Last year, Google took over Project Ara from Motorola after the former sold the latter to Chinese manufacturer Lenovo. Months later, the search giant announced that the base model for the modular smartphone will be sold for as low as $50.
Since then, more people, particularly Android fans, have been following the updates about Project Ara.
This new update will sure bring a wider smile to their faces.
According to a report by Android Authority, Google has reached out to another manufacturer that would potentially make more modules available for Project Ara once the first smartphone launches.
In the report, the billion-dollar company contacted Yezz, a hardware manufacturer based in Miami. Google aims to make more partners that will supply the modules needed for Project Ara's most awaited launch.
However, the development and partnership may already be going on for quite some time.
In the report, Luis Sosa, co-founder of Yezz said:
"(Google) approached us, mainly because Yezz has been growing not only in Latin America, but also in the US and Europe. But there is more: Yezz is a product for the masses, and that is what Google is aiming at with Ara. I believe modular phones will transform the smartphone business in the same way apps transformed the world of smartphones."
According to Sosa in an interview, Yezz has already manufactured over 100 prototype modules for Project Ara, but they would only be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next month.
Furthermore, there is reportedly a Yezz-Project Ara collaboration website that will feature the modules and features which the hardware maker will make available for the moduler phone. However, right now, the website only shows a countdown to the MWC.
Earlier this year, Google announced that the initial Project Ara program will go live in Puerto Rico later this year. Once Project Ara goes live, it will definitely pave the way for Google to dominate the mass market with their own handset.
Unlike most smartphones these days which need to be 'upgraded' to a newer model every few years, the Project Ara base model would only need to get new and higher-end modules from the 'module market' that Google will be developing over the next few months. Based on previous reports, there would be a number of display options for the base model of the device.
Moreover, Google will even offer the 'Ara Configurator' app that will help consumers decide which modules would fit their needs.
