Project Ara put together on stage, shown off as fully working

Google’s ATAP session at this year’s Google I/O brought a few fantastic new technologies such as capacitive textile, a micro radar, the Project Vault SD card, and much more. But it wasn’t all new projects being shown off, as Google’s ATAP team also demoed Project Ara, the world’s first modular smartphone.

Project Ara has been shown off before, but the big difference here is this is the first time it has been shown off fully working. Googe engineer Rafa Camargo not only built the phone on stage by adding modules into the frame, he also turned it on, let it boot, and took a picture of everyone in the audience.

For those not familiar with Ara, it is a smartphone built by you, for you. It’s like Motorola’s Moto X times a hundred. You don’t only get to customize the finish, but also the processor, camera, RAM, battery, and many other components. It truly is a phone that is made for you, because it allows you to purchase the components that matter the most to you. Someone who plays a lot of games on their smartphone will most likely want a better processor and better RAM, whereas a photographer will opt for a high-quality camera.

The best part about Project Ara, is that there won’t be a need to buy a completely new phone. When you feel that a component is getting a bit slow or if one component breaks, then you can simply purchase a new component.

Ara is heading to Puerto Rico later this year for Google to advance their knowledge of the product and further polish it. When Ara leaves Puerto Rico and goes mainstream, will you be inclined to make the switch? What would be your ideal configuration? Let us know in the comments.