Motorola's Modular Smartphone Dream Is Too Young To Die (fastcompany.com) 52
harrymcc writes: Lots of people have fantasized about modular smartphones, but Motorola introduced one -- the Moto Z -- and actually created an ecosystem of useful add-ons. Now its parent company, Lenovo, has made major cuts at Moto headquarters in Chicago, throwing the future of Moto Mods into doubt. Over at Fast Company, Jared Newman talked to some of the people who have invested energy in this modular platform about why it would be such a shame if Lenovo gave up on the idea.
not this again (Score:1, Insightful)
seriously, who wants this?
I certainly don't.
i like a solid, compact phone. No "module" bullshit. No one is going to "change the camera for a better one" or "have a high quality audio amplifier". Or even "remove the camera and give me a larger battery.
Batteries already take a lot of space in a phone. you don't get any significant improvement by adding a tiny battery module.
Also, moto-z style modules... who wants a 1" thick phone again?
Re:not this again (Score:4, Informative)
i do. God forbid anyone wants anything you dont. The world doesnt revolve around you. I dont need a high quality camera so id probably swap it out for the projector module, or maybe the battery pack. And I'd rather take a 1" phone over a phone that dies after 24 hours any day
Re:not this again (Score:5, Insightful)
i do. God forbid anyone wants anything you don't.
That's the thing. If this device is being considered for retirement, it's precisely because not enough people want it.
If what the Slashdot crowd wanted represented actual consumer tastes in any volume, then every PC would be running Linux - WITH OH GOD NO SYSTEMD - and be 100% upgradeable/replaceable. It's not, and it doesn't. Most other people don't want what a theoretical Slashdot "you" wants, and that's how the market works.
I work for a giant large evil US cellular carrier, and I can tell you it's the same for smartphones. The smartphone business is about three things: 1.) volume; 2.) volume; 3.) volume. That's why Apple and Samsung have some crazy percentage of the total profits in the market. Do you want something different? For example, a MILSPEC rugged phone [sonimtech.com]? You want an intrinsically safe smartphone [ecom-ex.com]? You want a smartphone that supports HAM radio [qrznow.com]?
You can get it, just be prepared to pay for it. You can get almost anything you want in a smart phone, but you have to vote with your wallet, not just on Interwebs comment boards. Because you are going to pay out the wazoo for what you want because it isn't the same as what tens of millions of other users want.
Slashdot-y people said they wanted a phone that could dock and be an Android device. Motorola built one, and nobody bought it [wikipedia.org]. Slashdot-y people said they wanted a super duper secure phone [silentcircle.com] and nobody is buying it. I worked years ago on the "Obama Blackberry [gdmissionsystems.com]" that numerous US government agencies insisted that they needed and... wait for it... not even they bought it when they figured out how much it cost ($3500 vs. a not as secure but more functional $200 BlackBerry).
There are lots and lots of smartphones out there that meet different needs. Unless your needs happen to match with that of tens of millions of other users, please be prepared that your wallet will take a hit when you vote for it. Otherwise... if you want a smartphone from a big carrier store that you can get for next to nothing upfront, be prepared to get the exact same kind of phone that meets the needs of tens of millions of users who don't include you.
Re: (Score:2)
I do
Sure, but are you prepared to pay $5000 for one?
(which is probably what it would cost if it were brought to market)
I thought not.
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I did, and believe me I paid far far far far... less than others paid for a samsung or apple. Between 1/2 and 1/3. I bought mine because it was a fantastic price for the phone. I was skeptical about the modules, but it came with a free projector and I ended up buying a battery. And it all just works. The battery gives me days of use and I actually like the phone being heavier. If I do want to go lighter I just pop the battery off. I think where they messed up is the optional camera module is not that great.
Re:not this again (Score:4, Insightful)
Here is the thing. To make and sell such devices there is a lot of money needed upfront. If you are going to invest millions in such devices, we need more people then a few people to sell it too. Especially because after a few years the phone will be out of date and will need a reinvestment to build a new batch. However your example isn't as much about wanting a modular phone, but just a phone with a bigger battery and perhaps a projector.
