Moto 360 arrives to Moto Maker
In March we learned that Motorola would be bringing Moto Maker customization to the Moto 360. Nearly half way through the month, Motorola has now delivered on that promise.
Unlike the Moto X, the Moto Maker Moto 360 option doesn’t give you the ability to chose customized materials and accent colors, instead you can pick between three watch colors (black, silver and champagne), multiple watch bands, multiple band sizes and users can set a special watchface as the out of box default. The Moto Maker option is live now, with the base price set for $249.99. As you’d expect, options like a metal band and metal base will run you an extra $50 for each.
What do you think, like the idea of Moto Maker support for the Moto 360? Would you like to see even deeper customization with Motorola’s future Android Wear iterations?
Moto 360 goes live on Moto Maker with various cases, bands and watch faces
Motorola announced this morning that the Moto 360 can now be ordered and customized through Moto Maker. The addition of the Android Wear powered watch gives you the ability to choose from the three cases, dark metal, light metal or champagne gold. After you choose your case you have nine watch bands to choose from […]
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You can now customize your Moto 360 using Moto Maker
Months after leaks, Motorola has finally enabled Moto Maker support for the Moto 360 smartwatch. Customers can pick any combination of bands and body when purchasing the wearable, offering a unique customization experience like no other.
Available body variants include Light Finish and Dark Finish which are both offered for the base price of $249.99. The Champagne Gold unit will cost an additional $30 at $279.99. As far as the bands are concerned, you can get the 23, 24 and 18mm metal bands for an extra $50. The 22mm Stone Leather, Black Leather and Cognac Leather bands are offered for free. So you can get a Champagne Gold body and combine it with Cognac Leather band for just $279.99.
The 24mm metal mono link band will reportedly have delayed shipping, but all the other bands appear to be in stock. The options here are not as versatile as the Moto X, but it’s a welcome addition to allow customers to pick their own materials and design. Hit the links below for more details.
Source: Motorola Blog, Moto Maker
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Motorola’s Rick Osterloh says no fingerprint scanner on next Moto X and no e-ink on next Moto 360
Motorola was one of the first companies to slap a fingerprint scanner on a smartphone, but they are reluctant to do it now. The original Atrix from 2011 had one, but Motorola President Rick Osterloh says the technology is still too inconsistent for their devices.
Osterloh thinks it’s just as fast to tap your finger to unlock a device as it is to swipe for a fingerprint. He also said that when the reader fails, the customer is turned off and that “All of the fingerprint readers are unreliable.” That’s pretty bold when you consider that Apple’s Touch ID works very well, Of course, it remains to be seen how well Samsung’s new touch sensor on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge work in everyday life, but early reports are that it’s pretty promising.
As to the Moto 360, it was heralded as the best of the best for smartwatches for a while, but new offerings from Huawei and LG are changing that. Even Pebble is stepping up their game with the Pebble Time Steel. How does Motorola plan to stay at the top? Osterloh said that they will invest heavily in software and experiences. One such app is Moto Body, which helps users with fitness and diet tracking. They will also bring Moto Maker customizations to the Moto 360 by the end of March. Lastly, don’t expect an e-ink version of the Moto 360 anytime soon. Just get rid of the flat tire and give me an Always On display with proper battery life, and all we be well.
source: CNet
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LG G3, Moto 360, Moto E claim top spots in 2015 Global Mobile Awards
Although much of the attention at MWC 2015 is on the devices being announced at the event or sneak peaks of technology planned for later in the year, the hosts, GSMA, take some time to recognize outstanding products from the prior year with their Global Mobile Awards. For 2015, Android devices proved to be formidable participants in the market. Perhaps most notable is the recognition of the LG G3 as Best Smartphone along with Apple’s iPhone 6. It was not long ago that LG barely even registered in the smartphone market, but the company started to make a big push first with the LG G2 and then last year’s successor the LG G3. Their willingness to break with some tradition, like placement of buttons, and trying to produce an attractive, quality product have paid off with the award.
Although many in the tech industry will be paying attention to Apple next week and the anticipated release of the Apple Watch, Google and their partner Android device manufacturers have been in the wearables market for some time now. The fact that they have been able to go through a couple iterations of smartwatches and refine the experience helped lead to the the Motorola Moto 360 this past year. GSMA recognized the smartwatch as the Best Wearable Mobile Tech for 2015.
One other Android device snagged an award, this one also coming from Motorola. The Moto E was named the Best Low Cost Smartphone.
