Search giant Google on Wednesday announced that it will introduce a modular smartphone this year in Puerto Rico as part of its pilot program that will offer the smartphone users with the ability to choose their own set of hardware depending upon their requirements and interests.
For its new project called Ara, the company will be partnering with Mexico-based firm Claro and local carrier Open Mobile.
Google marketing executive Jessica Beavers said that the new product will be sold from the free-standing stores that will look just like the food trucks.
Beavers revealed that the company has first chosen Puerto Rico for the launch of its ambitious product as over 90 percent of nearly 3.7 million population on this island use a cellphone, while 77 percent of the Internet access is carried through mobile phone devices.
“All of this makes for a truly interesting carrier landscape. Mobile devices are a huge part of daily life in Puerto Rico,” Beavers said during a module developers conference at Google’s headquarters in California.
While Google’s pilot program is still under development, Beavers said she envisions the first opening of stores in San Juan capital, which will be followed by Ponce, the second largest city of Puerto Rico. The stores would eventually open in other cities of the island.
Meanwhile, Google is still not very clear about the phone’s cost. But it is expected to come in the range between USD 50 and USD 100 range.
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