Puzzlephone is the Finnish alternative to Google’s Project Ara

Project Ara, Google’s modular smartphone initiative, is likely to launch in January, but the impending release isn’t stopping other groups from jumping on the trend. Circular Devices, a Finnish group of developers, has announced Puzzlephone, which looks to take a more simplified approach.

While Project Ara’s skeletal frame can house a multitude of modular pieces, Puzzlephone is broken into three main components: the Spine, for the LCD display and speakers; the Heart, for the battery and other electrical components; and the Brain, for the device processor and camera. While the limitations make Puzzlephone slightly less customizable than Project Ara, it will also make device updates far easier to manage for the average consumer, who might not be looking to swap components with regularity.

Puzzlephone will run a forked version of Android, and Circular Devices hopes to have the phones available in 2015. No word on pricing yet, but hopefully they’ll be able to approach Project Ara’s low-end $50 price point to drive adoption.

[source]Puzzlephone[/source][via]TNW[/via]