Earlier this year, a report emerged claiming that Google was looking to further expand the capabilities of its “Ok, Google” functionality. Android Police has now published yet another report on this topic, detailing more features that Google will soon incorporate into Google Now. The earlier report claimed that Google was looking to add the ability to say “Ok, Google” anywhere within Android, no matter what app you were in at the time. Now, Android Police, is reporting that soon, you will be able to say “Ok, Google” and activate Google Now even when the device is turned off, with some caveats.
Motorola Mobility, still owned by Google until the sale to Lenovo completes, announced today that it’s closing the Texas-based manufacturing plant that it opened in May of last year to build its Moto X smartphone. The plant, which employees approximately 700 employees, is said to be closing its doors by the end of the year, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal: Expand Expanding Close
Motorola announced a contest earlier this week asking the community to submit watch face concepts for a chance to win a Moto 360 smartwatch. Well, now the contest is udnerway, and the Moto 360 Design Face-Off community on Google+ is blowing up with submissions. Head past the break for some of the best we’ve seen so far … Expand Expanding Close
Currently, Motorola seems to be the king of budget smartphones. With the launch of the Moto G ($179.99) and more recently the Moto E($129.99), it seems like Motorola has a smartphone tier for just about anyone. Motorola’s Moto X has also dropped in price to $349.99 off contract and just barely graces the budget phone border.
The good news is, there are plenty of budget Motorola devices to choose from, but now you’ll have to make a decision. Which one is the best for you? Let’s find out in our Moto showdown.
Motorola’s contest for designers to win a Moto360 carries with it an unexpected piece of information. Buried within the official documents for the rules and terms of the contest is an ARV — Approximate Retail Value — for the Moto360, stating that Motorola is currently valuing the device at $249. Expand Expanding Close
When it comes to smartphones people often go gaga for specs and while beefy processors and gigabytes of RAM always sound good, quality software can be a real game changer. For example, Samsung’s new Galaxy S5 ships with a 2.5GHz quad-core processor pushed by 2GB of RAM. On paper this handset should breeze through everyday tasks and crush a bargain bin device like Motorola’s Moto E in any performance-based challenge.
Motorola Mobility’s days as a Google-owned company may be numbered, however this doesn’t mean the outfit is completely severing all ties Mountain View. In fact, the company’s latest smartphone, the Moto E runs a near-vanilla version of Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Perhaps as a way to help its new handset reach its full potential, Motorola has decided to add the Moto E to its Bootloader Unlock program. This decision will most likely bolster support from third-party Android developers, freeing up the device’s hardware for open source platforms like CyanogenMod. Sure, Google and Motorola may soon be parting ways, but it appears that the two companies may still maintain a friendly relationship.
If you focused too hard on Motorola’s new and improved handsets, you most likely missed Moto Alert, the company’s newest Android app. Currently exclusive to the Moto E, and in the vein of Google Latitude, this new software is designed to keep you in touch with your close group of friends. The app lets you set up periodic alerts that help the people you care about track your whereabouts. Kind of creepy? Maybe, but it could come in handy if you find yourself in a pinch. Lastly, the app features specific locations like home, work or school that automatically notify your stalkers loved ones of your departure and arrival.
Motorola has officially unveiled the Moto E. If you thought the Moto G was the company’s only budget smartphone, think again. The Moto E is redefining the industry with a launch price of only $129 in the US and £89 in the UK.
The Moto E may not be packed with the best specifications on the block, but it will certainly get the job done. Especially for the money. As far as specifications go, the Moto E has a 4.3-inch display covered by Gorilla Glass with a resolution of 960×540 (256ppi), 1.2Ghz dual-core Snapdragon processor, Adreno 302 GPU, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, a 1,980mAh battery, and runs Android 4.4.2.
Update: If you click the “ALL” option and scroll down, Amazon now lists the LTE model, in both black and white, as shipping June 30th and costing $219.99.
When we reviewed the $179 Moto G earlier this year, we praised nearly every aspect of it. For the price, there was absolutely nothing better than it on the market. The one thing we missed, however, was LTE capability. In order to keep the cost of the device down, Motorola limited it to HSPA+ speeds. Today, however, two new variants of the Moto G have shown up on Amazon. A Black “Universal LTE” model and a white “Universal LTE” model.”
According to a separate report out of Engadget Mexico, Motorola is also planning a Ferrari branded Moto G that will likely be red with a yellow Ferrari logo. It will reportedly launch in the second half of 2014.
It could be that this is just a mistake on Amazon’s part and that no LTE models of the Moto G are planned. It could also be, however, that this is a sign of things to come and that Motorola is planning to launch an LTE-capable variant soon. The latter corroborates with recent rumors that Motorola is planning some sort of Moto G successor, to be launched very soon. Either way, we’re going to keep our eye on the Amazon page.
Perhaps warming up for tomorrow’s big announcement, Motorola Mobility introduced the Twittersphere to @MotorolaIndia, along with a tease for its next device. In addition to a nod to its Indian arm, the company tweeted a picture of a rocket blasting off with a caption that read “BIG day tomorrow!”
A picture of a phone listed as the Moto E recently made a brief appearance on Motorola Mexico’s Facebook page, only to be pulled by its publisher. This quick sneak peek gave us a look at what we might see during the company’s media event on May 13th, however the Moto E’s hardware was still pretty much a mystery.
Motorola has already announced that its next smartphone will be revealed on May 13th and that it will most likely be budget-friendly. An affordable phone isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however if a recent photo of the alleged Moto E is the device in question, consider us slightly underwhelmed. Posted and removed from Motorola Mexico’s Facebook page is a photo of what is said to be Motorola’s new affordable smartphone. Pictured next to the highly praised Moto G, the Moto E (or whatever it might be) looks like a throwback to about four years ago.
