# Forget Samsung and Apple. This is the future..



## andrewsmc (Sep 15, 2013)

Future of mobile phones. Forget Apple, Samsung, HT...


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## Frick (Sep 15, 2013)

Stuff that should be in the original post (don't know why people don't do proper original posts):

http://www.phonebloks.com/

It is a phone that is supposed to be fully customizable.











Interesting concept, but I don't think it'll fly.


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## Fourstaff (Sep 15, 2013)

A lot of things can be integrated to base block, but overall I think this is a neat idea worthy of further development

Edit: I forgot the reason why I like it: Legophones!


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## andrewsmc (Sep 15, 2013)

Frick said:


> (don't know why people don't do proper original posts):



Oh, excuse me........ Next time I will post to YOUR standards.


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## FordGT90Concept (Sep 15, 2013)

Besides the technical problems, it has huge design problems like...what's going to happen when you drop it or those sharp corners tear a hole in your pocket?  It looks heavy and cumbersome.  I also doubt the technical design--a processor is going to need a lot of contacts to the rest of the device and how, exactly, is that base board going to work to make it connect to everything like it needs to?

There is demand for modular cellphones, this just isn't it.


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## AphexDreamer (Sep 15, 2013)

Good luck trying to get iPhone users to switch. My cuz went from the iPhone 4s to the latest Samsung Galaxy and because she didn't know how to use it thought it was broken and returned it for the iPhone 5.

Some people dislike change.


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## MightyMission (Sep 15, 2013)

I think it's a great idea.
Progressive and not a whole heap different to a modern pc, exept hopefully the cpu slots have a longer life span!


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Sep 15, 2013)

Too square and too big also too sharp for me sorry.


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## Fourstaff (Sep 15, 2013)

AphexDreamer said:


> Some people are disklike change.



All we need to do is to get them stuck on this platform 

Monumental task for iDevice users, but I think we can tempt the Android bandwagon easy enough.


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## Nordic (Sep 15, 2013)

For those saying it is too square, get the optional round one. If this thing was as modular as it says it was it im sure you could customize it far more than what blocks you put in.

I agree with ford, a modular cell phone is great but this isn't it.


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## Frick (Sep 15, 2013)

Wasn't there talks about something similiar but for desktop computers, years ago?


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## NinkobEi (Sep 15, 2013)

I only have two questions: will it give the same performance as an iphone? and will it be cheaper?


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## copenhagen69 (Sep 15, 2013)

Very cool idea there


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## shovenose (Sep 15, 2013)

As long as it runs Windows Phone


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## Deleted member 24505 (Sep 15, 2013)

Maybe it could use what ever os you like.

I think this is a good idea. Phones now are suffering from being too thin with shitty batteries, they make them thinner but battery technology is behind the phone technology. I don't really understand how a phone been 8mm or 15mm thick matters really.


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## Frick (Sep 15, 2013)

tigger said:


> Maybe it could use what ever os you like.
> 
> I think this is a good idea. Phones now are suffering from being too thin with shitty batteries, they make them thinner but battery technology is behind the phone technology. I don't really understand how a phone been 8mm or 15mm thick matters really.



Aye, I would gladly take a bulkier phone if it meant bigger battery, plus proper optics. With that said I don't think battery life is that atrocious now. Yes I charged my Nokia 1200 once a month, but most people use their phones a lot these days. It's constant use, be it wifi or a mobile connection, and the screen are large and colorful, and we are playing demanding games and so on and so on.. Given all that, it's decent (at best).


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## Deleted member 24505 (Sep 15, 2013)

Frick said:


> Aye, I would gladly take a bulkier phone if it meant bigger battery, plus proper optics. With that said I don't think battery life is that atrocious now. Yes I charged my Nokia 1200 once a month, but most people use their phones a lot these days. It's constant use, be it wifi or a mobile connection, and the screen are large and colorful, and we are playing demanding games and so on and so on.. Given all that, it's decent (at best).



you spend 600 quid on a galaxy s4 and get 1 day out of the battery if you actually use it, not good enough imo. I like smartphones but i don't like the crappy battery life. nowadays, to get anything out of the battery more than 1 day, you have to turn everything off when you are not using it.


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## Fourstaff (Sep 15, 2013)

tigger said:


> you spend 600 quid on a galaxy s4 and get 1 day out of the battery if you actually use it, not good enough imo. I like smartphones but i don't like the crappy battery life. nowadays, to get anything out of the battery more than 1 day, you have to turn everything off when you are not using it.