GSMA recognizes products in a wide range of categories that may be of interest to mobile users. A couple pieces of software may be noteworthy for Android users who want to check out the best software they could run on their devices according to the GSMA. For gamers, Asphalt 8:Airborne was selected as the Best Mobile Game App. The Judges’ Choice – Best Overall Mobile App went to IFTTT, which recently rebranded itself as IF in conjunction with its new DO framework.
source: GSMA
Come comment on this article: LG G3, Moto 360, Moto E claim top spots in 2015 Global Mobile Awards
Cost of the Huawei Watch rumoured to be $1000, could give Apple Watch a run for its money
The Huawei Watch is a beautiful piece of design and engineering – that much is for sure. But how much would you be willing to pay for one? $250? $500? How about $1000? If you’re balking at the thought of a $1000 Android Wear device, you might not be happy to hear that the cost of […]
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Samsung taking a time-out on smartwatches so that it can focus on making a better one
Samsung likes making smartwatches. This is an understanding one might come to, considering that the Korean giant is just one wearable away from having a different device for each day of the week. Let’s count them: the Galaxy Gear, the Gear 2, the Gear 2 Neo, the Gear Fit, the Gear Live, and the Gear S. In the weeks and months leading up to Mobile World Congress, we heard some rumors about a seventh wearable, one that would make use of the round patent which was filed last year. Nowhere is it to be seen, and the reason for it is a surprising one at that.
In a recent interview by the Wall Street Journal, Young-hee Lee, an EVP in charge of Samsung’s mobile marketing, was quoted as saying her company is “working on” the new one. She explains that, “We’ve been introducing more devices than anybody else…It’s time for us to pause,” and then adds “we want a more perfect product.”
Regardless of what one thinks about the Gear series, Ms. Lee definitely has a point about the number game; even its domestic rival LG has only managed to announce a third watch in the span of 8 months. Sony has three. Motorola has but one. Even companies like Asus and Huawei are just now starting to get into the game. And let’s not forget the sleeping giant in the arena, who despite the dizzying array of Android-compatible hardware, has yet to even announce a release date for its self-professed, magnum opus.
While the Gear S did bring a host of new functionality with it via the inclusion of a 3G radio for cellular calling and data transmission, it was nonetheless a plastic piece that doesn’t look as nice in comparison to some of the more recent offerings by competing companies such as the all metal LG Watch Urbane or Motorola Moto 360. By taking a breather of sorts, Samsung can rethink what kind of market it wants to target with its next product, and -perhaps more importantly- use feedback and reaction from that other smartwatch to help its own line.
Promo ads for the Huawei Watch get posted up early, show us more of that gorgeous design
Every time I see it, I get the distinct feeling that the Huawei Watch is going to give the Moto 360 a run for its money in the best looking smartwatch category. Spotted for the first time yesterday on a poster in Barcelona, the Huawei Watch now had its promo ads posted online, by Huawei no less, […]
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Motorola to bring Moto 360 to Moto Maker
Coming in March, Motorola will allow consumers to design the Moto 360 to their liking in the Moto Maker store. Moto Maker is currently used for purchasers of the Moto X to design the smartphone exactly to their tastes and desires, but soon the circular smartwatch will appear alongside it.
There was a recent spat between Apple’s Jony Ives and Motorola’s president, Rick Osterloh, with regard to the Moto Maker. Ives felt that by giving consumers choice, it allowed Motorola to forego responsibility in design quality. Obviously, Osterloh disagreed, and with this news that the Moto 360 will join the Moto X in the Moto Maker, Motorola appears to be flipping the bird to the naysayers.
The options prospective buyers might find in the Moto Maker for the smartwatch will deal with the band, the watch casing, and the choice of what watch face the buyer wants to see when they first turn on the device. Additionally, Motorola says that there’ll be some new watch faces to choose from.
The watch casing will come in silver, champagne gold, or black. The band’s varieties include two different sizes of leather or metal, which probably have different color options in each category.
In an interview with Wired, Motorola’s director of design for wearables, Dickon Isaacs, had the following to say about the new addition to Moto Maker:
“We clearly believe in the power of choice, as a brand. And this is really empowering. To be able to design your own watch—it’s not an analog watch, it’s a highly sophisticated device of the future. To be able to do that at this level, we just think it’s going to be incredibly liberating.”
So if you’ve been hesitant to buy a Moto 360, or if the styles currently available just didn’t appeal to you, you might want to revisit the smartwatch here in March.
Source: Wired
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Motorola teasing an “Exciting Announcement” for Feb 25th, sending out mystery press boxes too
I am sure many of you are aware that Mobile World Congress, MWC, is less than two weeks away in Barcelona Spain. The annual event is geared specifically towards the mobile aspect of technology and we know HTC and Samsung will definitely be making their next flagship devices known. It will be a very exciting […]
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