Moto 360 review: It’s the best Android Wear watch, but that isn’t saying much
When it comes to wearables, fashion trumps function. That’s the mantra Motorola went by when it designed and developed the Moto 360, and judging by the enthusiastic response the watch received when it was unveiled earlier this year, plenty of people agree. The Moto 360 is undoubtedly the best-looking of the three inaugural Android Wear watches (the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live are the other two), with its premium leather strap, chamfered glass and circular design. As Motorola designer Jim Wicks said in an interview, “We wanted to hit that ‘Whoa!’ mark.” And so it did. But is that enough? In the past few days, I struggled to like this watch, even though it’s the best Android Wear device available today. Allow me to tell you why.
Hardware
The Moto 360’s claim to fame is that it’s the first Android Wear device with a round face. And that’s a big deal. As I said, when it comes to an item that you wear on your person, it’s crucial that it looks good. Compared to the other two Android Wear watches on the market, the Moto 360 looks the most like an actual timepiece partially due to that round design. Indeed, one of the reasons Motorola went with a circular design is that it believes a round face is simply more watch-like. Of course, there are traditional analog watches with square designs too, but the 360’s round face does make it stand out in a sea of square smartwatches. Motorola made a conscious decision to make the 360 more watch than gadget; more mainstream than early adopter; more SoHo than Silicon Valley.
That thought process included not just the shape of the watch, but also the materials used to make it. The housing is constructed from glass and stainless steel, and the leather strap is sourced from a high-end Chicago tannery. It’s a smartwatch that actually feels comfortable when worn; the leather feels much softer and more flexible than the rubber straps on the G Watch and the Gear Live. What’s more, with the leather strap, the Moto 360 is also quite a bit lighter at 49 grams (the G Watch weighs 63; Gear Live, 59). In other words, the 360 not only looks like a regular watch, but it also feels like one.
If you can’t decide on just what color to get — the initial watchbands come in black, dark gray or light gray — the straps are thankfully interchangeable. However, do note that you’ll need to visit a jeweler to swap them out and Motorola says the 360 is only compatible with straps made specifically for it. Later this year, Motorola plans to release a Moto 360 with metal bands, which is more in-tune with the style of the thick metal housing.
That brings me to one of my problems with the Moto 360. While I don’t deny that the Moto 360 is well-crafted, its 46mm diameter and 11.5mm thickness paired with the leather bands make it much too big for me. I felt a little embarrassed to be wearing such an enormous, attention-grabbing timepiece, and my husband remarked that it looked like I had a hockey puck strapped to my wrist. During a tour of Motorola’s headquarters recently, we were told that the 360 was designed for both men and women — apparently large watches are trendy accessories for some folks these days — but I’m simply not one of them. Of course, this is based entirely on personal preference. And again, even though it’s not to my taste, the Moto 360 is still one of the most striking smartwatches I’ve seen yet.
Display
The primary reason for that is the circular display. It goes practically edge to edge with pixels spread across the entire surface, leaving a sliver of a bezel around it. The result is a watch face that’s nearly all screen, which isn’t something you can say about the Gear Live or the G Watch. That’s a good thing, especially as the Moto 360’s screen is a touch smaller at 1.56 inches across, resulting in a 320 x 290 resolution that translates to 205 pixels per inch. It’s not the sharpest display by any means, but it’s also not bad for such a tiny screen; it seems clear and colorful enough to me.
Unfortunately, there’s a rather noticeable black slice at the bottom that mars the display’s circular perfection. Motorola says that in order to maximize the screen size of a small and round display, it opted to house the watch’s display drivers and ambient light sensor in that little wedge instead of creating a thick circular bezel. If that is indeed the trade-off, I agree that the edge-to-edge chamfered glass is a better option. But if you’re even the slightest bit of a perfectionist, that tiny, little black slice might be difficult to un-see.
