Hacker News Reader

Comment by nwienert | Hacker News Reader

I don't think a modular phone factor like shown here solves any of those problems though...

* A sliding keyboard requires pretty intense engineering within the body

* It seems ara is targeting very large and very small sizes, but not something like an iPhone. Even if it does, it doesn't solve the "I want a phone thats size X", it still limits your choice of size. Further, I wouldn't call this[0] "considerably wider".

* These phones are guaranteed to be much more fragile than current phones, that's a tradeoff of modularity.

So really, though I understand your desire, in the context of Project Ara all of these requirements are met better by current available smartphones.

[0] http://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Sony-Xperia-Z1-Compact...

View on HN

I don't think a modular phone factor like shown here solves any of those problems though

It may not, though I'd be surprised if nobody hacks together a sliding keyboard for this thing. It'll probably be bulky. The fragility issue can be solved by putting a good case over the whole thing. Assuming the overall platform works out to a limited number of sizes, I'd likely offer to sell cases made of various fiber-reinforced polymers[0] with cutouts in user-specified locations.

The Sony Z1 Compact is approximately the size of a Moto X despite having a smaller screen. I think the waterproofing adds some bulk. The Moto G also has a 4.3" screen and is so close to the Moto X in dimensions that it fits comfortably in a case molded around a Moto X, though some cutouts don't align correctly. All of these are a bit too wide for me to use comfortably one-handed, while the iPhone is not. I don't expect modular phones to address that problem effectively, but I wanted to point it out as a segment the current market does not address at all. Based on totally non-scientific anecdotes I've collected by talking to people online, it's the largest of the three segments I mentioned.

[0]http://i.imgur.com/wcLcKqG.jpg

How would cases work for a modular design? It might be okay for small modules, but the moment it gets bulky, the phones entire profiles changed, and any normal cases are out.

In the photographs shown, no module other than the extended camera lens sticks out very much. A case that's roughly a rectangular prism, open on one side will be able to enclose many possible configurations.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com