Android's Best Phone of Next Year (2015) Poll

[FoxKat]

To be an Ara project partner you have to conform to a set of guidlines. That won't be an issue for hardware vendors that want to participate. You can replace the radio without replacing the exoskeleton.

My point exactly.

 

[FoxKat]

Just look at computers. Cross-compatibility is hardly ubiquitous. You likely can't just upgrade to any DD4 ram, if at all. I would fully expect camera upgrades to generally force upgrades in CPU and ram. Radios? Fuhgeddaboudit (lol, actually a word in Chrome spell check).

And if you're Sammie, I'm sure your new killer camera component will unfortunately only be compatible with other Sammie components (newer ones, at that). I think it's obvious that even building the whole phone currently is significantly challenging to get all the hardware and software to function flawlessly together.

I hear you however computers are manufactured by many companies. In this case the entire project is mandated by one consortium.

 

[FoxKat]

I get that. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is replacing the radio will almost certainly entail replacing the CPU, ram and possibly other modules. And your choices will likely be a relatively small subset of the universe of CPU and ram options. We're talking "fragmentation" on steroids.

Being compatible with the exoskeleton isn't remotely the same as being compatible with thousands of conceivable combinations of other modules. That's not remotely feasible.

Again, I'm not sure it will be that fragmented. Sure, a higher end camera may require a faster processor to reach its specified maximum frames per second however it would likely run at lower fps with a lower speed processor. Ram will dictate how fast and smooth things will run but again it may simply be an issue of performance.

 

[kodiak799]

I hear you however computers are manufactured by many companies. In this case the entire project is mandated by one consortium.

There's a lot of work that goes into compatibility. As was mentioned, just look at OEM's doing an entire phone and there are still issues. And we're talking a decent amount of software tweaks to get everything to play nice - which component maker is going to take on that disproportionate R&D?

I see one of three scenarios:
1) strictly low-end, no-frills 3rd-rate hardware
2) highly fragmented compatability, like with computers
3) not much of a market period because the technical requirements are just too expensive
4) I suppose there's a 4th option where it's a very niche market and options and capability are severely underwhelming.

For this to work like you hope, Google would have to mandate all kinds of technical, architectural and mechanical standards that has rarely been achievable in the electronic/computer industry.

 

[cereal killer]

Having that as the goal and what is realistically achievable are likely two very different things. The secondary question is if Google can, and would, stop Sammie from manufacturing components that only play nice with other Sammie components. Google doesn't sell them because it doesn't fit their standards, but not sure there would be anything to stop Sammie from offering them directly and thru the carriers.

If Samsung did such a thing they'd be sealing their own fate. People don't like to be inconvenienced, not to mention have to fork out even more money for a simple swap. If I wanted a Samsung camera on my Ara but had to swap out my processor and RAM I'd look to the next guy (HTC, LG, Moto, Sony etc) Unless that camera is truly revolutionary most people will pass. If I have to swap out my rotors and brakes to get a set of wheels I'm not buying those wheels

 

[Ollie]

Sammy wouldn't do that since they are part of an alliance bound by compatibility guidelines.

The only way I see that happening is if Sammy launched their own Ara phone branded as something else.