Lenovo’s latest Windows tablet has a 12 inch display, an Intel Core M7 Skylake processor, support an optional digital pen, and an optional keyboard dock. But what really makes the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet unusual is that you can attach optional modules to add functionality. Just clip the module to the bottom of the device and you […]
modular
Fairphone 2 modular, ethically-sourced smartphone begins shipping
The Fairphone 2 is a smartphone with a modular design that makes it easy to repair (and possibly easy to upgrade in the future). It’s also built from ethically-sourced materials. As the name suggests, this is the second smartphone from the Fairphone team, and it’s generated a lot of buzz for not only avoiding use […]
One Education’s modular laptop for kids hits crowfunding site Indiegogo
The Infinity laptop from One Education is a low-cost computer designed for schools and young students. It’s also designed to be easy to repair or upgrade, thanks to a modular design that lets you quickly replace components including the camera, battery, screen, or other parts. One Education introduced the Infinity modular laptop earlier this year, and has […]
Fairphone 2 teardown by iFixit shows a phone meant to be… torn down
If you’ve got a modern smartphone with a broken camera, battery, or display, odds are that you’ll need to send it to the manufacturer or a repair shop to fix what’s broken. Or you can try to do it yourself using replacement parts ordered over the internet and instructions found at sites like iFixit. But there’s […]
Pagaré smartstrap could bring contactless payments to Pebble Time smartwatch
Earlier this year Pebble announced that its Pebble Time smartwatches would be able to learn new tricks when you attach a special kind of strap that adds functionality. Smartstraps are wristbands with extra hardware such as batteries or wireless chips that can interact with the smartwatch. Pebble doesn’t currently have any plans to produce its own […]
Blocks modular smartwatch to support AT&T and fingerprint modules
Part of the appeal of a modular device is that if it doesn’t have the features you want, you can buy components that add that functionality. But that only works if there are modules with the features you want. When the folks behind the Blocks modular smartwatch launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for their project […]
PuzzlePhone crowdfunding campaign begins
Circular Devices is on track to launch one of the first modular smartphones. The team has been showing off concepts for the upcoming phone for much of 2015, and now the Puzzlephone crowdfunding campaign is now live on Indiegogo. The PuzzlePhone allows the user to replace the “Spine” (the screen), the “Brain” (the storage), and the “Heart” […]
PuzzlePhone modular smartphone crowdfunding starts Nov 3rd
Another day, another modular smartphone. Oh no wait, phones with modular components that are easy to replace or upgrade are still pretty rare. Google’s Project Ara is an effort to develop a modular phone platform. The Fairphone 2 will feature modular design. And now Finnish startup Circular Devices has a third option: the PuzzlePhone is […]
Fairphone 2 modular, ethically-sourced smartphone coming in December
The Fairphone 2 isn’t like other smartphones. I mean it is: it’s got a touchscreen screen, an ARM-based processor, and support for Google Android software. But it’s also different in a few key ways. First, the developers of the Fairphone 2 did their best to use ethically-sourced materials to build the device. Second, they didn’t […]
BLOCKS launches modular smartwatch Kickstarter campaign
It’s a busy year for makers of modular computing devices. Google’s working on a modular smartphone. Acer recently launched a modular desktop. And One Education’s got a modular laptop on the way. Now BLOCKS wants to bring a modular smartwatch to market, but first the developers are hoping to raise $250 thousand through a Kickstarter campaign to […]