Motorola is expected to finally unveil its circular Moto 360 smartwatch at a press event on September 4th. We already know a lot about the device, but two key details that are missing are the price and release date. This afternoon, however, the company announced that it is giving 20 people an early chance at winning a Moto 360.
The Moto X isn’t the only thing in Motorola Mobility’s catalog due for a replacement. A recently discovered FCC filing has revealed that the soon to be former Google company is working on a newer version of its Skip phone unlocking accessory. If you’re unfamiliar with Motorola’s companion hardware, it’s a small NFC-powered wearable clip that lets Moto X owners unlock their phone with a fast tap without having to use a password or screen pattern.
We heard last month that there was a new Nexus phablet on the way, code-named Shamu. The device is said to have a 5.9-inch 1440×2560 screen and a fingerprint sensor, and to be made by Motorola rather than LG – and seemed a good candidate for the Nexus 6.
PhoneArena is now citing anonymous Motorola sources as saying that the device will instead be launched as the Nexus X, to avoid trademark issues over the Nexus-6 androids in the Philip K Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep – later turned into the cult movie Blade Runner …
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arsTechnica has put together a handy look at which manufacturers & carriers are quickest and slowest to roll out an Android update on their older devices. Using the KitKat launch date of 31st October 2013, arsTechnica measured how long it took for the earliest available OTA update for devices originally sold with an earlier version of Android, starting with the previous-generation flagship devices.
The winner for update times is, of course, the Nexus line. Stock software and a head start from being Google got KitKat out the door in just 14 days.
As for everyone else, how quickly they update seems to depend on how complicated their skin is and how much they take advantage of the update mechanisms Google has created …
Spotted by DroidLife, Best Buy this morning accidentally published the product page of the Moto 360 on their mobile site. The listing shows the smartwatch priced at $249.99, the same price we heard from Motorola when the price was accidentally published on its own product page. The page also lists a near-full spec sheet of the device, which states the watch will be waterproof at 3.3ft for up to 30 minutes, feature a vibrating motor, and Bluetooth 4.0.
Motorola just started sending out invites for a September 4th event, and it appears that there are going to be four stars of that show. One of them is expected to be the much-rumored next-generation Motorola flagship dubbed the “X+1,” and once again, some benchmarks for a not-so-mysterious device with model number XT1097 have appeared on the internet (via Phone Arena). The latest tests show some of the very same hardware that has been rumored for this particular device in the past, and with the announcement not far off, there’s a good chance it’s real.
After watching UK and Verizon Moto X owners receive their Android 4.4.4 updates, AT&T customers are now being awarded the latest version of KitKat for Motorola’s popular smartphone. This new software push squashes some system bugs and adds a few performance enhancement’s to the Moto X’s camera, including the ability to pause video while recording.
Earlier today, Motorola started sending out invitations for what appears to be an official launch for the Moto 360 and a few other devices. Almost immediately following the company’s announcement, emails started rolling out to I/O attendees who were told that they’d receive Motorola’s first Android Wear-powered smartwatch after its release.
Motorola is sending out invitations to a media event in Chicago that will be held on September 4th. The not so subtle invite displays a picture of a watch (Moto 360), a phone with an X (maybe a Moto X+1?), a phone with a G (we’re thinking Moto G2) and a headset that’s likely some type of new wireless accessory.
Chinese company Lenovo, which is in the process of buying the Motorola brand from Google, has reported a 23 percent year-on-year increase in first-quarter profits to $214M, reports Reuters. The company also said that worldwide phone sales were up 39 percent, in line with recent IDC numbers.
While Lenovo recently became the market leader within China, CEO Yang Yuanqing said that the company will in future be focusing on more profitable overseas markets …
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A few weeks ago we heard that Motorola was developing Google’s next Nexus device and aside from a rumored 5.9-inch display, its specs were were pretty much unknown. Today, however, an alleged benchmark of the unannounced handset has hit the web and it tells the tale of a powerful up-and-comer. The device listed packs a smaller 5.2-inch 1440p display, a 2.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera capable of 4K video capture, a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter and Android L.
Motorola recently introduced an LTE-capable version of its Moto G, but it appears that an full-fledged upgrade is in the works. The follow up to Motorola’s affordable smartphone will ship with a 5-inch 720p display, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, an Adreno 305 GPU, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter, 8GB of internal storage and Android 4.4.4 KitKat.
Rumors of when we can expect a Moto X successor have been around for a while now, but now Droid Life is reporting that the device will be released on Verizon in late September. The blog claims that its sources are currently hearing that Verizon is planning to launch the device on September 25th.
