Life with the Moto 360: has Motorola’s smartwatch turned a corner?
When the Moto 360 first hit the scene, its reception was… mixed. That round display was eye-catching, but it couldn’t make up for the smartwatch’s all-too-short battery life and undercooked software. Times have changed, though. Motorola trotted out updates that addressed the 360’s early problems, and the Lollipop upgrade gave Android Wear a new lease on life through custom watch faces and a few other useful tweaks. But does that mean it deserves a second chance, especially now that rivals like LG’s G Watch R are vying for your wrist?
I’ll tackle the big question up-front: battery life wasn’t an issue. I could wear the Moto 360 throughout a typical day and still have a significant charge left when I was ready to go to bed. That was no mean feat for me, since I usually have to deal with a steady stream of Hangouts messages and work email. Having said this, I was very, very thankful for the 360’s wireless charging dock. Smartwatches needing clip-on cradles or cables are often a hassle, but Motorola’s wristwear was so easy to top up that I hardly even thought about it.
I’m also a fan of the design, for the most part. I never completely forgot about the black strip at the bottom of the display that creates a “flat tire” look, but it also wasn’t distracting (at least not on my all-black model). The leather strap makes the 360 extra comfortable, and the circular design is subtle enough that I didn’t feel conspicuously geeky most of the time. However, there’s no question that it could stand to be smaller. That 46mm-diameter case is enormous, at least on my moderately sized adult male arm. That’s true of a lot of smartwatches (the ASUS ZenWatch is particularly huge), but there’s something to be said for the discreetness of a smaller device like the 38mm Apple Watch.
The software is a tougher call, even if it’s mostly a positive experience. Android Wear is supremely handy for the basic information I like to see over the course of a day, like weather or sports scores. And in a chilly Ottawa winter, it was more than a little helpful to respond to Hangouts messages or check in to Swarm without reaching for my phone and freezing my hands in the process. The Lollipop update also added quite a few features and overall polish that were missing the first time around. It was nice to have a wide choice of watch faces, for example, and I could tune out most alerts if I set the 360 to only give me priority notifications. I didn’t have to use that last mode very often, but I was happy to know I could avoid information overload when necessary.
However, it’s all too apparent that Android Wear still needs more time in the oven. For one thing, its approach to apps is backward — unless I was launching something I had recently used, I had to go to the very bottom of a long menu just to start browsing the app list.
The interface isn’t that great at surfacing the information I need at the time I need it, for that matter. Spotify’s Android Wear card always showed up on cue, but Sonos’ controls appeared inconsistently even when there was music playing. And the watch frequently defaulted to showing apps that weren’t really relevant to the situation at hand; no, I don’t need to check out my fitness goals in the middle of the workday. Google may be right that watches are primarily about receiving passive streams of information, but that doesn’t excuse doing a poor job when I want to be more active.
Even with those quirks in mind, it’s pretty clear the Moto 360 has turned a corner in half a year’s time. It’s no longer the underdeveloped novelty that it was on launch, and it’s now my pick of the current Android Wear crop. True, it doesn’t have the G Watch R’s true circular display, the ZenWatch’s custom software or the Sony Smartwatch 3’s GPS, but I’d say of the three, it strikes the best balance between looks, functionality and price. About the only thing holding back the 360 is the software, but it’s already apparent from the Lollipop update that Google is determined to quickly improve Android Wear. If you’re happy with the current feature set, the 360 is a great buy — and I’m glad I can say that given its rough start.
Something with Red Leather headed our way from Motorola
Tease they must. Those device manufacturers certainly have a way to poke the bear when it comes to a good tease. Samsung does a decent job with images and videos prior to a device announcement. HTC isn’t very good at it yet. Motorola, they tend to get us all talking. Mainly because their teases can […]
The post Something with Red Leather headed our way from Motorola appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Motorola could have Red Leather version of the Moto X in the works
Motorola has taken to social media to tease the arrival of a new product in a Red Leather variant. The company is simply asking which your favorite red leather accessory is. The company then says that they have something in the works for us fans.
