Modular smartphones to let you choose key specs

AHMEDABAD, INDIA: Smartphone is one of the most empowering and intimate objects in our lives. Yet most of us have little say in how the device is made, what it does, and how it looks. What if you could make thoughtful choices about exactly what your phone does, and use it as a creative canvas to tell your own story?

eInfochips, a product engineering services company, and Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC) unveiled the ARTOS12 Development Kit at the Project Ara Module Developers Conference 2015. Google Project Ara specifications are expected to transform the smartphone experience and introduce new devices wherein the users will be able to pick key specs such as the camera they like, a sensor or the battery that lasts for days. They could have a louder speaker, gaming console, or use the smartphone as their car key. The possibilities are endless. Project Ara is a development effort to create a modular hardware ecosystem-rivalling mobile apps in the pace and level of innovation around smartphones. With the goal of enabling users to create a modular smartphone that is precisely tailored to their functional and aesthetic preferences and to bring the mobile internet to the approximately 5 billion people who don't yet have smartphones. To enable modular smartphones, eInfochips and TAEC offer the ARTOS12 Google Ara Development Kit for the 1x2 Module that uses Toshiba bridge chip technology and eInfochips engineering services.

Speaking at the launch, Shardul Kazi, Senior Vice President and Technology Executive, System LSI Group, at TAEC said, "Smartphones double up as HD displays, music players, computers, cameras, wallets and video conferencing equipment. Next, it may be your watch, blood-pressure monitor, memory stick, TV remote,
projector and car key. While the Toshiba chips are at the heart of the Ara Smartphone providing the connectivity between the modules, the Development Kit and services can enable these new and exciting designs to get to market much quicker."

The kit features MicroSD and USB slots enabling developers to store data and interface to external devices. Toshiba T6WR6XBG general-purpose bridge used in the development kit supports optional interfaces such as UART, I2C, I2S, SPI, and GPIO on the 1x2 module. The Ara 1x2 module development kit also includes high-speed interfaces for connection to the application processor bridge, USB drivers and quick-start documentation. Engineering services, distribution, support, release management and product delivery of ARTOS12 Google Ara development kits is provided by eInfochips.

Design Services for Google Ara Modules

eInfochips will also offer its expertise on Google Ara modules with custom design and engineering services. These include platform porting, multimedia integration, application development, and performance optimization, among others. Companies seeking first-mover advantage on Google Ara modules can leverage eInfochips experience in this domain to accelerate development cycles.