Google has spoken further about its plans to modify Android for its Project Ara modular smartphone concept. The firm is working with open source initiative Linaro to create a special version of Android L, since the OS is not well suited for “dynamic hardware”.
That is the view of Paul Eremenko, the head of Project Ara within Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group. He told the Linaro Connect USA developer conference that “Android is not designed today for dynamic hardware configurations.” Two major changes will be needed to optimize the OS for a device which is assembled from a set of modules, fully customized for the user.
One is the ability to support a ‘hot plug’ of various hardware peripherals so that users can update their hardware modules and configurations without rebooting the device, and replace broken elements.
George Grey, CEO of Linaro, said in a recent interview that a key focus of the collaboration with Google was on plug-and-play recognition of modules so Android can “understand the concept of devices that can come in and go away. If you add more battery, Android has to recognize a new battery, update the icon … Some interesting changes to Android will be needed to score this functionality.”
The other is to develop a kernel-level set of generic class drivers for UniPro, the protocol which will connect the modules and components. Borrowing from USB concepts, UniPro will enable modules to be recognized based on different driver classes, such as those for networking, sensor, imaging or input. And module makers will need to develop drivers so Android can recognize third party attachable parts.
In Google’s concept, between five and 10 modules will be selected by the user from an ‘app store’ and slotted into an ‘endoskeleton’ – a common framework of varying size, costing from just $50. Options might include apps or specialist processors, cameras, swap-out batteries and many others. Google is harnessing 3D printing extensively to reduce costs and add flexibility, and is working with 3D Systems in this area. It is also welcoming third party modules, hoping to create a broad open source ecosystem in hardware as Linux and Android did in software.
The big new processor opportunity lies in the chips to control the flow of data and signalling between the different modules, a process which will vary depending on the units chosen and their functionality. Toshiba has already been chosen to supply some types of processors for modules and the endoskeleton and other partners will be announced before the first devices debut commercially next year.
In that respect, it will be a blow to Intel, which has been cultivating increasingly close ties with Google in recent years, that the Project Ara Android partner is Linaro, which specializes in Linux implementations for ARM processors. The company is working on the modifications to Android L and these should be complete by March or April 2015, said Eremenko. He stressed that this was not a whole new version of the Google OS and that the changes would be “mainlined” into a future full release.
“The first fully functional prototype of the modular device will be shown at the second Ara developer conference, in December. The aim is to deliver handsets and other products with bill of material costs between $50 and $100, but also high end models with BOM around $500.
Google already offers a module developers kit (MDK) for Project Ara through which developers can experiment with the UniPro hardware and protocol stack, and this will be upgraded next month.