Additionally, round displays and Android Wear don’t always get along. Motorola apparently worked closely with Google to ensure that the UI would play nicely with a round screen, and it succeeded — for the most part. Text occasionally gets cut off at the corners, especially when scrolling through messages and long lists. Also, the beveled sides make the circular border look a touch jagged at certain angles, especially against a white background.
Speaking of that ambient light sensor, the Moto 360 is also the first Android Wear watch to even have one. That means that unlike the G Watch and the Gear Live, the 360 supports auto-brightness, which is extremely handy considering the 360 is equipped with a backlit LCD that would otherwise be unreadable in bright sunlight. It’s naturally not quite as crisp as the e-paper display on the Pebble, but it’s legible enough that I could make out the time and read my email notifications. And seeing as turning on maximum brightness would likely put a big dent in the battery life, I’m glad the sensor is there.
It’s important to note here that the ambient light sensor is separate from a Moto 360 watch setting called “ambient screen.” This feature is off by default, and what that means is that the watch will go completely black when it’s idle or not in use — it’ll only light up when you lift the watch to look at it. When ambient screen is turned on, however, the 360 won’t immediately go black when idle. Instead, it dims just enough so that you can still tell the time if you casually glance at it. But if you happen to take the watch off and leave it somewhere, the display will eventually go black, even with ambient screen enabled.
In addition to tapping the screen or lifting the watch, you can also activate the display by pressing on a small protruding crown on the right. If you hold it down, you’ll bring up the watch’s settings menu — a great little shortcut I wish the G Watch and the Gear Live had. Pressing and holding on the screen will bring up a selection of watch faces that have been customized for the 360’s round display. You can adjust the different watch face settings even further with Motorola’s own Connect app. I like the Dials face option the best because it lets me see what time it is in two other cities — a handy thing when you work with a global team.
Now, you might be wondering how you charge this watch; it’s not like there are any ports to plug in a cable. Instead, the Moto 360 charges wirelessly via Qi magnetic induction. Just set it inside the included charging cradle and the watch will get the juice it needs to keep going. When docked, the Moto 360 will display a digital clock along with how much charge it still has. This way, you can use it as a bedside alarm clock if you like. It works as promised, but I do wish Motorola had included a USB-only cable in the box in addition to one that requires a power outlet. Since the 360 charges via the Qi standard, you could theoretically charge it on an existing Qi wireless charger if you happen to have one already.
Features
Phew. That was a lot of words just about the watch’s design. But seeing that most of the watch’s features are the same as the other Android Wear devices — Google isn’t allowing manufacturer-specific skins — the 360’s main differentiator is its design.
But if you’d like a brief recap, here’s what Android Wear offers. Beyond just telling the time, Android Wear is a platform that transmits what’s on your phone to what’s on your wrist. If you allow it, you’ll see everything from emails to Twitter notifications to Google Now cards popping up on the watch. There’s some notification anxiety as a result — having to scroll through all of those can be a pain, especially as you can’t quite ignore them as easily as you might on a phone. As with the other Android Wear watches, you navigate through the 360’s interface by swiping and tapping on the watch’s touchscreen display. A key component is voice commands, where you can say things like “Navigate” to find directions or “Call a car” to request a Lyft ride. For more details on Android Wear, check out our full review.
Beyond Android Wear, the 360 does have a couple extra features that bear mentioning. Remember that Motorola Connect app I alluded to earlier? That’s also where you can track your steps and heart rate, because the 360 not only has a built-in pedometer, but it also has a heart rate sensor as well (it’s located on the underside of the watch). As with the Gear Live, you do need to hold your wrist relatively still for the sensor to read your beats per minute, but it only takes a few seconds.
Additionally, the Moto 360’s heart rate app also comes with an activity monitor that tracks how active you are in a day. Once you enter in your vital stats (height, weight and so forth), the app will attempt to divvy up your daily heart activity into three categories: “Inactive,” “Active” and “Vigorous.” Motorola’s goal here is for you to get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity a day for five days. As the 360 periodically keeps an eye on your bpm, it’ll know to notify you if you’re almost or at your goal. From my experience with the 360, achieving this 30-minute moderate activity goal is pretty easy — just walking around the house and the local farmer’s market got me to my goal before noon. Still, it’s a noble enough objective and gives us the illusion that we’re trying to be healthy.
