Motorola's new R&D team will be teaming up with the guys behind Phoneblocks to develop an "open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones". Dubbed 'Project Ara', the goal is to allow users to customize their phones using modular parts.

The new design is made up of what it calls an endoskeleton and modules. And unlike previous modular phones, this one looks fairly sleek. The team behind it explains:
The endo is the structural frame that holds all the modules in place. A module can be anything, from a new application processor to a new display or keyboard, an extra battery, a pulse oximeter—or something not yet thought of!
What's great about all this is that it opens up a third-party developer ecosystem for hardware. Unlike Apple, third-part companies get to play to their strengths and deliver straight to consumers without having to build an entire phone from scratch. It would also be a more economical option for both the companies and the consumers. What do you think of Project Ara?

[Motorola]