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back to article Business gadget-makers eyeing modular LG G5 smartmobe

LG has conducted a developer day to interest gadget-makers in developing third-party modules for its LEGO-like G5 smartphone. When we first set eyes on the G5 we called for LG to enable a proper ecosystem for the device. LG officials The Register spoke to at the phone's Australian launch today said an effort to do so is now …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    No such thing as a free replacement screen

    The cost would have to be factored into selling price just as are warranty costs, expected update costs and so on. Broken screens represent one of the few cases where I would be annoyed at paying extra because I would be subsidising careless people. There will come a first time but I'm yet to break a screen.

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    1. Dave 126 Silver badge
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      Re: No such thing as a free replacement screen

      It's true that all buyers indirectly pay for the cost of the replacement screen, but the cost to LG to replace a screen is far lower than the cost to Jo Public would be.

      Screens are sold around the £30 mark, but (depending upon the model of phone) repair shops and repair-and-return services charge around another £50 in labour. It obviously wouldn't cost LG anywhere near the same amount.

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      1. Dave 126 Silver badge
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        Re: No such thing as a free replacement screen

        Also, if LG are sometimes paying for a broken screen then it creates an incentive for them to design their phones in certain ways: They might use an aluminium bezel rather than ABS (protects against sharp impacts to the edge of the screen), or they might arrange the internals of the phone to make the screen easier to swap out.

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  2. James 51

    Is it more modular than a fair phone?

    https://shop.fairphone.com/spareparts.html?___store=default&__from_store=default

    1 0 Reply
    1. Dave 126 Silver badge
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      No, it is not as modular as the Freephone, but it is better. The Freephone doesn't have much of a choice of components - one can buy a spare camera module, for example, but one can't choose from a range of camera modules. Most people would be better served by buying an LG G2 (equivalent or better spec) and pocketing the change.

      Whilst my interest is piqued by the LG G4, the choice of modules (and the concept of investing extra in just one handset, being either abondoned or locked into LG, are concerns) isn't really grabbing me. The B&O DAC would be nice, but the G2 already had a very good audio pathway, and the circumstances in which i might want to sit and listen to high quality audio don't preclude against just using a USB Audio-based solution.

      Adoption of the G4 by companies (I'm thinking barcode scanners, receipt/label printers, card readers, temp probes etc) would extend the lifecycle of LG's module format, and perhaps reassure consumers that the concept they have bought into won't be dropped next year.

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      1. James 51
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        FAIL

        I'll believe it when I see it

        Jolla had the same potential, perhaps more with the other half concept and hardware wise at least it's died a death. I won't be counting any unhatched chickens just yet.

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        1. Anonymous Coward
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          Anonymous Coward

          Re: I'll believe it when I see it

          "Jolla had the same potential, perhaps more with the other half concept and hardware wise at least it's died a death."

          Jolla lacked the financial backing to do it properly. Unless your ambition is to release a Shenzen generic under your own label, really deep pockets are now needed. The same goes for cars; though they cost Mercedes plus prices, Teslas are still rough around the edges, a consequence of not having the development funds available to a big manufacturer.

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      2. James 51
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        Any manufacturer is free to create superior or cheaper components for it. Many of the technologies being discussed here could be added to it.

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      3. Triggerfish
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        I am also not convinced of what functionality as a non business user can be aded to it (for me anyway) that would convince me it was worth it. Also had a look at a couple in stores, not sure I feel like the join for the modules to body is particularly strong enough that I would feel happy about it being caseless in my pocket.

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        1. Anonymous Coward
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          Anonymous Coward

          "not sure I feel like the join for the modules to body is particularly strong enough"

          Can anybody comment on how strong the catch is? Catches on camera battery boxes range from the very durable to the very flimsy. From what I've seen it's a pity that there are not catches on both sides as putting all the leverage on one corner doesn't look very secure.

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  3. MrRimmerSIR!

    Replacement screen £9.99

    But only on a Wileyfox.

    1 0 Reply
  4. Christian Berger

    Well it would need some points to be suitable for business

    First of all a "bare bones" Android which is of course rooted and has at least iptables on it, so you can lock it down to not talk to anything else than your company servers.

    Second it would need a decent keyboard. Not just one of those 3-row Blackberry thingies, but a full 4-5 row keyboard in a clamshell case.

    Then you can just use those mobile devices as a terminal to access your terminal server or desktop computer (either via RDP or VNC). That way you could immediately use the software you already have and make it available on your mobile device.

    Of course the next step would be a sort of "modified screenreader" which would "parse" GUIs and re-arrange the elements so you can use them more easily on a small screen.

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