Battery life and performance
There’s probably a subset of you that completely disregarded everything I’ve written above and came right down to this section. And I don’t blame you. After all, what’s the point of a watch that runs out of battery in the middle of the day? The problem, of course, is that the Moto 360 isn’t a normal watch. Just like the other Android Wear devices, it comes with a rather dinky battery. The official specs state 320mAh, though a recent teardown reveals that the battery actually has “300mAh” printed on it. Motorola’s official statement is that the battery offers a range of 300 to 320mAh, but opted to print just “300mAh” due to the lack of space.
Regardless of which it is, the battery is still tiny. Under heavy use, the 360 barely lasts the day. With the ambient screen mode on, I had it so that it would notify me of every incoming email, message and notification from apps like Twitter, Facebook and Google Now. I also tried out a couple of different navigation routes and used voice commands several times throughout the day. In about 12 hours, the 360’s battery life dropped to 9 percent. It’s not pretty, to say the least.
However, in the days after the initial thrill of playing with the 360, I found myself hardly ever using the watch in such an active manner. I mostly just relied on it for timekeeping and notifications — I rarely bothered using it for voice commands or navigation, since, well, I could just use the phone for that. With this kind of minimal use, it got to around 23 percent after 12 hours, which is enough to last through a typical day. But if you’re not going to use a smartwatch as a smartwatch, that kind of defeats the purpose of getting one. Plus, even with such skimping, I still had to charge the watch every night.
Under the hood, the Moto 360 has a TI OMAP3630 processor, which is surprisingly old technology — we’re talking the kind of chip used in the Droid 2. Yet, I didn’t encounter too much sluggishness when swiping through the menu or scrolling through messages. I did notice the occasional hiccup when trying to remove notifications — sometimes it took a couple of swipe attempts instead of one — but they were few and far between.
The competition
Android Wear is so new that the Moto 360 only has two other direct competitors, at least for now. When it comes to look and feel, however, both the Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch pale in comparison to the 360. Unfortunately, better look and feel come at a price — the watch is far more expensive at $250 with a leather strap and $299 with a metal one. Worse, the battery life here is the shortest of the bunch.
Additionally, the 360’s honeymoon period as the only round-faced Android Wear watch will be short-lived as both LG and Samsung are trying their hands at circular designs too. If the 360’s rotund face is the only factor you’re considering in a smartwatch, you might do best to wait to see if you like those. It’s worth noting, for example, that while the 360 has that black slice at the bottom of its circular display, the upcoming LG G Watch R doesn’t. From a brief hands-on we had with it at IFA, however, we can definitively say that the 360 is still the nicer, more premium option.
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the most recent rival to the Moto 360: the Apple Watch. It remains to be seen how intuitive the UI is in real-world use, but in terms of design and style (not to mention app support), it looks like the 360 has some serious competition afoot.
Wrap-up
With its stylish good looks, comfortable feel and overall premium build, the Moto 360 is the Android Wear watch to beat. When it comes to design, at least, it outclasses everything else on the market. Aside from aesthetics, the 360 offers many of the same features as its rivals, including a heart rate sensor and a pedometer, plus some other goodies like wireless charging and an ambient light sensor.
Even with the design, though, Motorola didn’t totally get it right. The 360’s large size is a legitimate concern for narrow-wristed individuals, and the experience is dampened by various imperfections that include cutoff notifications and that “flat tire” at the bottom of the screen. What’s more, the battery life is actually worst in class — and that’s saying a lot considering other Android Wear watches also need to be charged once a day.