It seems as if speculation surrounding the Moto X+1 has been floating around the rumor mill for months now. Every week, it’s as if an announcement is imminent, then, more rumors build up and the phone remains a mere myth. This week is no exception, with a mysterious Motorola device appearing in Geekbench’s database.
This is what the Moto 360 wireless charging dock looks like, according to Italian site Gadget.net – and it certainly looks persuasively real. Assuming you can choose to show the time as well as the charge state, the dock effectively turns the smartwatch into a bedside clock while it’s charging overnight.
The blue circle around the outside of the watch face shows the charge level. Looking at the rear of the dock, we can’t see any detail, but it’s likely that it’s some kind of USB connector …
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It’s no secret that we were huge fans of the Moto G when it was released last fall. At under $200 and with the performance of a flagship device, it was a steal of a phone at the time. Now, two benchmarks have emerged from what is allegedly the Moto G successor. First noticed by CNET, these benchmarks peg the second-generation Moto G as having a 5-inch display, up from 4.5-inches, and a higher-resolution 8MP rear camera, up from 5MP.
During the summer of 2013, the line-up of Google Play Edition devices grew incredibly quickly, with devices available from HTC, Motorola, Samsung, and Sony. Last month, however, the selection of devices dropped to just three: the Moto G, Galaxy S4, and HTC One (M8). Now, this evening, Google has removed the Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition from the store without any replacement in sight.
As Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola nears closing, today Motorola shared some updates on changes to its leadership. Announced in its press release is a promotion for Charlie Tritschler to Senior Vice Present of Product Management overseeing product development on all the company’s products. Tritschler joined Motorola in March of 2013 from Amazon’s Kindle team. Motorola notes that “Charlie has been one of the leading forces behind Moto G and Moto E.”
The company also announced it’s adding regional sales heads as three new members of its senior leadership team and also making Adrienne Hayes the SVP of Marketing and Communications of a new marketing and communications team responsible for the company’s brand and advertising worldwide.
These changes ensure that our leadership team accurately reflects our priorities and organization structure, and put us in the best possible position to continue growing our success. Congratulations to all the leaders in new roles, and my thanks to everyone who helped bring us this far.
Missing from Motorola’s new executives page is Bill Morgan who was previously the company’s Senior Vice President of Marketing overseeing the brand, advertising, and communications role that now seems to be filled by Adrienne.
A report earlier this week claimed Google and Motorola are beginning work on a 5.9-inch Nexus device codenamed Shamu as Motorola transitions to its new home at Lenovo.
Motorola recently filed a trademark for the name “Moto Maxx,” which means the company could eventually use the moniker for a new smartphone or tablet. Historically Motorola’s Maxx product line has been connected to phones that feature extended battery life, while its Moto branding has been associated with affordable devices like the Moto X, Moto G, and Moto E.
Over the weekend, a report was published claiming that Google and Motorola were working together on a 5.9-inch Nexus device codenamed the Shamu. This afternoon, The Information published a separate report corroborating this weekend’s source.
The fate of Google’s Nexus line of devices has been up in the air for several months now, with LG saying it is not working on a device for it and Android Silver reportedly taking over its role. At Google I/O last month, however, Googler David Burke confirmed that the company is still heavily interested in the Nexus line of devices. Rumors have also recently circulated that HTC is working on a 9-inch Nexus tablet dubbed the Volantis. Now, Android Police is reporting that Google and Motorola are working on a device codenamed Shamu.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15uIFmysZV4]
Let’s face it, when companies are interviewed at tech conferences, they talk about all kinds of crazy stuff that will never be launched – like the idea of wearing a digital tattoo to unlock your phone. Except this time, more than a year after first discussing the idea at the D11 conference last May, Motorola has actually done it and is showing it off in a new video …
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Motorola Mobility’s ownership may be stuck in regulatory limbo, but the soon to be Lenovo-owned company definitely has some handsets in its pipeline. This time around we’re looking at an unidentified Motorola device that appears to running Android L. Allegedly running on Verizon’s network, the still shots of this smartphone reveal that it’s larger than a Nexus 5, which packs a 4.95-inch display.
Samsung, HTC and Motorola are likely to be looking a little nervously over their shoulders as Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi more than doubled its year-on-year sales. The company announced (via TNW) that it sold 26.1M phones in the first half of this year, more than it sold in the whole of 2013.
These are impressive sales for a company which sold its first smartphone just three years ago, and whose sales were initially limited to China. Its growth has been fuelled by expansion into Singapore, Malaysia, India and the Philipines, with the company now eyeing up Latin America as its next market …
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