Google unveils new modular smartphone designs at Ara Developers' Conference

Mashable quotes Project Ara chief Paul Eremenko who said that two more developer conferences are scheduled for this year in July and September. Eremenko revealed that the first Project Ara modular smartphone can be expected to ship next January.

Further, Eremenko added that by the end of this year, ahead of the launch of modular phones, Google will be rolling out an update for Android that will add support for Ara's modular components.

Eremenko confirmed that the first modular phone will be a generic device dubbed 'gray phone', something we heard back in February, and will be available for developers for $50.

The report says the Project Ara team also showed off the Ara Configurator, which is a tool for customising each module of the phone. Users would have the privilege of designing their own modular phone.

Google announced the dates of its first Ara Developers' Conference in February and is notably, live streaming the event.

Earlier, Google ahead of the Ara Developers' Conference, released the Project Ara Module Developers Kit (MDK). The released MDK version 0.10 covered guidelines for developers for designing Project Ara smartphones, creating valid module dimensions, components and layout for power pads.

For those unaware, the Project Ara design scheme comprises of what Google calls an endoskeleton (endo) and modules. The endo is the structural frame that holds all the modules in place, while a module can be anything, from a new application processor to a new display or keyboard, an extra battery, a pulse oximeter or some other customisable hardware unit.

Prior to this, Google gave the world its first glimpse of the Project Ara modular prototype smartphone at the 'Launch' event in San Francisco.