All told, the smartwatch landscape is so new that I’d recommend waiting to see if something better comes along. Sure, the Moto 360 is the best option right now, but it might be obsolete in just a few months. That said, if you want to jump on the Android Wear wagon now, the Moto 360 is your best bet.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile
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Early impressions on the Moto 360 vs. Apple Watch
In case you’ve been living under a rock, the wearable space has grown drastically for major companies throughout the world over a few months’ time. With Google’s quicker-than-ever rollout of Android Wear and Apple’s first iteration of Apple Watch, things are bound to get heated over who can make the best device. So many companies already have smartwatches, but who stands out? Who will create the device that will revolutionize the space? Though we need to wait awhile to use one of the contender’s devices, we can help answer a few questions so far: Who is pushing the boundaries of the wearable technology space, and which device is best suited for you?
Preface: There is more that one Android Wear watch available to the public, I know. I chose the Moto 360 for this comparison because of the seemingly superior build quality over the rest of the competition (though fans of the LG G Watch R might disagree).
And I know… the Apple Watch was just announced yesterday. We know much less about this device than we’d like to, but nonetheless, these are my thoughts regarding the future of wearables and how each company is approaching the space.
The Moto 360 and Android Wear
The Moto 360 is the first Android Wear device from Motorola, and is available for purchase today. It offers a circular design, Qi wireless charging, and comes with a Horween Leather strap (or a brushed metal strap if you don’t mind waiting).
Source: talkandroid.com
The watch itself has a brushed metallic outer edge, and offers a 1.56-inch 320×290 round LCD display. One thing that has been getting on peoples’ nerves is the black strip that cuts off the bottom of the display, where the ambient light sensor sits. Like it or hate it, the Moto 360 is the closest thing we have to a fully circular display.
Some other specifications include a TI OMAP 3 processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage, pedometer and hear rate sensor, and a 320mAh battery. It measures 46mm in diameter and 11.5mm in width, and weighs 49 grams.
Apple Watch
Apple Watch is Apple’s first attempt at a smartwatch, available for purchase in early 2015. It has a square display, inductive wireless charging, and comes in two sizes and three different iterations: Apple Watch Collection, Watch Edition Collection, and Watch Sport Collection. Each one is different, so let’s break it down a little bit.
Apple Watch Collection: The body is stainless steel or Space Black finish, complete with six different types of straps that buckle into the top and bottom of the watch. This collection is the standard collection, more geared towards the general user.
Watch Edition Collection: This will be essentially the same as the Apple Watch Collection, but will be offered in an 18-karat rose or yellow gold finish and will have design enhancements added to the digital crown.
Watch Sport Collection: The body has an aluminum finish, and comes with only synthetic rubber straps.
Each collection will offer two different sizes: 38mm and 42mm, appropriately made keeping everyone in mind. All collections offer sapphire glass finishes, a custom S1 SiP chip, and a “digital crown” home button (more on that later). Apple’s also offering a new Force Touch technology that can tell whether a touch is normal or forceful. There is no word on battery quite yet, which has some concerned about how long it will last from day-to-day.
Square vs. Circle
The main difference you’ll notice right away is the difference in form factor. The reason the Moto 360 got so many people amped right away was because of it’s circular display. A circular display had never been done on a mainstream device before this, so it really looked like an attractive option for many of us. It looks like a more traditional watch, and absolutely strays away from having a small computer on your wrist. It is a bit bulky compared to the thickness of the watch strap, but that’s about the only design flaw we’ve heard thus far.
On the other hand, the Apple Watch really surprised many of us because of its seemingly underwhelming design. It’s a bit bulky for the overall design, not to mention the square shape of the device. It’s not ugly, but it’s also not anything special. Apple has long had a reputation for creating premium hardware, and I just don’t see that here.
Interface: Voice dictation vs. traditional (touch) navigation
Now this is what really matters. How will you interact with the device? The reason to buy a smartwatch is because of the functionality… and if you don’t like the way it works, why buy it? We’re seeing two very different ways of navigating through the watch, so let’s see which one better fits you.