Which they are devices you can get that support many Android and iPhone models that just do that. it isn't modular per say, but they are cases that add extra batteries to your device, by plugging into the usb/lightning ports. You can also get portable projectors that plug into these ports as well.
They may not clip in as nice as the Motorola, but the point is most people don't want a modular phone, they want one phone to do what they want it to do. For the most part with the competition you can normally find a phone that meets your criteria as well as you can find.
I commend Motorola for not just making an other blatant iPhone ripoff and try to give us something new. However what they offered, wasn't what most people wanted.
Re:not this again (Score:5, Interesting)
This is far FAR from a modular phone, it is a connector/attachment mechanism on the back of a pretty normal phone.
the same could be done with a secondary usb c connector on the back easily enough, or the existing connector with a little work.
but why. as you say, most 'mods' are really features the phone should be able to have anyway (alexa? really?), or things that should be external devices because you dont want to carry them all the time.
it is however a pity that wireless usb seems to be dead, as that would be somewhat useful..
Let me change out the radio (Score:2)
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"it is however a pity that wireless usb seems to be dead"
Why would you need that when phones have USBOTG built in now days? You've got a higher-bandwidth connector that supports almost any device that follows the protocols, including possible eGPU/eASIC (for the fools that want to crypto on their phone.)
Re: (Score:2)
Wires.
Re: (Score:2)
You certainly don't own any USBOTG devices. Cords aren't necessary. Just like a jump drive.
Re: (Score:2)
We must be talking about different things then. USB-OTG is just a protocol that enables a USB device to act as both master and slave on the same USB port.
Wires are obviously still required for connection.
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I'm not seeing any wires (eg a dangling cord) on any of my flash drives or phone-mountable cameras. Just the connector. Care to try again? Did you mean pins or traces?
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Ah, slashdot. Explain your view in more detail, offering an olive branch to the other person to explain others, so mutual understanding can be found.
Get a "fuck you, try again" as a response.
Well done.
Re: (Score:2)
Ah, Slashdot, where people trying to extend an olive branch do so while obviously still failing at following the conversation and key point statements like "Cords aren't necessary. Just like a jump drive." thus nullifying their own post by failing to realize they did not read and fully comprehend.
Re: (Score:2)
You're basically right. This amounts to a very elegant way to have a swappable battery for your phone - and not much more. If the price were right, that might be a great feature. In fact, if they were to bundle a single battery mod with their phones and emphasize that you can get a spare for a few bucks, they might have done well.
The rest of the mods are niche items. And the elegant implementation is part of the problem. Who's going to pay a serious amount of money for a modular speaker or camera or pr
Re: (Score:1)
What the world really needs is a RAZR with a high-res screen, larger battery (paper-thin and weight aren't huge issues, match size + weight of a touch screen phone!) and an open-source OS with binaries compiled to native machine-code via open-source compilers like GCC.
If anything is modular, it should be the encrypted binary driver system. This can be handled on a fully protected sub-CPU with protected memory completely inaccessible to any other part of the system. Communication between system memory and pr
Re: (Score:2)
Damn straight. I've got an old LG with 3.5" screen here and every time I see it I think this would be perfect if they only updated it to a retina screen, etc.
Who wants to lug around a 6" beast all the time? (apart from people who want other people to see them using it).
Re: (Score:3)
I'm fine with a 1" thick phone. Or laptop. I don't get the fetish with thinness. 1" is probably the maximum to slip in my pocket, but for me thickness is just a boolean "fits in my pocket" check.
I thought a projector would be fun, but I'm not buying the moto z. My guess is that the modules will not be well supported in a year if you want to keep the OS up to date.
Re: (Score:2)
Replying to this to boost thread rating:
Yeah the keyboard mod looks great, and it's on the cusp of getting released. It may have been slowed down thanks to these layoffs though. =( I pray that it gets released and is available to as many people as possible since it may make the Moto Z2 the last useful landscape QWERTY phone for a long time. >.;
Re: not this again (Score:2)
How is a modular keyboard better than a bluetooth one: https://www.adafruit.com/produ... [adafruit.com]
Re: (Score:1)
Because it's attached, doesn't require pairing, and can supply extra battery power.
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I'd rather have a good, truly modular phone that's an inch thick than the impossible-to-repair shit you're pushing.
