Project Ara is the codename for an initiative by Google that aims to develop a free[citation needed], 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. A market pilot for Project Ara is scheduled for 2015 with a target bill of materials cost of $50 for a basic grey phone.The project was originally headed by the Advanced Technologies and Projects team within Motorola Mobility while it was a subsidiary of Google. Although Google had sold Motorola to Lenovo, it is retaining the project team who will work under the direction of the Android division. Project goals

Google says the phone is designed to be used by "six billion people", including the one billion smartphone users and the five billion feature phone users.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 WiFi.

Google wants Project Ara to lower the entry barrier for phone hardware manufacturers so there could be "hundreds of thousands of developers" instead of the current handful of big manufacturers. Anyone will be able to build a module without requiring a license or paying a fee.

More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Ara
Official website of the project: http://www.projectara.com/

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