Android Wear’s approach to navigating the device is to use your hands as little as possible. The main screen is a clock (obviously), with a Google Now card on towards the bottom of the screen. It will give you the most recent one that’s available, including texts, emails, weather, or basically anything else.
The easiest way of navigating through the available actions is to use your voice. Android Wear needs some improvements in this area, especially if you need to use your finger to swipe through different menus. It’s basically a never-ending list to scroll through, which is not user friendly in the slightest. However, Google Now has long had a reputation of getting you information before you need it, so it absolutely helps to see navigation, weather, and other relevant information the moment you need it.
Source: Digital Trends
Apple is taking a different approach when it comes to interaction with your watch. The main screen of the watch is a bulk of circular icons, sporadically laid out throughout the screen. Want to open an app? It’s right there, waiting for you, similar to how the iPhone’s home screen is laid out. Swipe up from the bottom to access Glances: useful information, right when you need it. The Glance feature is basically like Google Now cards that you can swipe through and get as much relevant information as you need.
One other unique feature Apple is using is the new “digital crown” scroll wheel. Not only does it turn the screen on and off, but you can use it to scroll through lists, zoom in to maps, and much more. It’s definitely an interesting concept, but it doesn’t seem like it’s necessarily the most intuitive. Setting a traditional watch’s time is already an awkward hand movement, scrolling a tiny dial with your fingers. Going back to using a dial, even though it isn’t in the traditional sense, just seems backwards. Besides, isn’t this why touch screens were invented?
Both ways of navigating through the respective interfaces aren’t great quite yet, but they aren’t necessarily horrible. They’re both innovative, but we’re going to have to use the Apple Watch before we make any more comparisons.
Price & availability
The pricing information we have so far is as follows: the Moto 360 is on sale now for $249.99 through Motorola.com, Google Play, or BestBuy.com. Motorola’s site and Google Play both have the watch on backorder, and Best Buy only currently has the device available in-store.
All three collections of the Apple Watch will be available at the beginning of 2015. We’re assuming that means sometime in Q1. Unfortunately, that is right after the holiday season is over, and Motorola should already be working on getting the next version of their watch out to the general pubic. We don’t know specifics on the prices, but the Apple Watch’s base price will be $349.99. We don’t know what collection will start at this price, but the other collections will likely start at 50-100 dollars more than that.
So, what’s the draw?
I would, by no means, call myself a fanboy for Motorola. In fact, the Moto 360 is the only piece of Motorola hardware I’ve ever purchased in my life. So why did I pull the trigger and order right away? From the moment I laid eyes on it, it felt different. It felt like the future. A circular (albeit not a perfect one) display paired with the Android Wear interface looks like something out of a crazy concept video that could only be executed in the future.
The Apple Watch doesn’t do that for me.
The Apple Watch reminds me of an LG G Watch/Samsung Gear Live hybrid with a more confusing, cluttered interface, and I can’t just get around that. I can’t pay $100 more for a watch that does the exact same thing as the competition in an uglier package. The software seems too much like a traditional smartphone’s, and that just won’t work on on a screen smaller than 2 inches.
When Apple was showing off the full gallery view of all of their pre-loaded pictures, I laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of the concept. When they were showing off the zooming feature with the digital crown in Apple Maps, I thought that it was a completely pointless feature, yet they were still showing it off to millions of people. Two-inch wide screens aren’t the same as 5-inch screens, and I think Apple needs to understand that. The software seems rushed, and I just can’t get behind it.
Though this is a battle of smartwatches, what it comes down to is this: which complete package offers the best features for you? The competition isn’t just about the best smartphone anymore… it’s about the ecosystem. Both smartwatches, though brand new and partially unreleased, offer incredible leaps in technology that gets me excited, no matter which one I like more. By the looks of it, though, Android Wear and the Moto 360 looks like a more complete, well-thought out package compared to the competition.