Knowing that the company has no devices in the pipeline until the Fall at least, it’s safe to assume that this is a new color variant of an existing device. We’ve seen Motorola launch a unique football leather version of the Moto X, so this could be something similar.
The Moto X is already available in leather variants, but the red option isn’t available. So this inclusion will certainly spice up the Moto X lineup which is barely getting any attention with newer and more powerful smartphones reaching the markets.
What do you think Motorola is trying to tease here? Sound off below.
Source: @Motorola – Twitter
Come comment on this article: Motorola could have Red Leather version of the Moto X in the works
Moto G (2014) now receiving Lollipop update in the UK
If you own a Moto G (2014) and reside in the UK, you may want to listen up, as Motorola has just started pushing out the much-anticipated Android 5.0 Lollipop update to all unlocked variants of the handset located in your region.
All the changes you’d expect to find in Lollipop are bundled into this upgrade, including support for multiple accounts, improved notifications, a smoother multitasking experience and the recently-announced Material Design guidelines.
As is customary with all manufacturer updates, the upgrade is being distributed in stages, but if you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that it’s ready for your device, you can search for the update manually. To do so simply follow the four steps below:
- Open the Settings app
- Scroll to the bottom and tap on “About Device”
- Hit “System Updates”
- Tap on “Check for update”
If you own a Moto G and you’re situated in the United Kingdom, why not drop us a line in the comments section below letting us know when you receive the update?
Come comment on this article: Moto G (2014) now receiving Lollipop update in the UK
Root method for the Droid Turbo released for $20
A root method has finally been released for Motorola’s Droid Turbo, with a small catch. The program costs $20 per phone you plan on rooting, which is pretty rare to see with root methods on Android devices.
The root tool was developed by maiko1 on XDA and allows you to flash any system image to your Droid Turbo, included pre-rooted system images. It won’t disable write protection, but if all you’re looking for is a simple root method to use some of your favorite root apps, this should do the trick.
Whenever you start dealing with rooting devices, you run the risk of doing some permanent damage that won’t be covered by the manufacturer warranty. If you’re still interested, hit the links below to get started.
source: mofo
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3rd generation Motorola Moto X in the works for late summer release
Amidst all of the excitement about the springtime releases of flagship smartphones, Motorola has revealed that the next generation of their top-tier Motorola Moto X device should be coming out in late summer, probably August or September. This timeline was revealed by Motorola President Rick Osterloh in a response on Twitter to a question about the time-frame for release of the next Moto X. Osterloh indicated Motorola tries to “stay on a roughly annual cycle” for product releases.
The next Moto X is expected to come equipped with a Snapdragon 810 processor. True to previous efforts to distinguish their devices on more than just hardware, the next Moto X is expected to be “smarter than any other smartphone.” During the most recent round of #AskRickO questions on Twitter, Osterloh also revealed that Motorola does not have any current plans to do a smaller screen on their next device, although he seemed to get the message that there are users out there looking for a quality device in the sub 5-inch range.
.@northead we try to stay on a roughly annual cycle for all of our products including Moto X. #AskRickO
— Rick Osterloh (@rosterloh) March 25, 2015
source: @rosterloh
via: phoneArena
Come comment on this article: 3rd generation Motorola Moto X in the works for late summer release
Moto CEO for 2015: no tablets, no smaller flagships, Moto Maker expansion, and more
Motorola CEO Rick Osterloh took to Twitter to answer questions from Moto fans and revealed a few hints about the Lenovo-owned company’s plans for this year.
Starting with Lenovo, the executive said Motorola employees already feel at home in the Lenovo fold, and that the Chinese company gave them a “very warm welcome.” Motorola has been officially integrated into Lenovo on October 30, following a $2.9 billion purchase from Google; since then, representatives of both companies said that Motorola enjoys extended autonomy and that it would remain Lenovo’s main brand in the Western markets.
