Google reaches out to Yezz to make modules for Project Ara

We’ve heard a lot from Google in the past few months regarding the modular smartphone, Project Ara. And in a new report from CNET, Google has apparently invited Yezz, the Miami-based hardware manufacturer, to make modules for the project. The first modules built by Yezz will be shown off at Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona.

Luis Sosa, CEO of DDM Brands and co-founder of Yezz, told CNET:

(Google) approached us, mainly because Yezz has been growing not only in Latin America, but also in the US and Europe. But there is more: Yezz is a product for the masses, and that is what Google is aiming at with Ara… I believe modular phones will transform the smartphone business in the same way apps transformed the world of smartphones.

Sosa also says that the company has already manufactured roughly 100 different module prototypes in factories in the US and China. There is a dedicated Yezz/Ara collaboration website already up, but it only shows a countdown to MWC, which officially begins March 2nd. DDM Brands is focused on creating contract-free, dual-SIM phones aimed at emerging markets. The company has released Android-powered devices like the Andy line, Windows-powered devices called Billy, and even Firefox OS devices called Foxy.

Google’s Project Ara pilot program will launch in Puerto Rico later this year, following an update to the Spiral 3 prototype device that should be on its way in the coming months. The first Ara device will be sold through food truck-style vendors, allowing customers to choose exactly what they want without the need to track down vendors. Moreover, when the device launches in the mainstream, Google plans to let you customize your device using an Ara Configurator app.