But you know what? There are people out there that think Apple just invented the smartwatch. And I would know… just look at my Facebook News Feed. People will still buy the Apple Watch no matter how much catching up it needs to do to other technology out there, no matter how much it costs, simply because it’s Apple we’re talking about. Apple creates great products 99% of the time… I just think they could have done so much better with an entirely new product category.
What are your opinions of the Apple Watch? Am I completely wrong in my thoughts? Let me know in the comments… I’d love to hear from you!
The post Early impressions on the Moto 360 vs. Apple Watch appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Hello Moto: when are Motorola’s new products coming to the UK?
Like many other phone makers at IFA this week, Motorola has shown its hand, introducing a new flagship and a revamped version of its highly-rated budget smartphone. It’s even told us when its circular smartwatch will go on sale. It’s unleashed the Moto X, Moto G and Moto 360 on the world, but when are they coming to the UK and how much will they cost? Let us explain.
Moto X
Yup, the Moto X is back. It has the same name, but don’t worry, things have upscaled quite a bit. With a 1080p 5.2-inch AMOLED display, it’s ever-so-slightly bigger than its predecessor, and it’s a little weightier too. Inside you’ll find Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 processor with a 2.5GHz quad-core CPU, an Adreno 330 578MHz GPU and 2GB of RAM. There’s also a 13-megapixel camera (up from the 10-megapixel sensor in the older model) and it’s powered by a 2,300 mAh battery. While it runs Android 4.4 KitKat now, expect an Android L upgrade in the very near future.
Although Motorola is now owned by Lenovo, the popular Moto Maker customization service is important to its new owner as it was to Google. It’s back and there’s an added bonus: it’s also coming to the UK. That’s right, you’ll now be able personalise your Moto X with a bespoke design and even deck it out in leather (if that’s what excites you).
Whether you buy a ready-made 16GB Moto X from Amazon or design your own using Moto Maker, the phone will cost £419.99 when it goes on sale at the end of September. If you’re looking to ramp up the quality, however, both the wood and leather options will set you back a little extra, meaning you’ll pay £439.99 for your unlocked handset. The same can be said of the 32GB model, which starts at £459.99 and rises to £479.99 if you want that premium feel.
Moto G
Like the X, Motorola has also decided to stick to what it knows with the new Moto G. Given that it’s Motorola’s best-selling smartphone of all time, there’s no reason to mess with success. Again, the company has decided to improve things a little, first by equipping the G with a bigger 5-inch 720 HD IPS display. That helps make it a touch bigger and heavier than its older sibling.
While it features the same 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor, Motorola has upgraded the G’s sound output by including two front stereo speakers (up from the one rear-mounted speaker on the original) and enhanced it’s photo-taking abilities with an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facer. As before, it’ll come with 8GB or 16GB of internal storage and let you add more with its expandable memory slot.
With more new than old, it’s reassuring to see that the new Moto G isn’t going to cost much more than the original. Amazon will sell it to you for a tenner extra from today (although we’re not seeing it yet), pricing it at £144.99. While you won’t enjoy the delights of Moto Maker with the G, Motorola’s coloured shells will be available and go on sale from October.
Moto 360
While we’ve got our hands on the Moto 360 before, Motorola kept specifics like release dates and pricing under wraps. We now know that the circular smartwatch will go on sale at O2, Tesco, Amazon and John Lewis from “early October,” starting at £199. It’ll ship with grey leather and black leather straps initially, but Motorola has said it will offer sleeker silver and black metallic options later this autumn.
Moto Hint
Motorola’s new stylish Bluetooth headset is designed to be discrete as possible. It’s so discrete that it’s not even got a UK release date or price yet. While we hunt for more details, here’s a photo of the Moto Hint to keep you entertained.
