Motorola MotoX
As far as announcements go, Motorola really made a revolution in the technology world, having created their Moto X smartphone and announced it quietly, with nothing but a Twitter feed to keep us informed of the progress. Nevertheless, the anticipated Moto X is finally here, and opinions regarding it are diverse.
Even so, the device has some access up its sleeve but also comes with a few drawbacks. The specifications are almost on par with premium smartphones of the moment and the smartphone comes with a very broad range of custom colors, that are currently limited only to AT&T. The device doesn’t blow minds away, as its features have been seen in other DROID models, but the Moto X has all those customization options going for it, which some might say isn’t enough. Needless to say, it’s still a great device.
There are 18 back colors, 7 accent colors, 2 front colors (black or white), 16GB or 32GB of memory for file storage, 16 wallpapers, 2 cases in a variety of colors, 2 charger colors (black or white), and a bunch of Sol Republic headphones to boot. You can also write a custom message on the back of the phone and another that will appear under the Motorola Logo every time you boot it up.
Here are the technical specifications of the Moto X, the first smartphone made entirely under Google’s supervision
- Processor: 1.7 GHz dual-core Krait CPU Snapdragon S4 Pro
- GPU: Quad Core Adreno 320
- 2 Custom Motorola Processors: One for language interpretation that can help Google Now work better and with less power drain and one for contextual computing that will govern over the device’s sensors
- Memory: 2GB RAM
- Storage: 16GB / 32GB AT&T version, no microSD card
- Display: 4.7-inch 720p AMOLED with 316 ppi, Magic Glass: new kind of Corning display
- Battery: 2,200mAh, removable
- Rear Camera: 10 MP Clear Pixel capable of shooting 1080p video
- Front Camera: 2MP capable of shooting 1080p video
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Miracast Wireless Display, standard 3.5mm Audio Jack
Customization Options of MotoX
Moto X is a highly customizable device, this is due to the 18 available back covers, wooden backplate which will be available later on, black or white front cover, different colored side buttons and camera ring and on top of it all, users can engrave their Moto X with any text on the backplate, via AT&T’s Moto Maker website. This is really a drawback for all of those residing outside of the United States and for those that are not AT&T Subscribers.
These are a lot of options for a single device, and it might make the Moto X quite popular. While we can’t say how users will react to these options, it’s good to see that smartphone manufacturers are turning an eye towards smartphone customization and not just raw power.
Price And Avilability
The device will go for $199 for the 16GB version on a 2-year contract from AT&T, and users who will want some extra storage and go for the 32GB version, will have to put down $249. We still don’t know the retail prices of the device, but no way the smartphone is going to be under the five hundred dollar pricing and it seems that it won’t be sold throught the Play Store, after all.
Customers will be able to purchase the Moto X at the end of August. Other carriers like Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon will also have the 16GB Moto X available, but with no additional colors, just the black and white flavors. Let’s hope that Google will also bring the Moto X to Europe and other parts of the world.
Update: AT&T has confirmed that the retail prices of the Moto X will be $575 and $630, for the 16 GB and the 32 one version, respectively. Also, it seems that the Moto X will be sold after all in the Play Store, with a pricing similar to the one mention by AT&T, of course.
Ready.
Even when you’re not.
Moto X responds to your voice, no touching necessary.
Moto Maker gives you a taste for what it’s like to have complete control over your phone’s look, but stops short of giving it to you. This is, I was told, by design. John Renaldi explained to me a few weeks ago that the interface was designed to avoid the “Paradox of Choice,” which is a book about how, if you give people too many choices to make, they end up being less happy. This is why there aren’t a ton of options right now. Earlier test versions of Moto Maker had tons of choices, but users didn’t like it. “By curating these colors, we saw that anxiety go away, and we saw them actually click around more and try out different combinations,” explained Renaldi. Well, sure but … what if I don’t want a pet Slimer for a phone?'
He’s right about the clicking around thing, though. The interface, much like NikeID’s vaunted online customization tool, it’s so simple and easy-to-use that I found myself whiling away minutes I was supposed to be working, constructing any number of silly color combinations. It’s just that every phone I created looked like it belonged at a rave or that laser tag arena from HIMYM. Apparently, I break the Paradox of Choice because I wanted more choice. Then again, NikeID crushes it, and if the endless parade of early MySpace-era color configurations that I see on the feet of New York City’s Nike customers is any indication, Motorola has settled on the coolest color palette around.
Renaldi backs that up. He told me that all of the colors were extensively tested and picked based on the feedback of real people trying out Moto Maker while being monitored by eye-tracking software. “We had a huge palette of colors. We loaded them up, showing anywhere from 7 to 30 colors [to testers] and then we measured the ones that resonated best across gender groups and target market profiles and demographics. So we settled on the 18 colors that had the biggest impact for us.”
