Google's Project Ara

Project Ara is the search giant's ambitious ‘Modular Smartphone Concept’ designed exclusively for 6 billion people. With Ara, people can customize basically every aspect of their smartphone

Project Ara is the codename for an initiative by Google that aims to develop a free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones. The platform will include a structural frame that holds smartphone modules of the owner's choice, such as a display, keyboard or an extra battery. It would allow users to swap out malfunctioning modules or upgrade individual modules as innovations emerge, providing longer lifetime cycles for the handset, and potentially reducing electronic waste. The first model of the modular phone is scheduled to be released in January 2015. Google intends to sell a starter kit where the bill of materials is US$50 and includes a frame, display, battery, low-end CPU and Wi-Fi.