable and replaceable.
“Our goal is to drive a more thoughtful, expressive and open relationship between users, developers, and their phones,” the website says. “To give you the power to decide what your phone does, how it looks, where and what it’s made of, how much it costs and how long you’ll keep it.”
Motorola collaborated with various independent developers and designers before launching the idea. One of the developers, Dave Hakkens, created Phonebloks, a grassroots organization aimed at building support for modular-type phones. He said he likes the idea, not only for the convenience, but for the impact such a design could have on the environment.
“Everyday we throw away millions of electronic devices because they get old and worn out,” Hakkens said in a Phonebloks YouTube video. “But usually it’s only one of the components that causes the problem. The rest of the device works fine but is needlessly thrown out, simply because electronic devices are not designed to last. This makes electronic waste, one of the fastest growing waste-streams in the world.”
Motorola said they've been working on the project for over a year and plan on releasing an alpha version of their Modular Development Kit sometime during the coming winter.
