Phonebloks

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 1

CHAPTER 1

OVERVIEW OF PHONEBLOKS

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Phoneblok is a new generation Smartphone. A Phone is nothing but a phone

comprising of blocks. Today electronic waste is increasing day to day due to many reasons

like the device may be slow, damaged or a new device into the market. By considering this

damage to the world, the concept of Phonebloks was given by a Netherland’s innovator

David Hakkens. It is a new generation Smartphone mobile phone which can be modified to

its full extent.

1.2 DEFINITION

“Phonebloks” the name comprises of two words. They are “Phone” and “Block”. A

Phone is normal mobile phone that is used to communicate with others using wireless

communication and a Blok is a component which can be used for a specific purpose. The

Blocks are normally used for display, audio, RAM, memory, CPU and on. A Phonebloks is

new generation Smartphone that uses modular technology which is more flexibility and can

be up to date with the latest technology. The unused blocks can be replaced with the useful

resources. Instead, the phone will be made of multiple parts that can be exchanged and

substituted independently instead of as a whole device. By attaching individual third-party

components called ("Bloks") to a main board, a user would create a personalized

Smartphone. These blocks can be replaced at will if they break or the user wishes to

upgrade.

Phonebloks is a revolutionary device employing a smart base that is compatible with

detachable blocks. Allowing the user to easily upgrade hardware and attach those

components that suite their lifestyle and changing daily needs. The company will launch a

free collaborative innovation platform for consumers and developers to engage in creating

new blocks this is the first smart phone company that openly involves consumers in both

hardware and software development.

In the similar way phonebloks aims to turn your phone into a complete different

phone which will always be latest. You can upgrade your phone with any latest or high

capacity part anytime and anywhere. Like the appstore that is available online i.e., over the

internet to download software in our Smartphone, A Blokstore will be available where one

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 2

can upgrade his old Blok with the new. All the blocks are available in most desired shape

and structure. The blocks can be manufactured by any manufacturer that means these blocks

are not manufacturer specific.

1.3 CONCEPT OF PHONEBLOKS

Phonebloks would consist of a main board onto which Bloks could be snapped on

by the user like Lego bricks. Each Blok is responsible for a unique function of the phone,

much as a desktop computer has a distinct sound card, graphics card, processor, monitor,

and power supply. As a result, instead of replacing the entire phone when it becomes

obsolete or broken, one could simply replace the defective or performance-limiting part. If

the consumer wanted a better camera, for example, he or she could swap their small generic

camera Blok for a larger zoom camera from a manufacturer such as Nikon or Canon instead

of buying a phone with a better camera. In theory, this would lead to fewer people throwing

away their phones and contributing to the ever-increasing problem of electronic waste.

Smartphones based on the Phonebloks system would be sold part by part, as well as in

starter sets. When assembled, the phone would have a screen covering the entirety of the

front, volume buttons and headphone jacks along the outer edge, and Bloks clicked into the

back, forming a rectangular block shape.

1.4 HISTORY

David Hakkens from Netherlands has created one of the most revolutionary

concepts of the 21st century, known as Phonebloks. His idea is that we can reduce a huge

amount of electronic waste by simply upgrading individual components, or “Bloks” of our

phones, rather than discarding the entire phone if something breaks or becomes obsolete.

This in turn will reduce electronic waste, conserve natural resources, and protect consumers

at the same time. He has made the Phonebloks concept open-source, so any group such as

PhoneBloks.org (that’s us) can take the idea to the next level, and produce a working, viable

Phonebloks phone. A user would create a personalized Smartphone. These Bloks can be

replaced at will if they break or the user wishes to upgrade.

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 3

CHAPTER 2

NEED FOR PHONEBLOKS

As the electronic market changes every day, it has increased a lot of e-waste. For a

single upgrade, we need to change the whole phone. Precise shape and structure leads to

inconvenience to some customers. Mobile needs to be flexible. It must only have the

customer’s required features. For all the above needs David Hakkens has given the solution

with his innovative idea Phonebloks.

2.1 HOW PHONEBLOKS ARE BETTER

A Phonebloks is better compared to the Smartphones available in the market

because

1. It is green.

2. A Modular Smartphone.

3. Customization to its fitness.

4. Mobile flexibility.

5. It can be up-to-date.

6. Easy to upgrade individual components.

7. Open source platform.

2.2 STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND THREATS

2.2.1 STRENGTHS

1. Customizable : The Phoneblok platform allows the consumer to customize a

Smartphones to suit the highly specific demands of their lifestyle

2. Strong partners : Strategic partnership with Motorola and Google in modular

phone technology

3. Green and sustainable product : The open modular platform has the ability to

upgrade with biodegradable Bloks that can reduce e-waste.

