LG G5 Modules...

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Direfox

[H]ard|Gawd
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Oct 24, 2004
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The actual phone looks like it will be very decent but nothing mind blowing. The modules are what are interesting about it, how useful do you think they will be, and is anyone else interested in these? Right now they only show an upgraded audio module and a camera control module.

I think a completely programmable universal IR and RF controller (with extra battery) would be great especially if it adds very little size to the phone. I'm not sure enough people are out there to take advantage of it, but a programmable universal Drone/RC toy controller module would be interesting and the phone would have plenty of computing power to deal with video feed. And feel free to pick this apart, but a module that acted as a video projector would be cool, but would be limited by heat/power/size constraints. For business, a credit card reader module could be a more elegant solution then whats currently available. A module that had a plug-in power charger, hdmi and/or display port, 3-4 USB slots for mouse/keyboard, etc could turn your phone into a computer-ish thing and wouldn't have to be very small as you wouldn't be holding your phone while using this module.

I think the biggest downside is there is no guarantee of future compatibility with future phones. And the fact many of these things could be accomplished with Bluetooth, and separate units etc. Any modules you would like to see and do you think it's anything more than a gimmick?

Link to a G5 review, modules shown about 4:30
 
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100% gimmick. The modules aren't an industry standard, they don't work with phone cases, future support is a "Maybe!" at best, LG isn't a market leader, they require pulling the battery from the phone to use, the two modules announced aren't groundbreaking, no third parties have announced support for the modules, any purchased module won't likely work on any other phone (even LG phones), the module support adds expense to the hardware, and they further complicate future OS updates to those phones.
 
I think it has real uses, the audio module is probably the biggest one. They need to make this a standard connector for all of their phones though. Much like Apple one of the reasons their peripheral business is so big is because they standardized the connector.

One thing I'd like to see is a Wi-Fi add on card that is separated from the phone's network stack, which may let your phone work as a WiFI extender for your own network for others around you.
 
I personally would not have a use for either current module. But who knows what use's can be came up with later. I could see it is being used for anything from a POS system to a a diagnostic tool for cars. Really what will make or break it long term is how long they keep it around. If they manufacture the g5 for years to come or make sure that the current modules are 100% compatible with future devices there could be a future for it.

I suspect however that we wont see much else & they will either abandon the modules or change them drastically in a year.
 
Ocellaris said:
100% gimmick. The modules aren't an industry standard, they don't work with phone cases, future support is a "Maybe!" at best, LG isn't a market leader, they require pulling the battery from the phone to use, the two modules announced aren't groundbreaking, no third parties have announced support for the modules, any purchased module won't likely work on any other phone (even LG phones), the module support adds expense to the hardware, and they further complicate future OS updates to those phones.
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Totally agree, and this will make the G5 DOA.

The modules don't work on any other phone except the G5. And they won't be free or anything, so how many new phone buyers, after just buying the phone, will also go out and spend a couple hundred bucks on a few of these modules ? Not many at all. Will these modules work on the G6 ? Will the G6 still even have this modular design ?

2,800mAh battery LOL, that's pretty small in today's market. Sure it replaceable but that's a pain in the ass to carry around another spare battery. Just give us a 3,600mAh so we don't need to worry about daily battery life.
 
I was all about it until I started seeing what the modules did. I assumed the camera module was more than just a few buttons and a battery - I was expecting a bigger sensor and better optics, but no, it's just an extended battery grip.

The audio could be interesting if it remains streamlined so you don't have to carry around a mini-amp (for the audiophiles).

I think a major issue is the new form factor. A modular package that allowed the back panel to be removed could have gone a long way. You can do a lot more without making the phone too bulky as far as addons. Those extended stacked batteries always had plenty of room around them.

Interesting, but not sure the implementation makes sense.
 
Spidey329 said:
Interesting, but not sure the implementation makes sense.
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We will see and I'm rooting this thing takes off. Its all about how the connection is made and how much LG put into the idea of hardware expansion. The problem with mobile devices is they don't have a unified bus, but a single, very narrow one that works almost entirely in the SoC. lol so this may not be a thing capable on phones after all.
 
The fact that there is no standard and it complicates updates are very valid. The potential lack of future compatibility of the modules is the biggest worry for me. I think this type of platform could be huge if properly implemented though. I doubt LG has enough clout to invent an industry standard that anyone else would follow though so unless someone else jumps on board with LG or does their own iteration of it, it looks like this concept might never take off.
 
Trimlock said:
We will see and I'm rooting this thing takes off. Its all about how the connection is made and how much LG put into the idea of hardware expansion. The problem with mobile devices is they don't have a unified bus, but a single, very narrow one that works almost entirely in the SoC. lol so this may not be a thing capable on phones after all.
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I'd be willing to bet that it's just a USB-OTG extension. That has been standard in Android for awhile, has virtually no development needed, and can do what they're claiming.

For the camera pack, the USB-OTG would supply the power (just like an external pack) and set up as an HID device - natively supported in Android. Their program would just map key presses to actions. You could do it now with an ATtiny.

For the audio pack, that's again, just USB. Android has supported USB-Audio in some form since 4.4.
 
LG could probably make this more appealing by opening up the module development so that third party modules could happen.
 
Seems cool at first but then the realization sinks in that this is just a one-off gimmick that is meant to differentiate a phone from a market where pretty much every phone is the same.
 
CHANG3D said:
LG could probably make this more appealing by opening up the module development so that third party modules could happen.
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I believe they said that they would give the specs to anyone who wanted to make modules.
 
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