While Motorola has established a strong foothold in several big markets from around the world (Brazil, India, and China included), the company will continue to expand in 2015, with Central and Easter Europe singled out by Osterloh as targets. Moreover, Brazil is said to be a priority for the expansion of the Moto Maker program.
Asked if Motorola plans to release new tablets in the close future, Osterloh said there are no such plans and pointed towards tablet offerings from Lenovo, including the Yoga line. Motorola’s last tablet was released in 2011. That contradicts the statements of Lenovo boss Yang Yuanqing, who said in October that Motorola-branded tablets are in the pipeline.
There are no plans either for a Motorola flagship that is smaller than five inches. Motorola will probably keep the display of the Moto X (2015) to at least 5.2-inch, though an even larger screen is also a strong possibility.
Osterloh said Motorola will stick to its roughly annual release cycle for the next Moto X, meaning a release in early fall is likely.
“Contextual awareness, Moto Maker options and “premium value”” are Motorola’s main points of focus for its upcoming devices. Osterloh hinted that Moto Maker might be enhanced with more materials, joining the wood and leather “natural” options currently available.
Overall, the company hopes to “expand consumer choices (price points and options), expand our country reach and introduce cool new innovations.”
Osterloh also revealed that Lollipop for the Moto X (2013) is in early testing, that Motorola would love Android Wear to work with iOS (no plans though), and that an LTE variant of the Moto G (2014) is coming “pretty soon.”
More on Rick Osterloh’s Twitter feed.
Motorola lacks “any plans” for tablets, points to Lenovo for that
Lenovo sells multiple tablets. Motorola sells none. Don’t expect that to change for the foreseeable future. Rick Osterloh, Motorola’s President, hosted a brief Q&A session on Twitter earlier today in which he shot down the idea of the company releasing a tablet this year.
During the #AskRickO forum, Osterloh was asked if Motorola would be involved with tablets in 2015 to which he responded that “we don’t have any plans.” Instead, he redirected interested consumers to Lenovo’s tablet lineup. Motorola’s parent company currently sells sixteen Android and Windows tablets through its own online store. There, Osterloh believes a consumer can find a fitting tablet. Osterloh specifically recommended one of the YOGA tablets introduced in late 2014.
Source: Rick Osterloh (Twitter)
Via: Phone Arena
Come comment on this article: Motorola lacks “any plans” for tablets, points to Lenovo for that
Motorola ruled to have infringed on Intellectual Ventures patent
A US Jury in Delaware has found Motorola guilty of infringing on one of Intellectual Venture’s patents, while clearing the company of a second potential infringement. The infringed patent in question deals with multimedia text messaging, while the non-infringing patent dealt with wireless bandwidth. Damages will be figured up later.
Intellectual Ventures probably isn’t a company that you’re familiar with as a consumer, as they deal mostly with licensing out patents to other companies. The company says they’re not like other patent trolls as they don’t file frivolous lawsuits, but they do have a pretty good track record with lawsuits that they do file. Either way, it’s still hard not to see these kinds of patent disputes hurting innovation and consumer devices.
source: Reuters
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Here’s how to get Android 5.1 on your AT&T Nexus 6
I recently wrote a post on my AT&T Nexus 6 getting Android Lollipop 5.1. There was some confusion on my part on how to exactly get it right, but after experimenting and having others users confirm this method I can now give clear instructions on how to get the latest update, and let me tell you, the update is worth getting if you are tired of your phone rebooting, having poor battery life, or experiencing other random bugs.
1. Backup your phone – go to “settings” and then go to “backup & reset.” This will allow you to reset your phone to the exact way it was before the restore. Select an account to backup your phone, and then click to back it up.
2. Take out your Sim card. You can do this with a Sim ejector tool or something small like a bent paperclip. if you leave your Sim card in you will not be prompted to get the update. You MUST remove it.
3. Restore your phone – go to “settings” and then go to “backup & reset” and hit “factory reset data.”
4. When you are restoring your phone, you can restore from the latest backup. Once you do these steps you will be prompted to update your phone to Android 5.1. This update is not due out until June, so if you are tired of the bugs, I highly suggest you get this update.
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