Toshiba just previewed prototypes for some of the first third-party Project Ara modules.
Toshiba,
who has partnered with Google on the modular smartphone project,
recently unveiled three new camera modules for the latest prototype.
The
cameras include 5MP and 13MP rear-facing camera and a 3 MP front-facing
camera. The 13MP module has a bright mode and high frame rate
capabilities, making it not that far off from the flagship-level
components Google promised during the last developer conference for
Project Ara.
The
update comes as Project Ara, Google's ambitious plan to create a
modular smartphone platform, is closer than ever to making it out of
Google's labs and into the hands of consumers. Ara prototypes are made
up of a shell and a series of swappable modules that allow individual
components like the camera or processor to be swapped out independently
of the rest of the handset.
Toshiba's
new modules are for the second version of the prototype, the Spiral 2,
unveiled at January's Project Ara developer conference. Google's plan is
to create one more prototype, the Spiral 3, before making the phones
available in Puerto Rico.
The
first Ara units will be available for sale in Puerto Rico next year
where Google will sell the phones out of foodtruck-style mobile
storefronts while gauging the response to the new Android-based
smartphones. The goal is to eventually make several dozen third-party
modules, including Toshiba's, available to consumers.
The company hasn't commented on a timeline for a commercial rollout beyond Puerto Rico.
Posted by : Gizmeon
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