Motorola’s website has been the source of variousleaks in the last few weeks, and today we have another one. Captured in an image after the break by the @evleaks Twitter account, the website leaked only the name — no image or details are available. The device has also so far slipped by under the radar, with basically nothing being known about it. Expand Expanding Close
A store listing on Motorola’s website (via Droid Life) has given us an early look at the currently-unannounced Moto X+1, which will be available on AT&T whenever it’s finally made public. The phone looks very similar to the current Moto X, so most of the big changes to the device will presumably be under-the-hood.
There is at least one change being made to the outside of the phone. The X+1 recently showed up on the MotoMaker tool that allows users to build customized versions of the Moto X. According to the options on that website, the phone will be available with 25 different backplates to choose from.
A few weeks back rumors surfaced suggesting that Motorola Mobility was working on a device called the Moto X+1. Soon after this claim, additional details about the unannounced handset’s customization options emerged, with rumors of it offering a new leather back plate as an optional design. While we’re still not completely sure what the Moto X+1 might be, recently the mysterious device was spotted in Motorola’s MotoMaker by German mobile blog MobiFlip.
Earlier today LG started sending out invites to its big G3 reveal and now Motorola is following suit by announcing an event of its own dated for May 13th. However, unlike its competitors that appear to be focusing on building high-end flagship smartphones, Motorola’s invitation hints at a more modest announcement. “Connect more people to the world’s information and each other, and they can do great things,” the invitation reads. “Introducing the next smartphone from Motorola to make these connections happen. Made to last. Priced for all.”
It’s unclear how many units Motorola will sell at this price, or if it will simply run the entire day. You also have to keep in mind that Motorola has promised a new flagship by late-Summer. But if you’ve been waiting for your chance to snag one of the best Android smartphones out there, this is your opportunity.
Motorola hasn’t made any official announcements regarding the price drop, but if you head over to the company’s website you can see that the price has dropped with no indication of it being a temporary sale.
On Amazon, the device is also priced the same, but it applies to the unlocked GSM model that will work with AT&T and T-Mobile, not RepublicWireless. That’s even a better deal: $350 for 16GB and $400 for 32GB. The developer edition of the device is still set at its normal $449.99 and it’s unclear if it will receive a price cut.
Nevertheless, if you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to snag Motorola’s darn-good Moto X flagship, now’s your chance.
Samsung has been around for a while. From a grocery company and noodle manufacturer in 1938, it created Samsung Electronics Devices in 1969, with a black-and-white television set its first ever product.
To celebrate its 45th anniversary, the company has opened the Samsung Innovation Museum in Korea, a combined museum of technology and Samsung product showcase, reports Engadget.
The museum is undeniably stylish (and it helps that it’s brand new), but what I liked the most was the realia; the for-real artifacts from history. Not just a StarTAC and the first slimline TV, but an Edison filament lightbulb, the first ever TV.
Unsurprisingly, the museum becomes increasingly Samsung-focused as you move through the years, but does include products from rival manufacturers like Motorola, Nokia, Sharp and Sony. There’s even an Apple II in there, described as “the first home computer.”
It would be surprising if Google didn’t unveil a new Nexus device before the end of the year. Currently, the Nexus 10 is still out of stock and Google’s Nexus 5 is beginning to show its age. If anything, we hope to see a Nexus 6 in the near future, but Google might be working on a frugal Nexus smartphone as well.
According to Chinese site MTKSJ.com (via GforGames), Google may be working with chip maker MediaTek on a budget Nexus device that could be priced as low as $100. This could really shake things up in the mobile market and would be a direct competitor to ex-Google company Motorola and its Moto G smartphone. The Nexus line is already known for its low-priced devices with high-end specifications, but a $100 Nexus device could definitely broaden Google’s mobile market share.
Google has agreed to back a new initiative along with a host of Android manufacturers and all of the major U.S. cellular carriers that would require all smartphones manufactured after July 2015 to come with specific anti-theft features. The program is the latest attempt to prevent theft of smartphones, which some have blamed for increasing crime rates.
To this end, Google introduced the Android Device Manager application last year, allowing users to locate or wipe lost or stolen devices. Today’s agreement between the carriers and handset manufacturers essentially states that all parties will ship this type of system on new phones.
Specifically, the required anti-theft measures are broken into four kinds: Expand Expanding Close
The biggest differentiator for the Moto X was the ability to customize it to your liking via Motorola’s Moto Maker website. With its next flagship, it looks as if Motorola is planning to further expand the customization options available. According to information obtained by @evleaks, Motorola plans to keep many of the original backplate options with the Moto X+1, but also introduce a new leather option, as teased before.
The company will reportedly offer 25 back panel options, including a new leather option in grey, blue, red, and black.
Leather: Black, Red, Grey, Blue
Cool: Navy, Turquoise, Olive, Royal Blue, Dark Teal
Motorola itself has said that itself that a Moto X successor is planned for this summer. The device is rumored to be called the Moto X+1, but other details are sparse at this point. But a new leather backing option would certainly be a differentiator.
After previously posting a photo of the watch following earlier spec leaks, LG has now shown the final design of its G Watch Android Wear smartwatch to PocketLint. The watch has no buttons at all, everything controlled via the touchscreen, and has an interchangeable strap.
Although the watch has a square face, LG says it hasn’t ruled out offering a round watch later. The leaked specs suggested the 1.65-inch display will have a resolution in the 240-280 pixel range, 512MB RAM and 4GB of storage.
