Google’s Project Ara Modular Phone Has Been Suspended

Google’s Project Ara (codename “Spiral 2″) aimed to create the first modular smartphone, a future-proof device with modules such as speakers and cameras that could be customized and replaced. While a consumer version of the phone was slated for next year, the initiative has reportedly hit a dead-end. The project was originally conceived by Motorola and designer Dave Hakkens in the spirit of reducing electronic waste. Considering that Google chose to keep Project Ara when it sold Motorola to Lenovo, the company might not have fully buried the hatchet on the modular phone initiative, as Reuters reports that it may still license out Project Ara’s technology to other manufacturers.