(Above) The modular design concept of Phonebloks allows for easy repair and customisation
T 20
here is no denying that smartphones are big business. Approximately 700 million units were sold in 2012 alone, a forty-three per cent increase from 2011, and it is now the case that these devices are often people’s main access
point to the internet. The Five Star Equities research group recently predicted that by 2015 the number of smartphones will top two billion globally. Innovation in this sector is, subsequently, a big
deal. Here we look at two Dutch companies who have
taken very different approaches in their
attempts to revolutionise this market, but which have both garnered their fair share of media attention and have thus put the Netherlands at the forefront of future smartphone innovation.
Phonebloks – the DIY phone of the future Undoubtedly one of the most successful internet PR campaigns in
introductory video, which clocks in at
recent memory, the Phonebloks just under
three minutes long, had approximately eighteen million views at last count. Not bad for a product that hasn’t even been made yet, because as yet
the
Phonebloks concept remains just that – a concept. However, as concepts go, it is a good one. At present,
mobile phones, no matter whether they are top-of- the-range smartphones or bargain-bin-bricks, only tend to last for a couple of years before they either break or become obsolete. Although it is usually only
one part that has lost its functionality, it is often the whole phone that gets discarded due to the way they are made. With Phonebloks, however, each module, such as the camera, battery or memory, would exist as a separate “blok” that could be detached and replaced at will from the base. This would allow for the easy upgrade or repair of the phone. Not only could this system help reduce the huge
amounts of e-waste generated from people constantly replacing their phones, it could also allow people to customise their phones to their personal needs and beliefs. If someone is a keen photographer, they can install a bigger and better camera blok. If they are particularly environmentally conscientious, they can use biodegradeable or locally sourced bloks. The possibilities are limitless. Google-owned
communications company
Motorola have also stepped in to the fray, revealing their similar scheme titled Project Ara. They have now teamed up with Phonebloks, brainchild of Design
Academy Eindhoven graduate Hakkens, to continue development of Dave the open-
source modular mobile phone concept. Motorola hopes to share its technical development work with Hakkens’ widespread social media communities and will be releasing a developers’ kit this winter, so people can begin designing their own components for the phones. In a recent
interview with Forbes magazine, Hakkens responded to widely voiced concerns about Insight Publishers | Projects
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