In 2014, Google announced Project Ara, an innovative initiative from its Advanced Technologies and Products (ATAP) Group. At the time, Google's team of engineers and designers had set out to remake the smartphone, giving it a feature it has long lacked.Traditional PCs, most notably desktops and to some extent laptops, have offered a certain degree of modularity for most of their history. Key components, such as hard drives, video cards, RAM modules, and even motherboards, can be swapped out or upgraded over time. In doing so, consumers can extend the lives of their machines, or augment them with greater capabilities whenever they desire.But the same has never been true of smartphones or tablets. A few can have their storage expanded with microSD cards, but it's virtually impossible to upgrade the camera module, processor, or cellular radio. With the right tools, some users may be able to swap out a cracked screen, but it's certainly not an easy process.With Project Ara, Google is hoping to change that. Project Ara smartphones are composed of a series of modular bricks, which (almost like Legos) slide into a magnetic skeleton. Each module contains a different component -- say, the camera sensor, or the battery -- which can be swapped out for replacements on the fly.
Project Ara phones may not be able to offer the same performance as comparably priced non-modular phones, but over time, the ability to upgrade and replace components could reduce the cost of ownership and lead to a flurry of innovation.It also could put pressure on Google's biggest rival in the smartphone space, Apple, giving Android a unique selling point over the iPhone.But it was always speculative: Project Ara has never received a firm release date. Last year, at Google's developer conference, the company unveiled a working prototype, which stoked faith that it would eventually see the light of day. Google planned to conduct a public test of the phones in Puerto Rico during the second half of 2015, but late in the summer, announced that the test had been delayed indefinitely.Since then, there's been little news, and with each passing day, Project Ara runs the risk of becoming vaporware.Or at least, that had been the case until last month, when Google's tablet showed up in the GFXBench database. Labeled a Project Ara tablet, it suggests that Google could be expanding its modularity initiative to larger devices. On May 18, Google will hold its 2016 developer conference, and a Project Ara tablet could make for an interesting announcement.
Regardless, there's a good chance this year's Google I/O will center around Android tablets. In recent years, Google has used the conference to announce and detail the latest version of its Android operating system. Earlier this month, Google released an early preview of the next version of Android (Android N) aimed at developers. Android N is likely to include support for a vast array of new features, but the most crucial may center around multitasking.Last year, Apple gave its iPads multitasking capabilities. With iOS 9, newer iPad models can run two tablet apps simultaneously. Obviously, this allows for much greater productivity and convenience. Some of Google's hardware partners have implemented multitasking capabilities in their own tablets, but to date, the core Android operating system has lacked such a feature. With Android N, that will change, as Google will bring multitasking to stock Android for the first time. Owners of larger Android phones will certainly benefit, but Android tablet owners could see the bigger boost.Google's mobile operating system powers the majority of the world's smartphones and tablets, but it hasn't had as much success conquering the tablet market as it has the smartphone market. More than 80% of the world's smartphones are powered by Android, but only 68% of the world's tablets use Google's operating system.
In November, research firm Strategy Analytics projected that Google's share of the tablet market would decline in the coming years, falling to just 59% in 2019. Apple would see a slight boost (moving from 22% to 23%), but Windows would be the real winner, nearly doubling its share of the tablet market (from 10% to 18%) at Android's expense.Android tablets have been cheap, but not very impressive. With a radical new device, and Android N, that could change.When Insider Picks published its buying guide of the best portable, Bluetooth speakers under $100 a couple of weeks ago, the $25 OontZ Curve was included on the list.Its cousin, the OnntZ Angle 3 (pictured here), is just as capable a speaker at $30. For the additional $5, you get a more durable and water-resistant design.
Keeping your work bag organized and your stuff in it readily accessible is easy with Cocoon Innovations grid-paneled brief — as you can see, everything has its place. The exterior is tough, too, and able to keep everything inside (including up to a 15-inch laptop) safe and dry. If you miss this deal, which runs out on September 26 at Touch of Modern, you can also shop the bag at Amazon.It's football season. If your weekends are generally consumed watching the sport, and maybe even attending a couple of NFL games, a portable grill may be a worthwhile purchase. The Homping charcoal grill is convenient and lightweight enough to pack for tailgates; it's also $80 off if you scoop it up at Touch of Modern before September 26. If you miss out on the deal, you can purchase it at Amazon and at least come away with free shipping via your Prime Membership.Desert boots — or chukkas — are a popular item you're seeing a lot of as we transition from summer to fall. You can pair the Sperry boots pictured here with jeans or chinos. Or you can pair them with your dressier trousers to give them a more relaxed vibe.
