Google’s ambitious modular smartphone concept, an attempt to disrupt the market dominated by Apple and Samsung, could be available in January 2015 for as little as $50. Paul Eremenko, Google’s Project Ara head, told attendees of its developer conference that the modular device is scheduled to go on sale in January next year and will be essentially just a frame, screen, Wi-Fi connection and processor – ready for users to customise with different plug-in modules, colours and accessories. “It’s called the Grey Phone because it’s meant to be drab grey to get people to customise it,” said Eremenko. Project Ara is Google’s attempt to make a mobile device where the major components, including the camera, speakers, GPS and other common features of modern smartphones, can be swapped out for new ones, mixing and matching modules to customise the phone to do what the user needs it to do.