Tech giant to test modular smartphone in Puerto Rico

Google said on Wednesday that it will unveil a modular smartphone in Puerto Rico this year as part of a pilot program that will allow people to choose their own hard-ware based on their needs and interests.

The company will partner with Mexico-based carrier Claro and local carrier Open Mobile to offer the product, which will be sold from freestanding stores that look like food trucks, said Jessica Beavers, a Google marketing executive.

She said Puerto Rico was chosen in part because more than 90 percent of house-holds on the island of nearly 3.7 million people use a cell-phone and 77 percent of Internet access occurs through mobile devices.