2.2.2 WEAKNESSES

Software compatibility - Necessity to develop cross-functional software that

is compatible to modular hardware components.

2.2.3 OPPORTUNITIES

1. Always up-to-date technology : Bloks are easily customizable and upgradable.

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 4

2. Friendly to new and upcoming technology : Modular pieces allow integration

between the phone and modular technology devices, allowing hardware to be

shared between devices

3. Points of difference to Apple and Samsung : Phonebloks is a white box, not only

in regard to software but also hardware; flexible, sustainable, cheaper, innovative,

and customer driven

4. Open-source : Open-source technology allows for a unique continuous customer

interaction in product development

5. Blok store and global delivery system : Online access to purchase and exchange

Bloks in the online store.

2.2.4 THREATS

1. Design attractiveness : Customers are holding all the power in regard to design

and therefore this could be an issue whether its physical appearance is appealing

to the majority of customers.

2. Threat of substitutes : The current smart devices offerings on the market are

substitutes to the modular.

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 5

CHAPTER 3

PHONEBLOKS

3.1 ABOUT PHONEBLOKS

Phonebloks uses modular technology in order to build a cellular device that will be

longer lasting in the hopes of sustaining our technological dependency without producing

excessive amounts of waste. Instead, the phone will be made of multiple parts that can be

exchanged and substituted independently instead of as a whole device. Consumers will be

able to customize their device and support different brands depending on what they are

looking for in a phone.

Phonebloks aims to turn your phone into a complete different phone which will

always be latest. You can upgrade your phone with any latest or high capacity part anytime

and anywhere. Like the appstore that is available online i.e., over the internet to download

software in our Smartphone, A Blokstore will be available where one can upgrade his old

Blok with the new. All the blocks are available in most desired shape and structure. The

blocks can be manufactured by any manufacturer that means these blocks are not

manufacturer specific.

fig 3.1: phoneblok

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 6

3.2 PURPOSE OF PHONEBLOKS

3.2.1 STOP THE WASTE

Electronic waste is a growing problem for a world in which the daily dependency

and fascination with electronics is demanding and constant technological progress. When

outdated or broken electronic products (such as phones, computers, VHS players, etc.) are

thrown away, the waste is considered "e-waste". As more products are produced and

distributed, more products are thrown away.

3.2.2 CUSTOMIZABLE MOBILE PHONE

The main purpose of the phonebloks is get upgraded from the block level of a

mobile phone instead of replacing to a new mobile phone. An online Blok Store will be

made available where customers can build their own phone, exchange and review Bloks

with other customers, and purchase accessories. In order to appeal to all budgets, three

distinct models appealing to multiple income segments will be made available during the

selection process. Afterwards, the customer will be able to make adjustments to his base-

product to modify it according to his/her specific needs. Afterwards, the total price will be

displayed and the purchasing/shipping process will be conducted.

3.2.3 MODULAR TECHNOLOGY

Modular design in phonebloks hardware is the same as modular design in other

things (e.g. cars, fridges, even furniture). The idea is to build Phonebloks with easily

replaceable parts that use standardized interfaces. This technique allows you to upgrade

certain aspects of the computer easily without having to buy another computer altogether.

A computer is actually one of the best examples of modular design - typical modules

are power supply units, processors, main boards, graphics cards, hard drives, optical drives,

etc. All of these parts should be easily interchangeable as long as you use parts that support

the same standard interface as the part you replaced.

3.3 HOW MODULAR TECHNOLOGY IS USED IN PHONEBLOKS

Modular technology is used to get done with a new mobile phone “Phonebloks”. In

Phonebloks, every hardware component called Blok. The Bloks usually are screen, wifi,

memory, RAM, camera etc. Every Blok consists of four pins which are in connection with

other Bloks by using base as intermediate to transmit signals. All the Bloks are put together

with the help of two screws at the bottom of the mobile phone. The Bloks can be upgraded

with the help of Blokstore available in desired shapes.

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 7

Fig 3.2: Bloks used in Phonebloks

fig 3.3: Screws used to put bloks together

3.4 REASONS FOR REPLACING THE BLOKS

1. The Bloks in this Smartphones are replaced because of following reasons, if

2. Bloks are damaged.

3. Any upgrade is required.

4. Broken Bloks.

5. Unused components.

If every is stored is online then there is no need of any internal memory and we

require more battery backup.

