Phonebloks

CamaroSkooter · 09-12-2013, 04:32 PM

Quote:

A phone only lasts a couple of years before it breaks or becomes obsolete. Although it's often just one part which killed it we throw everything away since it's almost impossible to repair or upgrade.

Link

Thoughts? Discuss.

Silverlsinva · 09-12-2013, 08:10 PM

I think its a great ideal but it will never fly I don't see how phones break all the time. The best thing Is the upgrade ability to the newer tech without having to upgrade your phone. But all those companies will never do it I don't see how it will be a money maker for them all unless the phone's starting price is super high.

The Stig · 09-12-2013, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silverlsinva

I think its a great ideal but it will never fly I don't see how phones break all the time. The best thing Is the upgrade ability to the newer tech without having to upgrade your phone. But all those companies will never do it I don't see how it will be a money maker for them all unless the phone's starting price is super high.

For poops and giggles, ask one of the Apple Genius' how many people a week come in and say they broke their iPhone screen. You'd be amazed how many people shell out $200 - $300 for a new phone.

I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat by the way - also just noticed that they've already surpassed their goal with over a month to go.

Mr_Draco · 09-13-2013, 04:43 AM

It's a neat idea and I like it. I want to see a working prototype before I decide if I would get one or not as well as a price range.

CamaroSkooter · 09-13-2013, 08:16 AM

That's the thing, I bet the price range would end up being a very large range, depending on which parts and pieces you decide to go with.

Maybe at first the individual options might be limited, but once it gets going, the options could be limitless.

The video even hints at being able to swap from an HD touch screen to an old-school front face with a lower definition screen and a physical number pad.

I think it would be really cool if they set it up so the hardware is compatible across all operating systems, but each manufacturer could program the main board to operate solely with their operating system. That way each company still has a "unique" product, but the hardware can be customized to each consumer's individual likes and tastes.

I also think the form factor doesn't even have to remain a rectangular block phone. In fact, there could be multiple "base" sizes to choose from, and if you're unhappy with the one you have, you could easily bring it in and swap it with a different size base. The plus side of that is, the one you just swapped out could be refurbished by the company and immediately re-used, because it's exactly like every other base its size.

Mr_Draco · 09-14-2013, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroSkooter

That's the thing, I bet the price range would end up being a very large range, depending on which parts and pieces you decide to go with.

I'm talking about the price range of the base phone. I know accessories will cost more.

CamaroSkooter · 09-16-2013, 10:12 AM

Define base phone, though.

I don't think this phone concept translates well to defining what their "base" phone is, since you can customize it completely to your liking. I imagine if you picked the equivalent options to an iPhone or Android phone, it would be comparably priced. At least, it would have to be if it ever wanted to be competitive in the market...

Mr_Draco · 09-16-2013, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroSkooter

Define base phone, though.

I don't think this phone concept translates well to defining what their "base" phone is, since you can customize it completely to your liking. I imagine if you picked the equivalent options to an iPhone or Android phone, it would be comparably priced. At least, it would have to be if it ever wanted to be competitive in the market...

Base phone, the phone you first get when you go and buy it before adding accessories.

The only way it will be affordable enough for the majority to buy is to mass produce set parts to create a base phone and tell everyone that if they want to customize it, all the other parts will have to be purchased separately.

CamaroSkooter · 09-17-2013, 08:09 AM

I could be wrong, but I don't think that's the business model they're following.

Mr_Draco · 09-17-2013, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroSkooter

I could be wrong, but I don't think that's the business model they're following.

That's the only way it could work. If you tell everyone that is interested in it that they can't buy a working phone the moment they walk in and that instead they have to spend who knows how long selecting options, customizing, and building their phone before they even can turn it on, you'll be losing potential customers real quick. Not many people will do their research before they go into the store. They rely on what friends have or by what looks cool at the store.