That is how phones are optimised nowadays, with different manufacturers having different targets. The battery life/power balance/size is heavily skewed towards power as much as possible, with battery life target at 1 day and the rest to size. I don't blame the way they set it up, to me its ideal.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Sep 15, 2013)

Fourstaff said:


> That is how phones are optimised nowadays, with different manufacturers having different targets. The battery life/power balance/size is heavily skewed towards power as much as possible, with battery life target at 1 day and the rest to size. I don't blame the way they set it up, to me its ideal.



Not to me, it's only because of fashion that phones got so stupidly thin and fragile. The bigger screens are much more prone to breaking. Also i looked at a strip down of the HTC one, and the guy said its virtually impossible to replace the screen without damaging the rest of it. I would happily take a fat galaxy s4 with a nice 3 or 4 day battery life, nowadays my friends dont go anywere without a charger, and are always coming and plugging their phones in.


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## remixedcat (Sep 15, 2013)

Phones that are too thin aren't as comfy to hold in your hand in bed either... I'd rather have a thicker phone with awesome battery life.

This idea presented in the video is awesome and I hope the further perfect it and make it take off.


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## buildzoid (Sep 16, 2013)

You know if the speakers camer WiFi and add-ons ran of a usb like system and the processor block included ram and gpu it could be very feasible and if they had it surrounded by a nice rounded cover it would perfect in just about every way. 

I also agree that phones these days are way too thin. I want bulkier with better sound optics and battery and more storage since I use mine as a flashstick when transdering files over 16gb in size. I could care less about pixels per inch my one x is 1280x720 but I have yet see a phone that would make me want it for its screen resolution. 
I think I might be the only person to say this but I hate aluminium bodies. plastic FTW!


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## The Von Matrices (Sep 16, 2013)

For the people taking issue with the squared off components, couldn't you just use round corner blocks and solve the problem?

This is definitely a concept envisioned by an artist and not an engineer.  There are many electrical connectivity issues as the previous posts have pointed out, and it wouldn't sell because it would be bulkier and heavier than a phone without interchangeable, customizable components.



tigger said:


> I would happily take a fat galaxy s4 with a nice 3 or 4 day battery life, nowadays my friends dont go anywere without a charger, and are always coming and plugging their phones in.



But you can do that already.  I bought a 16WH battery for my S3 and now I can get two or three days of usage out of it per charge, and it is thicker so it is more comfortable in the hand.  The lack of ability to upgrade the battery is the sole reason I will never buy a unibody phone.


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## torgoth (Sep 16, 2013)

Yeah I dont get the appeal of thin phones, feel like I'll lose it, I still like the bold 9000  (you should keep one in your hands to get me xD) but it has poor battery too, I dont get it why there are no innovations in the battery "department" what's taking them so long -.-


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## Easy Rhino (Sep 16, 2013)

this is a terrible idea because it will not sell. why do products like the iphone and ipad sell so well? because they require no effort by the user to actually use. fail.


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## janeparker (Sep 18, 2013)

Nice Idea only for a technically knowledge-full person, still require a lot of improvements.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Sep 18, 2013)

Easy Rhino said:


> this is a terrible idea because it will not sell. why do products like the iphone and ipad sell so well? because they require no *Brains* by the user to actually use. fail.



Fixed


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## de.das.dude (Sep 18, 2013)

Great idea! however i doubt the technology is there yet for the technology.

I already got a phone built to last and worth keeping. its a nokia. 

and last time check, all the stuff is indeed made in blocks and can be changed.


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## Easy Rhino (Sep 18, 2013)

tigger said:


> Fixed



exactly. you make products that people can use without thinking. that's why this idea won't sell. /fail


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## Sasqui (Sep 18, 2013)

Frick said:


> Interesting concept, but I don't think it'll fly.



Whole bunch of reasons you could be right and a whole lot you could be wrong.

Our manufacturing and society as a whole keeps going towards disposability, that's the sad truth.  And it's true because it's easier.

Modularizing components is what PC's is all about, why not phones, or laptops for that matter?


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## Frick (Sep 18, 2013)

Sasqui said:


> Whole bunch of reasons you could be right and a whole lot you could be wrong.
> 
> Our manufacturing and society as a whole keeps going towards disposability, that's the sad truth.  And it's true because it's easier.
> 
> Modularizing components is what PC's is all about, why not phones, or laptops for that matter?



