Modular. One of the sexiest words to come out of tech. The idea that you can swap out any old part on your smartphone for new one, but keep everything else exactly the same, is almost too alluring. Too bad it keeps getting delayed.
Well, thank goodness for crowd-funding because now we have the next best thing: Modular smartphone cases.
The thing that makes the idea of a modular device, be it a smartphone, smartwatch, or, in this case, a smartcase, so brilliant is that it is completely customisable. For the first time the users themselves can decide exactly what they want or don’t want to have on their device.
Fancy a good camera? Get a powerful camera module. Need more juice to last you an entire day? Get a battery module. Want a chainsaw to go jungle trekking? Get a…err well, I don’t think there’s a module for that yet but I’m sure you can see my point.
Initially, people thought that a modular smartphone was the way to go, so companies like Google poured their resources into developing a modular smartphone, but it obviously that had its own host of problems too.
Then, along came the people who founded nexpaq, a small group of talented individuals who wanted to bring the modular concept into the world on a much smaller scale: a smartphone case.
It’s something everyone uses, it’s something almost everyone needs and — perhaps most importantly — something far more accessible to the general public.
Despite claiming to be cheaper than the smartphones we know and readily purchase today, purchasing a modular smartphone was always going to be a big investment. However, with a case like nexpaq’s, a starter kit that includes a case and four modules would only set you back USD169 (around RM728).
The best part? The folks at nexpaq are enlisting the help of the community to develop their modular smartphone case, releasing developer kits for both the modules and its accompanying software.
Now, more are following suit, with the latest one coming from a company called i-Blades who have put up their version of the modular smartphone case, the i-Blades Smartcase. The i-Blades Smartcase is currently on Indiegogo looking for funding and the best part about it is that their modules can apparently stack infinitely.
Your device would look like it has one of Apple’s Smart Battery Cases though, but I digress. If you’re interested, head on over to their project page and check it out.
I really do believe that modular devices are the future. I don’t want some guy I don’t know in a lab coat in some factory in the middle of China deciding what I should and shouldn’t have on my smartphone. I want that power. It’s my phone after all.
That said, I don’t think we’re quite ready for the modular smartphone just yet, but a modular smartphone case? I wouldn’t mind me some of that.
Baby steps, right?