CamaroSkooter · 09-18-2013, 09:16 AM

Maybe they will have pre-selected phone configurations that are equivalent in features to iPhones or Android phones. If so, I imagine they will be priced competitively - but with the added option of re-configuring it from there. If you don't want to reconfigure, you don't have to.

At this stage, it's all just conjecture though. It's still just in the concept phase. I get that you're concerned about price, but I can't imagine they'd be marketing this solely to super rich who don't care about price. And it's still so early in concept that I doubt any of that will be known for some time.

But I agree that they won't get very far off the ground if they're not priced competitively. Who knows, the concept may never make it to production.

09-13-2013, 08:16 AM	#5
CamaroSkooter Retarded One-Legged Owl Drives: 2010 Black Camaro 2SS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 9,745	That's the thing, I bet the price range would end up being a very large range, depending on which parts and pieces you decide to go with. Maybe at first the individual options might be limited, but once it gets going, the options could be limitless. The video even hints at being able to swap from an HD touch screen to an old-school front face with a lower definition screen and a physical number pad. I think it would be really cool if they set it up so the hardware is compatible across all operating systems, but each manufacturer could program the main board to operate solely with their operating system. That way each company still has a "unique" product, but the hardware can be customized to each consumer's individual likes and tastes. I also think the form factor doesn't even have to remain a rectangular block phone. In fact, there could be multiple "base" sizes to choose from, and if you're unhappy with the one you have, you could easily bring it in and swap it with a different size base. The plus side of that is, the one you just swapped out could be refurbished by the company and immediately re-used, because it's exactly like every other base its size. __________________ My VIN = 2G1FK1EJ9A9105017 Build Date: 04-23-2009 according to: http://www.compnine.com/vid.php

09-16-2013, 10:12 AM	#7
CamaroSkooter Retarded One-Legged Owl Drives: 2010 Black Camaro 2SS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 9,745	Define base phone, though. I don't think this phone concept translates well to defining what their "base" phone is, since you can customize it completely to your liking. I imagine if you picked the equivalent options to an iPhone or Android phone, it would be comparably priced. At least, it would have to be if it ever wanted to be competitive in the market... __________________ My VIN = 2G1FK1EJ9A9105017 Build Date: 04-23-2009 according to: http://www.compnine.com/vid.php

09-17-2013, 08:09 AM	#9
CamaroSkooter Retarded One-Legged Owl Drives: 2010 Black Camaro 2SS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 9,745	I could be wrong, but I don't think that's the business model they're following. __________________ My VIN = 2G1FK1EJ9A9105017 Build Date: 04-23-2009 according to: http://www.compnine.com/vid.php

09-18-2013, 09:16 AM	#11
CamaroSkooter Retarded One-Legged Owl Drives: 2010 Black Camaro 2SS Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 9,745	Maybe they will have pre-selected phone configurations that are equivalent in features to iPhones or Android phones. If so, I imagine they will be priced competitively - but with the added option of re-configuring it from there. If you don't want to reconfigure, you don't have to. At this stage, it's all just conjecture though. It's still just in the concept phase. I get that you're concerned about price, but I can't imagine they'd be marketing this solely to super rich who don't care about price. And it's still so early in concept that I doubt any of that will be known for some time. But I agree that they won't get very far off the ground if they're not priced competitively. Who knows, the concept may never make it to production. __________________ My VIN = 2G1FK1EJ9A9105017 Build Date: 04-23-2009 according to: http://www.compnine.com/vid.php

09-12-2013, 08:10 PM	#2
Silverlsinva Drives: 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth Grigio Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Manassas, Va Posts: 3,124	I think its a great ideal but it will never fly I don't see how phones break all the time. The best thing Is the upgrade ability to the newer tech without having to upgrade your phone. But all those companies will never do it I don't see how it will be a money maker for them all unless the phone's starting price is super high.

09-13-2013, 04:43 AM	#4
Mr_Draco Drives: 2SS/RS Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Western North Carolina Posts: 7,194	It's a neat idea and I like it. I want to see a working prototype before I decide if I would get one or not as well as a price range.