Phonebloks

So, the idea behind Phonebloks is that you should be able to not only choose the kind and quality of parts in your phone and plug them into the main board, but this would also give you the ability to replace broken parts and upgrade your existing components. I could opt for a better camera and sacrifice some storage, for example.

An interesting concept in theory. The problem would be getting all the players (phone manufacturers) to get on board. Brands would no longer be able to distinguish themselves with their own unique chassis etc. It also suggests that there's enough of a culture that would bother building their own phone from 'blok' components. I would consider it, but who knows how many others could be bothered. Then there's the question of OS. Would it run iOS? Android? W...[gack!]indows Ph...[choke]one? Neither? What about all the apps I invested in? Would they still work? Then there's the inevitable discussion of evolution. When a new phone comes out, it doesn't just have a new processor or camera. It often has new architecture as well, something that the main board design is based upon.

So while I like the idea of being able to customize my phone's components, there would have to be a drastic and comprehensive change in brands' attitudes toward sharing and standardizing technology as well as phone software and I don't ever see that happening. If a company were to just sell this under one brand for one OS (likely Android), I don't see this idea getting much traction, as the Android scene is fragmented enough already, hardware-wise.