Steve Dent contributed to this article.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Software, Mobile
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Motorola announces Moto X, Moto G, and Moto 360 pricing and availability
Motorola on Friday announced the details, pricing, and availability for its Moto X, Moto G, and Moto 360 devices. Instead of worrying about X+1, X2, or any other silly names, we’re just getting the “new Moto X”. If you ask me that’s the best thing they could do. It works for the car industry and other tech products so why not a smartphone?
As the subjects of plenty of leaks and rumors over the last few months, we were glad to see these become official. Lets hop right into it!
Moto X and Moto G
The new Moto X builds on the flagship design introduced just over a year ago. Key improvements include the bigger 5.2-inch 1080p display, a 13-megapixel rear camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, and 2300mAh battery.
Instead of a plastic frame around the device we get an aluminum trim (sexy, I might add), and new case options. Motorola has updated its palette to include new shades of colors; various wood and leather options are also available for the rear. There are 10 points of accent customization this time around, including the speaker grill.
The Moto Maker experience is bolstered with new options such as starter designs, comparison tools, and a more realistic color.
In terms of software, the Moto X is all stock Android with very few added touches. The stuff that is included, however, is really impressive and should see us physically touching phones even less. Between Driver Mode, Meeting Mode, Motorola Assist, and the others, there’s plenty here to enhance the experience without pushing an agenda. Motorola Migrate gets a handy update to allow for transferring of contacts from non-smartphones, a plus for those baby boomers who have yet to make the jump.
The new Moto G also steps things up on a number of fronts all the while retaining the same attractive price point. For your money you now get a 5-inch HD display, an 8-megapixel rear camera, microSD expansion card slot, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and double speaker setup. Toss in some nice touches in the camera department and it’s easy to see why Motorola is so excited about the new Moto G. Fun fact: the first generation Moto G is the best-selling Motorola smartphone of all time.
Availability
The Moto X will be offered for $99 with a two-year service agreement via select carriers later this fall. Motorola will also sell an unlocked bootloader and unlocked SIM version for $499 through its website.
The new Moto G is available starting today unlocked and off-contract for $179.99 USD through motorola.com as well as via U.S. retailers. Moto G also goes on sale today in India, France, UK, Brazil, Spain, and on motorola.de in Germany.
Moto 360
At long last we finally get to see the Motorola smartwatch find its way to retail stores. Available on Friday, September 5, the watch can be purchased in a choice of three leather bands. Pricing, as expected, is $250 for the device. Later this year there will be an option to buy the Moto 360 with metal wrist straps for $299.99. Those who buy the leather version can buy metal straps for $79.99 at that time; leather straps are $39.99 each.
Motorola Hint
Motorola also introduced a new, albeit clever, Bluetooth accessory for your ear. Taking up about as much space as a hearing aid, the Motorola Hint connects to your smart phone and allows for all of your normal A2DP functions. Pair it with a device that offers Motorola Voice Assist, such as the Moto X, and its even better.
Features include the ability to have messages read aloud, search Google Now, reply to messages and calls, and much more, all without touching your device. Battery life is rated at 3 hours of talk time but the carry case punches things up with an additional 7 hours worth of juice, too. This guy will be available in six color options on motorola.com and select retailers in the US for $149.99 later this fall.
The post Motorola announces Moto X, Moto G, and Moto 360 pricing and availability appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Motorola Moto 360 vs LG G Watch R
Wearable devices have certainly become very popular as of later, but they’re still nowhere near as popular as smartphones or tablets. However, smartwatches might change all that as lately we’ve seen almost all the tech giants trying their hand at developing a few of their own. One of the biggest complaints coming from consumers is related to the design of these devices, which is usually pretty bland and uninteresting. Luckily, several manufacturers have stopped trying to reinvent the wheel and went back to the drawing board in an attempt to create something new. The Moto 360 and the LG G Watch R are two examples of smartwatches born as a result of this approach. What’s so special about them? Well, they’re both circular, which is a pretty common design choice among regular watches, but not so much among the electronic variety.
