The phone of the future? According to those who attended CleanUp 2013, it just might be!
The Phone Of The Future
In today’s society, the average user throws their smartphone away every two years. We end up trading our old device in, selling it, or throwing it away in order to upgrade to a new one. Dave Hakkens wants to change the way we view our smartphones. His idea: Phonebloks.
The Goal
Decrease electronic waste by offering consumers the opportunity to replace individual components of their phone, while retaining the device’s basic frame.
The Concept
A smartphone you never have to throw away. Sound too good to be true? Well, here’s what we know. Phonebloks are conceptual smartphones built on an open platform consisting of a display panel and individual modular components, “bloks,” chosen by the user.
Decide what’s important to you and build your phone. Cloud, camera, storage, speakers, batteries – you name it and the Phoneblok has customizations for you. Choose the bloks you want or help develop new ones based on your own specifications.
These detachable bloks are connected to the base of the phone attached via pins with two screws that hold everything together. So, if one blok breaks, you can replace it without the need to throw away your entire device. Similarly, if you decide to upgrade an individual blok – like your camera for instance – you simply buy the relevant blok and replace it on your base.
That’s where the Blokstore comes in – just like the App Store, the Blokstore supplies users with the necessary hardware you can buy and sell bloks.
Phoneblocks are only a concept at the moment and are a long way off from hitting the market. While it has its fair share of criticism, it’s gaining interest rapidly and deserves attention.
What are your thoughts? If you want to raise your voice, spread the word, and donate your social reach then join the Phonebloks campaign on Thunderclap.
