Project Ara is approaching its launch date and we can’t express just how excited we are about Google’s new concept. Marvell happens to be one of the first partners to get in on the action, so we went to their booth at MWC to take a look at some of the things they have been doing.
What is Project Ara?
Before we go deeper into the topic, let’s just give you a quick rundown of what Project Ara is introducing to the market. The idea is to create a smartphone that you could theoretically never have to replace. This can be done by using a modular design, in which the customer can simply pick and choose his own parts as needed.
Think of it as a PC tower. You can open it up and look at all your components, which you can then repace as you wish. You wouldn’t need to buy a whole new computer if you just want, say, a better GPU… or more RAM memory.
Likewise, Project Ara will be able to give you the option to upgrade your phone via modules. Maybe you want a better speaker? Just buy a different speaker module! Some of us don’t care for smartphone cameras, so we could replace that with extra memory, or maybe more battery power.
The first step would be to get the frame, which we could consider a motherboard of sorts.
Marvell’s involvement
Marvell is not wasting time and they have decided to go all in with Project Ara. The company has developed a processor module for the device, which sports a Marvell Armada PXA 1928 chip with 4G LTE connectivity. The processor is clocked at 1.5 GHz and carries 4 cores.
That is not the only thing packed in here, though. The Marvell chip also comes with full support for WiFi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and Navigation technology.
Wrapping up
Take a look at our interview with Marvell’s very own Philip Pulidis, who is telling us more about their new product and Project Ara in general. I especially like how customizable the device is, as well as the modules themselves. We can even see some modules with photos printed in them! Check out the video and let us know what you think. Are you getting yourself a Project Ara phone?
