The other day I was in traffic on my way to work and some days I leave the car radio off just to have some time for my brain to just think. I was mulling over all the things possible with project ARA when a great idea hit me.
What if Project ARA could be used as a brain unit for any type of interface we want? The first thing that I thought was what if a big screen tv had a slot to slide in the unit. Slide the screen off the ARA skeleton and slide it into the TV and you have an instant Android TV... An upgradable Android TV. Don't want gaming? Buy the $50 model and slide it in. Decide you want a gaming Android TV later? Upgrade the processor and buy some attachments and BAM, console TV with no wires involved.
Heck, it doesn't even have to be made for it. All someone would really needs to do is create a module to replace the screen that has an HDMI port. Now that you can download the Android TV launcher from the Play Store, it would be an easy 4-5 minute task to hook up.
Bluetooth connect controllers to it or use Android TV app on your other phone.
From a gaming perspective, it has huge potential. Adding a module could add a Motion Capture ability to function like a Kinect or a Wii remote sensor. Or just about anything we can think of.
That above is a very practical and desired use for Project ARA, but now let's get a little crazy. What if you could slide it into your coffee table and have a giant multi touch screen to play full sized air hockey?
If base units are $50, this becomes something you can put in anything you'd want. It's almost as practical as a Chromecast.
Think of buying one of those robots that learn. What if you could buy the frame and then add ARA to it. New features come out that need the latest insane processor to make it's AI better? Upgrade the ARA unit and slide it back in.
We've all been focused on what modules we can slide into ARA, but what if we slid ARA into something else? Like Cardboard. One problem with Oculus Rift is that you know it will be out dated in a year. What if someone made a high definition headset and then used ARA to power it. You could upgrade the unit without buying an entirely new headset!
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