Modular accessories aren't me, per se, but they're still cool, too.
Re: (Score:3)
"Also, moto-z style modules... who wants a 1" thick phone again?"
As I hold my nearly-indestructible 3/4" thick DuraForce Pro, which withstands my mining excursions and underwater photography - I sure as fuck do, because my phone could be used to beat you to death, beat your phone to death, and then I could call funeral services for you and your phone on my nearly-unscathed phone. It's an unstoppable fucking tank. Make those modular connections tough enough, I'd love to toss out the never-used Bluetooth modu
Re: (Score:1)
who wants a 1" thick phone again?
If the entire added thickness was battery alone.... I ALMOST think I would.
Just offer better battery cases with features (Score:2)
i like a solid, compact phone. No "module" bullshit. No one is going to "change the camera for a better one" or "have a high quality audio amplifier". Or even "remove the camera and give me a larger battery.
It seems like they are over complicating the problem. Instead of some weird design with all sorts of modules, just offer a basic phone and then what amounts to a battery/expansion case. Want a headphone jack and SD card slot plus a bigger battery? Buy a case with those bits of hardware. Offer cases with various configurations and aesthetic designs to allow people to configure their phone to their particular needs. Then the handset maker can keep offering the paper thin phones for those who want that bu
Comment removed (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
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"Is a stable android 5.2" system, with qi wireless charging, some basic gorilla glass, enough performance not to lag normal apps, a speaker that is loud enough, and the usual GPS."
Ah, but you also said $200. Was gonna say drop $350 on a Kyocera Duraforce Pro, keep waterproofing AND headphone and charging/USB jack, plus both wireless charging standards, get an SD card slot, has GPS, compass, etc. Toss a simple screen protector on it (though the Verizon version has sapphire glass) and this thing is unstoppabl
The mods sucked (Score:1)
Anemic extra battery
Projector (kinda cool, but a niche)
Speaker (very niche area between a phone speaker and a bigger Bluetooth one)
Camera (great in concept, but it sucked).
I bet if the camera was good, things would have been different (I was going to buy one until I read the camera review, and I know of one other person that felt the same, considering how few Moto Z's I've seen, 2 people seems relevant).
Wrong! (Score:1)
There is little market for this (Score:2)
Now, if Motorola produced a repairable or upgradable phone than that might be another matter entirely. Just a phone that is easily serviceable without special skill - replaceable covers, batteries, screen, main module, antenna, camera. I expect there is a market for that kind of phone especially for businesses. Since Motorola was sold to Lenovo, the nearest analogue w
Re: (Score:1)
Motoz is NOT a modular phone. It is a phone with accessories capability.
A modular phone would let you swap out the Antenna, CPU, Screen, receivers, memory etc, no one gives a crap about the accessories that would work just as well via Bluetooth.
Re: (Score:2)
A modular phone is a niche. It's not something that people generally want because it results in bulky, more complex, more expensive devices.
Quite so.
Now, if Motorola produced a repairable or upgradable phone than that might be another matter entirely.
Your previous argument still holds and for the same reasons. Few people would buy it. Making a phone like that would make it cost more. Repairable? Cheaper to just get a new phone and/or offer insurance. Upgradeable? Not even sure how this would be possible given how tightly packaged the electronics are in smartphones. Again, cheaper to buy new than to design in features that very few people will ever actually utilize. You could do something with a battery case that has features but the han
Re: There is little market for this (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It doesn't make the phone the size of a brick. It just means a removable back and things held in place with screws instead of glue, and a logical tear down to reach parts.
I'm exaggerating for effect obviously but it isn't really a debate that it would substantially increase the size of the device and almost certainly the cost as well. There are a lot of other technical issues as well. For example do you know how hard it is to make a device that is both waterproof and user serviceable? It's damn near impossible even with experienced technicians doing the servicing.
I personally could live with it being a bit larger but the economics of trying to sell the device seem unlikely
Naturally I didn't read TFA but... (Score:1)
I thought it was doomed from the start. Years ago I got burned on the PALM IPO because at the time I thought pluggable hardware was going to make their PDA's king of the world. The consumer market ultimately didn't respond then, or now.
Battery! (Score:2)