So, in the spirit of remaining hip and engaging with the youth, I tried out every color combination I could. Nothing was off the table. At one point I had a Rasberry phone with yellow highlights. I tried Barney colors, Spider-Man colors, U of M colors, everything and anything to find a combination that screamed “Jeff.” Sadly, the combinations I kept coming back to were safe, familiar. I was admiring a phone that was white on front and black on the back (with a kevlar texture) with blue accents when it occurred to me: If Digital Trends had a phone, that’s what it would look like. But how could I give in and order such a phone? There are 15 black and white phones on my desk. When given the freedom to break out of my monochromatic confines, is the best I can muster a simple blue accent? It bugged me.
Motorola executives warned me this would happen, too. In
their research, they found that women tended to veer toward crazy, fun colors but men
tended to choose safe, more neutral colors, with a nice accent. But why? Does my phone
really have to follow the rules of a suit and tie?
At least part of the problem is the role our phones play in
our day-to-day lives. Though I could buy a bright shirt, I rarely have to wear it, but the
thought of having too crazy a phone scared me, mostly because a phone seems like such a
permanent purchase. This is a device that will, in a way, define a small part of me every
time I use it for two years. People will see me reading on it, texting on it, pressing it to my
face and talking on it … and they will be judging me. What? Like you don’t?
our day-to-day lives. Though I could buy a bright shirt, I rarely have to wear it, but the
thought of having too crazy a phone scared me, mostly because a phone seems like such a
permanent purchase. This is a device that will, in a way, define a small part of me every
time I use it for two years. People will see me reading on it, texting on it, pressing it to my
face and talking on it … and they will be judging me. What? Like you don’t?
But the other problem is the paradox of the Paradox of
Choice. By limiting my options, Motorola was supposed to save me from my own anxiety,
but it seemed the opposite was happening. I was this close to finding the perfect phone
somewhere in the pile of 2,000 choices, but somehow kept missing by a shade here or a hue there.
Choice. By limiting my options, Motorola was supposed to save me from my own anxiety,
but it seemed the opposite was happening. I was this close to finding the perfect phone
somewhere in the pile of 2,000 choices, but somehow kept missing by a shade here or a hue there.
At this point, it’s only fair to acknowledge how much of a
production nightmare Motorola gave itself with its Moto Maker innovation. Every time
tMotorola team wants to add a new color, it has to figure out how to produce that color back
or accent and integrate it into the assembly line in Ft. Worth. It had to completely rework
the entire way a cell phone factory operates to offer the number of customized phones it
does, and deliver them in four days. It’s one of the coolest computing innovations since
companies like Dell began letting regular folks custom design their PCs in the 90s
production nightmare Motorola gave itself with its Moto Maker innovation. Every time
tMotorola team wants to add a new color, it has to figure out how to produce that color back
or accent and integrate it into the assembly line in Ft. Worth. It had to completely rework
the entire way a cell phone factory operates to offer the number of customized phones it
does, and deliver them in four days. It’s one of the coolest computing innovations since
companies like Dell began letting regular folks custom design their PCs in the 90s
Maybe Renaldi was just using “The Paradox of Choice” to
throw me off the scent while Motorola dials in such a challenging production process. After
all, the company has already tipped its hand about more colors, textures, and materials –
like wood, for example – that will be introduced in the months following launch.
Motorola deserves huge credit for introducing the idea of
customization to a category that’s never had it before. If the Moto X doesn’t sell you with
how comfortable it is to hold, its impressive specs, and it’s unique Google Now innovations,
the Moto Maker options may well be the thing that convinces you to switch phones.
customization to a category that’s never had it before. If the Moto X doesn’t sell you with
how comfortable it is to hold, its impressive specs, and it’s unique Google Now innovations,
the Moto Maker options may well be the thing that convinces you to switch phones.
In the end, I compromised. I refused to conform to
Renaldi’s research that insisted I would go with the bland black phone, so I was forced settle
on the Spearmint green I’d talked myself out of four hours earlier. I went with white for the
phone front, and a light blue for the button and camera ring color. I chose a green bowling
ball wallpaper and I told the phone to tell me “Heya Jeffrey!” every time I turn it on. You
can put a message on the back, but “If found, please contact Jeff at …” wound up being too
long so I left it blank.
Renaldi’s research that insisted I would go with the bland black phone, so I was forced settle
on the Spearmint green I’d talked myself out of four hours earlier. I went with white for the
phone front, and a light blue for the button and camera ring color. I chose a green bowling
ball wallpaper and I told the phone to tell me “Heya Jeffrey!” every time I turn it on. You
can put a message on the back, but “If found, please contact Jeff at …” wound up being too
long so I left it blank.
I guess you’ll have to tell me. My Moto X will arrive in 5 days.