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 8

fig3.4: Upgrading of Battery

If you are interested in taking photograph then you can upgrade to a better camera

without replacing the entire device.

fig3.5: Upgrading to better camera

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 9

3.5 COMPONENTS IN PHONEBLOKS

The main components of Phonebloks are

1. Base

2. Blok

3.5.1 BASE

The base is like spinal card in human being. It is responsible for connecting one

Blok to all the remaining Bloks. All the Bloks are injected into the base with the help of the

pins present in each Blok. The Blok is connected to the Base and the Base connects to

everything over the Base.

fig no3.6: the base

3.5.2 BLOKS

Bloks are the hardware required to make entire phone. These are placed over the

Base to communicate with all other hardware with the help of Base.

fig no 3.7: bloks

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 10

CHAPTER 4

CURRENT RESEARCH WORK

Motorola late Monday unveiled Project Ara, a hardware platform that would allow

consumers to build their own Smartphones by snapping modular parts into a frame. The

Libertyville, Ill.-based Company, owned by Google Inc., has been working on Project Ara

for more than a year and is opening the design process to the public.

Project Ara marks Motorola's most ambitious effort yet in customizable mobile

devices, a vision it introduced with this summer's launch of the Moto X. That Smartphone

lets consumers choose from an array of colors for the device's back plate and external

hardware accents.

With Project Ara, the ability to customize the phone extends into the display,

keyboard, camera, battery and processor. A shutterbug might opt for a high-definition

display and a camera with lots of megapixels, while a frequent business traveler might

choose a battery with extended life. A modular design also means a Smartphone owner who

wants to upgrade or replace a single part - a sluggish processor or a cracked screen, for

example - could do so without buying a new device.

Motorola's goal is "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," the

company's Advanced Technology and Projects group said in a blog post. Motorola declined

to comment beyond the post.

Project Ara's modular phones appear far from hitting store shelves; the initiative has

to overcome a number of engineering and design challenges before becoming reality.

Motorola is pushing forward by partnering with Phonebloks, a modular mobile

phone concept created by Netherlands-based designer Dave Hakkens. He posted a YouTube

video last month explaining his idea and generated significant online buzz, with the video

garnering nearly 17 million views.

As Hakkens explained in a follow-up video on the Phonebloks website, he talked

with a number of companies and discovered that Motorola was already working on a similar

concept. The two groups joined forces, though Hakkens said Phonebloks will stay

independently funded.

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 11

Motorola said in its blog post that it will tap the Phonebloks community for

feedback. The company also has hired Dscout, a Chicago technology firm, to manage an

ongoing consumer research program.

Volunteers who sign up online to be "research scouts" will be asked to complete a

series of tasks, such as answering questions and snapping photos. Responses are submitted

through a mobile application.

Tens of thousands of participants have already signed up - about twice the number

of volunteers that typically complete projects with Dscout, said Chief Executive Michael

Winnick. The Ara program is expected to run for about a year, and Dscout volunteers might

get first crack at early prototypes of the modular phone.

Dscout has worked with Motorola before, but the Ara project stands out in its "level

of ambition and scale," said Winnick, adding that it also is "very rare for a large

organization to be out there and open" about new product development.

Chris Jansen, a Chicagoan who works in information security and saw the

Phonebloks YouTube video, signed up to be a research scout for Ara. He was drawn to

"designing a phone in an entirely new way based on community feedback, especially

because it takes the idea of 'you can upgrade what's important to you' out of the control of

the carriers."

The Ara project also attracted Alex Pedenko, co-founder of Chicago-based startup

Swingbyte. He used to build his own PCs and is intrigued by the potential to customize a

mobile phone with components such as an air-quality sensor or barometer.

"It opens the door for third-party accessories that people haven't even thought of

right now," said Pedenko, whose company makes a gadget that clips onto a golf club and

collects data on a player's swing.

Technology companies have experimented with modular mobile devices in the past.

Handspring, the maker of the Palm Pilot personal digital assistant, offered modules such as

an MP3 player or GPS unit that plugged into the gadget like a video game cartridge.

Project Ara envisions components fitting into a frame called the endoskeleton,

Motorola said in its blog post.

The concept faces hurdles in consumer adoption and engineering. For starters, the

ability to choose a battery or processor might appeal only to a narrow technical crowd.

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 12

CHAPTER 5

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

5.1 ADVANTAGES

1) CUSTOMER EMPOWERMENT

Phonebloks allows the consumer to interact and give feedback on the mobile

phone they want through our integrated online customer platform.

2) CUSTOMIZABLE

a) a)online platform allows the consumer to customize a Smartphone to suit the highly.

b) Specific demands of their lifestyle.

1) FLEXIBILITY IN PRICE

a) The modularity of the product allows it to compete in the lower- and higher-

priced.

b) Smartphone segments.

2) STRONG PARTNERS

a) Strategic partnership with Motorola and Google in modular phone

technology.

3) INNOVATIVE PRODUCT

a) Creative collaboration between Smartphones producers and customers.

b) continuity of unlimited creative input.

4) GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT

a) The open modular platform has the ability to upgrade with biodegradable.

b) Bloks that can reduce e-waste.

5.2 DISADVANTAGES

1. PARTNER-RELIANT BUSINESS MODEL

a) Product development is reliant on current partners and probability to attract

new ones.

2. SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY

a) Necessity to develop cross-functional software that is compatible to modular

hardware components.

3. LOW BRAND AWARENESS

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 13

a) Many smart phone users are not aware of Phonebloks and its benefits due to

little advertising.

4. FINANCIAL AND LEGAL STABILITY

a) Reliant on crowd-funding and Motorola as well as intellectual property.

b) Protection hurdles with existing patents.

5. ECONOMIES OF SCALE AND SCOPE

a) Phonebloks is a start-up company starting in a highly competitive industry.

b) Which gives the company the disadvantage of economies of scale and scope.

5.3 CURRENT SETUP

Speed : Intel Quad Core 4

Battery : 2000mAh

Storage : 8GB

Network : 4G

Camera : 12MP Canon HD

Audio : Bose 4.0

Weight : 130 Grams

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 14

CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSION

6.1 CONCLUSION

Phonebloks is a good way to prevent e-waste. It provides much functionality in a

compact manner. Phonebloks are much flexible as compared to the legacy phones has the

fullest advantage of its features to the user. Multiple companies work on single product

unlike single company working on multiple products and hence deliver the purest product to

the customer. Multiple companies work on single product unlike single company.

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 15

REFERENCES

[1] "Google to keep Motorola's Advanced Technology group, including Project Ara

modular phone". The Verge. Retrieved 30 January 2014.

[2] "Linaro to develop Project Ara’s custom Android version". All about Project Ara.

Kennemer, Quentyn (3 March 2014). "Project Ara presented on video at LAUNCH

conference; new details revealed". Phandroid. Retrieved 4 March 2014.

[3] "Toshiba To Provide Chips For Google Project Ara". Gizmodo India Bureau. May

22, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2015.

[4] "History of Project Ara and modular phones. Market pilot in Puerto Rico. Project

Ara Developers Conference (January 2015, Singapore).". ModularPhonesForum. 2015-02-

01. Retrieved 2015-02-01.

[5] Byford, Sam (29 October 2013). "Motorola reveals ambitious plan to build modular

smartphones". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved 29 October 2013.

[6] Musil, Steven (29 October 2013). "Motorola unveils Project Ara for custom

smartphones". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 October 2013.

[7] Gannes, Liz (29 June 2014). "Meet Project Ara, the Modular Google Phone of the

Future". Re/code. Retrieved 23 August 2014.

[8] Chan, Norman (15 April 2014). "Tested Explains: How Google's Project Ara

Smartphone Works". Tested. Retrieved 23 August 2014.

[9] Russon, Mary-Ann (3 March 2014). "Could Google's $50 Project Ara 3D-Printed

Device Change the Smartphone Market Forever?". International Business Times.

Retrieved 4 March 2014.

[10] McCracken, Harry (26 February 2014). "Project Ara: Inside Google’s Bold Gambit

to Make Smartphones Modular". TIME. Archived from the original on 5 March 2014.

Retrieved 4 March 2014.

[11] "Google Project Ara Developer Conference". Project Ara. Retrieved 10 April2014.

[12] Summerson, Cameron. "Fascinating: Project Ara Team Member Gives Us The First

Glimpse Of How The Product Will Work In Model Demo At LAUNCH". Android Police.

Retrieved 4 March 2014.

[13] "Paul Eremenko talks about Project Ara in details". ModularPhonesForum. 2015-01-

06. Retrieved 2015-01-06.

Phonebloks By Google

Department of ECE, MRITS 16

[14] Reisinger, Don (2011-05-20). "Report: Google acquires Modu's mobile patents".

CNET. Retrieved 2011-05-20.

[15] Eremenko, Paul (29 October 2013). "Goodbye Sticky, Hello Ara". Motorola

Mobility. Motorola Mobility. Retrieved 2013-10-29.

[16] "Ara Developers' Conference". Project Ara website. Retrieved 4 March 2014.

[17] "Google "moonshot" group demos modular phone that (almost) actually works". Ars

Technica. June 26, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.

[18] "Google's Project Ara Prototype Demo". YouTube.

[19] "Globant is working on Google Play like hardware store".

[20] Talbot, David (7 April 2014). "Why Google’s Modular Smartphone Might Actually

Succeed". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 8 April 2014.

[21] "Google's Project Ara Modular Smartphones To Be Revealed in March". Yibada.

Sayan Bandyopadhyay. Retrieved 16 February 2015.

[22] Tilley, Aaron (14 January 2015). "WGoogle's Project Ara Is Finally Coming Out

With Its Modular Smartphones--In Puerto Rico". Forbes. Retrieved 30 January 2015.

[23] Ho, Joshua (29 October 2013). "Motorola's Project Ara: Phonebloks from an OEM".