Circular Devices
The Puzzlephone is a conceptual handset built around an idea similar to Google’s mix-and-match Project Ara phone. One big difference is that this Finnish phone keeps its modularity to a minimum: Instead of having 8 to 10 swappable parts like the prototype Ara devices, Puzzlephone only has three. Another major difference is that Puzzlephone only exists in the form of renderings right now.
By this time next year, the phone may actually exist. The company that designed it, Circular Devices, just received its seed funding and became incorporated in September. According to Puzzlephone’s site, the phone will be ready to ship by the end of 2015.
It’s likely to run Android according to the site, but Circular Devices is open to a device running Windows Phone, Firefox OS, or Sailfish OS. The Puzzlephone should also be able to jump between OSes, thanks to a removable “Brain” module that houses its processing power, its camera, and its volume buttons. A “Heart” module with the Puzzlephone’s battery will slide into its “Spine,” which houses its LCD screen and home button.
And unlike the working-prototype version of the Project Ara device, it looks pretty slick. You can’t even tell it’s a modular device at first glance. Circular Devices says the LCD screen in the “Spine” should last 10 years—a lifespan that normally translates to about 4 or 5 phones you’d need to replace and recycle. With this one, as with the Ara, you’d be able to upgrade its processor, camera, and battery pack once they stopped working or got long in the tooth.
Circular Devices
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