Motorola’s taken on the modular smartphone with the Moto Z has been interesting. The modular add-ons for the device, which the company calls Mods, can be used to enhance phone’s functionality or add new features.
For those who are power users and need a larger battery pack, the company had launched Bolt battery pack add-on for the smartphone. Now, it has launched another battery pack Mod — Mophie JuicePack which packs in a 3000mAh battery, for about $80. It also comes with a USB Type-C port for independent charging.
It has a LED power indicator that shows juice pack’s battery levels and charge status. The built-in 3000mAh battery is said to provide more than 60% extra battery. Also, the USB C port also supports fast charging technology.
The battery pack isn’t the only new add-on launched. Motorola also teamed up with Incipio to launch a car dock. Priced at $65, the car dock Mod can charge Moto Z and can be used to automatically launch apps like Android Auto. The dock can be clipped into the car’s air conditioning vent and can hold the phone horizontally or vertically.
While the new Mods have been announced, the company has not yet revealed the shipping date. Moto says the new mods will be shipping in the very near future. However, the Mophie JuicePack Mod is already available for pre-order via Verizon for $79.99.
The company also says that it plans to launch more mods in 2017 than it did in 2016, with a cadence of four new mods per quarter. It is encouraging development of mods via an Indiegogo campaign, which will end in January.
While the newly launched Mods aren’t anything new, the work to bring out new and interesting Mods is already on-going. Motorola has partnered with IndieGoGo to solicit ideas and so far, it has received close to 380 pitches.
Motorola’s first public hackathon is also set to take place in New York this month. The company has already hinted that the Google Tango based Mod could be launched in the future.