Size is one thing. Making such tiny things modular in a secure way is quite different from say replacing a graphics card or a PSU. It is possible, and I would love something like that, but I don't think that people would be interested, because it would be "difficult". The less brain power needed the better it is. Also the entire industry, and the rest of the world, is as you say going more and more towards disposable stuff. Maybe in a bleak electro-wasteland future we have these things while we scavange the sewers for scrap copper and modems, but right now it doesn't really have a place in the industry (which is the World).

All speculation obviously. Maybe it'll be the next big thing. I dunno.


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## NinkobEi (Sep 18, 2013)

If they perform like shit and are expensive no one will buy them. They have to perform better and be cheaper than the other phones. Something I dont see happening (Nexus 4 $199) + the new iphone has a monster of a processor


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## Sasqui (Sep 18, 2013)

Frick said:


> because it would be "difficult".



Yea, I'm not disagreeing.  I think the difficulty would be on the manufacturing side.  Think of all the standards incorporated into PC's.  I could take 90%+ of the graphics card of desktop users on TPU and they'd work in my rig.  That's pretty impressive... and probably take 95%+ keyboards and mice and monitors and do the same.  It's awesome.

I still have the same desktop monitor from 2005, that was about 5 phones ago


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## Deleted member 24505 (Sep 18, 2013)

Sasqui said:


> Yea, I'm not disagreeing.  I think the difficulty would be on the manufacturing side.  Think of all the standards incorporated into PC's.  I could take 90%+ of the graphics card of desktop users on TPU and they'd work in my rig.  That's pretty impressive... and probably take 95%+ keyboards and mice and monitors and do the same.  It's awesome.
> 
> I still have the same desktop monitor from 2005, that was about 5 phones ago



Same monitor as mine, still love mine.


All I want is a fat SGS4 with a 3 or 4 day battery.


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## suraswami (Sep 18, 2013)

tigger said:


> Same monitor as mine, still love mine.
> 
> 
> All I want is a fat SGS4 with a 3 or 4 day battery.



My Sanyo (made is japan) brick phone turned on even after 5 yrs of just collecting dust.  I still have it, my first phone and best one.


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## Sasqui (Sep 18, 2013)

tigger said:


> All I want is a fat SGS4 with a 3 or 4 day battery.



I bought a Razr Maxx HD.  With light surfing, have gotten well into 3rd day with battery to spare.  Ironically, I can't change out the battery in that phone


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## janeparker (Sep 19, 2013)

With due respect to senior members here i want to say that I am really surprised to see that some member are saying that people like products that they use without thinking. I how can we forget the case of our own computer. most of us have configured our computer according to our needs, not that what company have provided us. Though I agree that particularly this model may fail because of boring looks and sharp edges.


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## Easy Rhino (Sep 19, 2013)

janeparker said:


> With due respect to senior members here i want to say that I am really surprised to see that some member are saying that people like products that they use without thinking. I how can we forget the case of our own computer. most of us have configured our computer according to our needs, not that what company have provided us. Though I agree that particularly this model may fail because of boring looks and sharp edges.



the majority of the populace like their tech, be it a phone or a pc, to operate with as little effort as possible. those of us on tpu obviously are a different breed in that we enjoy modding tech since we have a do it yourself attitude.

that being said, when it comes to phones, i like simple. i spend all day coding and working with servers and at the end of the day the last thing i want to do with mess around with a phone.


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## Hood (Sep 19, 2013)

theoneandonlymrk said:


> Too square and too big also too sharp for me sorry.



If this ever get's made, I'm sure there will be no shortage of silicon cases available.  It should really come with a soft case as sharp as those corners are.


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## itsakjt (Sep 20, 2013)

This idea will work. Yes it may not be for all the components but the CPU, GPU, RAM can be upgraded easily if this design is implemented. Imagine very very thin pins soldered under the chips which are now BGA. Just like done in the AMD CPUs.
Now even if someone wants to have a phone with a better CPU or more RAM, he/she just goes and buy a new phone because the CPU or RAM cannot be changed. This is ridiculous and is like changing your whole computer for upgrading to a better processor on a good motherboard or changing the whole rig for upgrading just the RAM. I believe this technology can be implemented if the audience want it and also the manufacturers. It would be great for us enthusiasts who like to customize their own device just like we do in computers.