If you buy them off Amazon, instead of another department store, there's a good chance you'll save a few bucks — depending on your size. Same goes for this chukka from Timberland. Aukey's 3-port wall charger lets you charge multiple USB-based devices at once, whether it’s smartphone, tablet, Bluetooth speaker, portable battery pack, or even some newer laptops. At $9, it's one of the cheapest of its kind, but the small price doesn't seem to be indicative of poor quality — 105 customer reviews on Amazon give it an average of 4.1 out of 5 stars.It's listed sale price is currently $15, but you can get it even cheaper by entering the promo code 35SPW7UO at checkout. The offer expires on September 28 at 11:59 PM PDT.When it comes to productivity, willpower plays a far smaller role than we might think. We also have to consider the effects of our talkative coworkers, energy-draining schedules, and way-too-comfy office chairs.Having looked at dozens of published research studies, office design company Steelcase has come up with key ways companies can help people do their jobs better.
"Neuroscience used to be a way that you understood diseases of the brain, but recently it's become more practically applicable," says Chris Congdon, global director of research communications at Steelcase.Steelcase's research shows that 49% of people have trouble easily focusing at work due to distractions. Over the course of their day, this leads to an average loss of 86 minutes of work.The tight, ovular cubicle (ovicle?) gives the stressed-out user a personal space away from the din of office chitchat. It's got a stand for a laptop, a shelf for a purse, and an overhead lamp so workers can see what they're doing. As Steelcase rep Katie Pace explained to me on a recent tour of the company's showroom, Brody was designed based on research suggesting that humans can't help but pay full attention when something sudden happens, like an unexpected visitor greeting everyone in the office. It's hard-wired into us. Maybe the beckoning sound is nothing. Maybe it's a saber-toothed tiger.Based on research that finds our brains have a limited amount of energy to expend throughout the day, Quiet Spaces are one- and two-person rooms with homey decor, soothing wallpaper, and most importantly, a door you can shut.
Together, the amenities enable people to regroup and get back to full energy — a more sustained period of calmness than the quick burst of focus given by Brody.The best estimates say introverts make up between 30-50% of the workforce, which can be severely limiting for a company if it doesn't account for how introverts work best.Companies can install standing-height furniture built for collaboration or individual work and provide chairs designed for active sitting.As numerous studies have found, going on walks stimulates creativity, and ut so does simply standing up.We use far more of our muscles and energy while we're standing than when we're plopped in a chair, leading us to bigger breakthroughs and deeper insights, Steelcase has found. Just by being upright, more oxygen flows to our brains.Apple is reportedly ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack in the next iPhone. And Intel is reportedly helping further USB-C’s status as an alternative digital audio connector — the implication being that it could one day serve as the 3.5mm jack’s successor on future Android phones (and laptops). Some devices have started the process already.
All this time, headphones based on Lightning and USB-C connectors have slowly started to sprout.The point: The way most people connect their headphones to their gadgets is likely to change, with Apple and other mobile companies leading the charge. This raises the question of how headphone companies — the groups most likely to be affected by a fundamental shift to headphones as a category — feel about being taken along for the ride.Judging by on- and off-the-record conversations with several of these firms over the past month, the response appears to be one of cautious optimism.Executives from each of the companies Tech Insider talked to expect the 3.5mm jack’s days to be numbered, but none of them could be described as panicked. If anything, many are excited by a potentially increased demand for new headphones, particularly when it comes to Bluetooth headsets.At the same time, they stop short of full-throated enthusiasm. Companies are still in the process of sorting out what new challenges the headphone jack’s death would bring. Some expressed skepticism over the purported benefits of Lightning and USB-C. In general, there’ll be lots of waiting and seeing in the coming months.
If the rumors are to be believed, wired headphones are likely to split into two camps: Lightning-based ones for the iPhone, and USB-C-based ones for everything else.There’ll still be plenty of holdouts using the old 3.5mm jack, too — Android and Windows OEMs aren’t obligated to switch to USB-C all at once, and things like the PlayStation 4 controller aren’t suddenly going to disappear.At least in the short term, this could make it so you need multiple connectors available to use your headphones with all your devices. Not convenient!Outside of simply buying new headphones, you’ll likely have two ways around this. The first is dongles. One end of the dongle would work with the 3.5mm, the other with whatever new device you’re connecting to. It’ll flail around. It’s not clear if Apple and company would include one with your next phone, or if you’d have to buy it separately.