But naturally, one will always be more appealing than the other, therefore I figured that a comparison between the Moto 360 and the LG G Watch R might be useful in order to find which one of them is the better device. Both of them will be officially announced in the coming days at the IFA Trade Show, but we don’t have to wait until then to make a relevant comparison as we already know most of the important details. Before we kick things off I do need to mention that the two are more or less equally matched so this will be a completely fair fight. With that in mind, let’s begin this little Moto 360 vs LG G Watch R showdown.
The Moto 360 was announced earlier this year and Motorola has teased us on more than one occasion with their upcoming smartwatch. Their marketing tactics worked like a charm as the watch is now arguably the most highly anticipated Android Wear device of the year. The LG G Watch R on the other hand was only announced a short while ago and it looks like LG is launching it specifically to compete with the Moto 360. In its teaser video, the LG G Watch R is presented as “filling the gap” and featuring a completely circular design, which forms “a perfect circle”. This is undoubtedly a small jab at the Moto 360 seeing as how the smartwatch has a small cutout at the bottom of its display so it’s not completely round.
In terms of resolution, the LG G Watch R’s display comes in an 320 x 320 megapixels while the Moto 360 can only account for 320 x 290 because of its “gap”. However, Motorola more than makes up for this by equipping its device with a 1.5-inch LCD screen that also features Gorilla Glass 3 protection. By comparison, the LG G Watch R features a 1.3-inch plastic OLED display, which is less resistant than that of its competitor. Both watches have stainless steel cases, leather straps and both are waterproof, although only the LG G Watch R features actual IP67 certification. Overall, there aren’t a whole lot of differences when it comes to the design as both devices were developed to look similar to traditional watches so it will mostly boil down to preference here. Some people will find the Moto 360 to be more aesthetically pleasing while others will like the LG G Watch R instead. You can’t really argue with taste so let’s move on.
On the hardware side, we’re not completely sure about what to expect from the Moto 360 as not all the specs have been leaked yet. However, we do know that the smartwatch will have 512 MB of RAM, a Texas Instruments processor and a Li-io battery pack with Charging dock. Connectivity is done via Bluetooth 4.0 and Wireless N while features include pedometer, heart-rate monitor, vibration alert and voice activation. The LG G Watch also comes with 512 MB of RAM alongside a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, 4GB storage memory and 410 mAh battery. We’re not seeing much in terms of connectivity options, but features are definitely plentiful and include heart-rate monitor, PPG sensor, Smart notifications, health apps, fitness apps and more.
Finally, the prices for these two devices are expected to differ quite a bit, but we still need to wait for confirmation from their respective manufacturers to find out if this is true. In any case, a recent leak from Best Buy claims that the Moto 360 will be priced at around $250, which seems pretty reasonable for a smartwatch. The LG G Watch R however is quite a bit more expensive, perhaps even too expensive some might say. LG Germany revealed that the wearable will go on sale for 299 EUR, which is the equivalent of almost $400. If I’m not mistaken, this will be the most expensive Android Wear smartwatch yet so I’m not sure if I can recommend it over the Moto 360 under these circumstances.
Sure, LG’s smartwatch arguably looks more elegant and could easily be mistaken for an actual analog watch. The LG G Watch R also features an actual circular display and seems to come with better specs and more features, but we still need to wait for Motorola to unveil their device in order to be sure. The bottom line is that the LG G Watch R is definitely worth purchasing, but keep in mind that with $400 you can also buy a pretty good smartphone so the price is well above what a smartwatch usually costs. The Moto 360 might not actually be round like Motorola initially said, but it does have the bigger screen and better protection for it while also offering a fair amount of features. I assume it will also not be far behind the LG G Watch R in terms of performance and it runs on Android Wear as well so there’s no difference in regards to the OS.
All in all, I admit that I find the LG G Watch R more appealing overall, but since the Moto 360 is $150 cheaper this is quite a difficult decision. What do guys think about these two smartwatches? Can the LG G Watch R justify the high price tag or is the Moto 360 a safer bet?
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