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## eidairaman1 (Sep 21, 2013)

there should be multiple antenna on a phone so it can pickup cell, wifi, bluetooth, 3/4G/LTE, FM


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## Mussels (Sep 21, 2013)

andrewsmc said:


> Oh, excuse me........ Next time I will post to YOUR standards.



no ones going to open up a thread with a vague title and click a vague link.

if it wasnt for that second post with images and details, this thread would have died a quiet death.


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## Mussels (Sep 21, 2013)

on topic thoughts:


if these are placed inside a compatible case with curved edges, it will be nicer to use. you wont have lego in your pocket.


the eletrical wiring seems to complex to just up and slap around the phone, i dont see how a CPU and a BT module could just change to a different set of pins and still work.

modular CPU socket, wifi etc? yeah sure, but i dont see how they can swap with each other.


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## itsakjt (Sep 21, 2013)

Mussels said:


> on topic thoughts:
> 
> 
> if these are placed inside a compatible case with curved edges, it will be nicer to use. you wont have lego in your pocket.
> ...



Yeah man it is possible just like a PCI Express slot can adapt various devices like GPUs, Sound Cards, LAN cards, WiFi cards, SSDs and all.


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## newconroer (Sep 21, 2013)

How can people complain about size, when phones went from being so small you lost them easily to the point where they are now larger than they were in 1995?!?
Watching people talk on Iphones is laughable because they either have this big slab of plastic against their ear, or they do the hip thing and go speaker mode and talk into it from the front of their face which looks just as retarded.
Then there's the awkward moment when you see hundreds of people all walking around like zombies with their head down looking at their phones, not watching where they are going. You have revelation that thousands of years ago the tools of our daily trade were all robust things. Hoes, rakes, shovels - if you dropped them, they didn't break. Now, our 'tools' and devices break(crash) before they even hit the ground.

Phones are like society, they've been globalized and sold this idea that convenience is the most important factor. Every feature has to be available in one place, one device. 
You know, fast food drive-threws are about convenience and look what those do to society...

Phone - phone
Camera - camera
Gaming device - gaming device

If we quit supporting manufactures whom try to give us jack of all trade products that are masters of none, then we wouldn't need these Phoneblock type products to compensate.


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## Jetster (Sep 21, 2013)

technology changes to fast it will never work. If this concept would work then you would still have the same motherboard you had 5 years ago


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## Mussels (Sep 21, 2013)

itsakjt said:


> Yeah man it is possible just like a PCI Express slot can adapt various devices like GPUs, Sound Cards, LAN cards, WiFi cards, SSDs and all.



but now we're physically moving the links.


what happens if you move the CPU down one block to fit more BT modules in cause you're weird - data wires might be able to auto sense and move, but power wires cant.


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## itsakjt (Sep 21, 2013)

Mussels said:


> but now we're physically moving the links.
> 
> 
> what happens if you move the CPU down one block to fit more BT modules in cause you're weird - data wires might be able to auto sense and move, but power wires cant.



Yeah for that I also don't know the tech. Maybe in the present tech, it is not possible but just customizing is possible.


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## Mussels (Sep 22, 2013)

i believe modular components like a PC is possible, and could work. just not their idea of moving parts around wherever you want them on the board.


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## Frick (Oct 29, 2013)

Bumpity bump.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013...roject-ara-a-modular-phone-hardware-platform/

http://www.dscout.com/ara



> Motorola has announced a free, open hardware platform for smartphones called "Project Ara." The goal is to create a modular smartphone that would allow users to swap hardware components at will. Motorola says it wants to "do for hardware what the Android platform has done for software: create a vibrant third-party developer ecosystem, lower the barriers to entry, increase the pace of innovation, and substantially compress development timelines."



Aaaand they teamed up with Phoneblocks.


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## de.das.dude (Oct 29, 2013)

Frick said:


> Bumpity bump.
> 
> http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013...roject-ara-a-modular-phone-hardware-platform/
> 
> ...



lol i see erockers avatar.


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## Nordic (Oct 29, 2013)

That doesn't seem too bad at all. I guess most of us were a bit pessimistic.


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## Frick (Oct 29, 2013)

james888 said:


> That doesn't seem too bad at all. I guess most of us were a bit pessimistic.



It's still a way off and we still don't know how it'll fly, but having big players doing it is a huge step forward. And Google is popular and cool and rich.


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## Mussels (Oct 30, 2013)

was just reading, motorola bought them out and now own this tech.


it might actually happen now.


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