The Puzzlephone Modular Phone Competes with Google's Project Ara, Designed in Nokia's Hometown

Riding on the wave of interest in modular smartphone platforms created by the Phonebloks initiative and Google’s Project Ara, Finland-based Circular Devices is developing an alternative take on the concept called the Puzzlephone. Based in Espoo, the birthplace of Nokia, Circular Devices espouses a phone design that is composed of three main interchangeable components: the Spine encompasses the LCD screen, speakers and basic structure, the Heart includes the battery and secondary electronics, and the Brain contains the processor and camera. Based on open-source standards, the phone’s software would run off of a forked version of Android, while third-party manufacturers would create compatible hardware components to slot into the phone. Slated to be released as a mid-range model in mid-2015, follow the phone’s developmental progress at its website.