Tag: moto 360

Moto 360 Gets Premium Leather Bands Courtesy DODOcase

The Moto 360, one of the best looking smartwatches available right now, is getting sexier with new premium leather bands by DODOcase. The San Francisco-based startup which is famous for its iPhone and iPad cases, collaborated with Motorola to make these bands.

A few months back, Motorola added brown leather to the black and stone coloured Horween leather options, but it seems that didn’t work out. DODO’s leather bands are made from premium Pergamena leather. They are available to order directly from Motorola’s online store in four different colors – red, blue, tan, and green.

The DODOcase leather come in eco-friendly colors died using materials safe for the environment. You’d have to shell out $59.99 for the leather bands. That’s a significant premium over the $29.99 price of Motorola’s own Horween leather straps, and quite close to the $79.99 that Moto charges for the available metal bands for the Moto 360.

If you are curious about how this premium Pergamena leather are made, then watch the video below:

January 17, 2015
Moto 360 Gets New Metal Straps, Watchface and Fitness App

Even though a lot still consider it is too early for smartwatches to break into the full scale commercial market, Moto 360 managed to turn heads with its design when we first saw it at Google I/O 2014.

However, the much-loved smartwatch was limited to only two colours and material choices at the launch. But, Motorola now wants to give you more options. The company has also begun selling the Moto 360 with metal options, which are now available with either dark or light grey finish in the regular 23 mm band size for $299.99.

Announced in a blog post yesterday, the company said, “Crafted from aircraft-grade stainless steel, these bands feature a modern, contemporary tri-link design that complements the round face of Moto 360. Starting today, Moto 360 with light and dark metal bands are available on motorola.com for $299. Coming soon, we will offer Moto 360 with new slim bands, which is an option for smaller wrists or for people who want a different look. Slim bands will be available in time for the holidays in light metal ($299) and a brand new champagne gold finish ($329).”

The bands were earlier listed on Amazon.com, however, they are official now. Along with this, Motorola also announced new accessory bands that can be purchased separately in stone, black, or cognac leather, along with dark and light metals. Plus, they have partnered with brands like DODOcase (stitched leather bands) and TYLT (silicone bands) to offer even more options.

The company has also rolled out a new update of the Moto Connect app. The update introduces the an attractive ‘My Design’ watch face that allows you to customise everything from the background image to the style of the tick marks and watch hands. Motorola also added the Design Face-Off winner’s watch face to the collection.

Finally, the Schaumburg-based giant is introducing Moto Body, a fitness-inspired experience app that tracks your steps, distance, heart rate, and calories. Moto Body will be available through the new Moto Connect app.

November 7, 2014
New Update for Moto 360 Brings Better Battery Life and User Interface

Motorola Mobility is known for its timely updates for its widely popular Moto G, Moto E and Moto X handsets. It looks like the company is continuing its update strategy with its smartwatch Moto 360 as well. Motorola has rolled out a new software update for the circular Moto 360 smartwatch. It promises better battery life and UI among some other tweaks.

The company said that the new update will automatically turn off the ambient mode and hence, will save upto 15% of the battery life. The ‘Mood Lighting’ feature will adjust the brightness of the device according to the lighting conditions for a better ambient viewing experience.

‘Ambient Screen Off’ comes as a default setting and is preferred by most users. However, ‘Ambient On’ gives you an experience that more closely models a traditional watch with a watchface that is visible without any twist and tricks on your wrist. Motorola has also tweaked the device, and now one can connect bluetooth headsets with it.

Along with this, the company has added a new gesture for better notification viewing. This new gesture allows you to see the full watchface without permanently dismissing the alert. Now, you can just touch the notification, swipe it down, and it will show you the message again when you have another high priority notification coming through. This way, you can easily navigate through the messages without them covering the entire elegant watchface.

The company’s official blogpost reads, “We will roll out the new software in phases. Look for the update notification on your watch! You will be prompted to install it. To install the update, make sure that you’re connected to your phone with an internet connection and that your watch has at least 80% battery.”

The company also mentioned that they have added some bug removal application in the update for better overall user experience.

October 27, 2014
Limited Stock Moto 360 Goes on Sale Today

You have waited for this device for a long while, and now it’s finally here. Comeback Superstar Motorola’s 1st generation Smartwatch, the Moto 360 will be listed for sale by mid-day today. The device will be priced at Rs. 17,999.

It is one of the few Android Wear devices with a round display. Though this display does tend to cut the corners of the content but it is nothing to lose sleep over. Just like an update cleared the battery woes of existing users, a future update can get the round screen friendly UI.

The Moto 360 responds to your voice with voice control which makes it easy to get things done, even when your hands are full. Just say, “Ok Google” and you can send texts, set a reminder, check the weather, and even ask for directions.

The device will go on sale at MId-day.

The device can also be used as a health monitor; it comes with Pedometer and Optical heart rate monitor (PPG). It has a 1.56-inch LCD display with 320 x 290 resolution (205ppi) with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It has IP67 rated water resistance. The device is powered by 320 mAh battery which now lasts a lot longer since the update.

At present, the company only has a limited stock so you can expect the device to run out of stock soon as there is a huge demand for it. So if you were on the lookout for one, now would be a good time to log onto your Flipkart account.

Watch us go hands on with the Moto 360 here:

October 3, 2014
New Update for Moto 360 Fixes its Battery Backup Issue

The Moto 360 was the single most awaited wearable this year. On its launch, the device found a lot of customers willing to get their hands on it. But one of the major issues with the much sought after device was its battery backup. Some users even claimed that the device didn’t even work for an entire day. An iFixit teardown also found that the battery was less than what was claimed by Motorola. Motorola released an update recently to address the issue, and it seems to be working.

The Moto 360 comes with 1.56 inch LCD display along with 4GB of internal storage and 512 MB of RAM. Its power source is a 320 mAh battery and has been the cause of worry for the device owners.

Several owners of the Moto 360 on Reddit have claimed that the battery performance has dramatically increased following the new update. Some have even claimed that the dreaded ambient light which drained most of the juice is also performing well.

The usual complaint was that the battery wouldn’t last a day, but users are now reporting that the issue has also been solved to an extent. But it is still a software based tweak and can be affected by future updates. But as of now it is a necessary update that will give a full day’s worth of functionality of the device.

The Moto 360 will be arriving on Flipkart around the first week of October, and this seems like a good news for potential customers. The folks who were reconsidering their Moto 360 purchase can now stop. But the update is still software based. Motorola needs to find a way to extend the battery life further, otherwise it will add to the menace of chargeable devices one needs to take care of at the end of a work day.

September 29, 2014
Exclusive : Moto 360 to Arrive in India in the First Week of October

UPDATE: We had previously reported that the Moto X and Moto 360 will be arriving by the beginning of October. It appears that the Moto X as well as the Moto 360 will be coming out in the last week of September.

The Moto 360 has been one of the most-awaited wearables in the market. The Smartwatch was unveiled at the beginning of this month, and it was impressive in many aspects. Now sources close to iGyaan reveal that the Moto 360 will be available in India starting next month.

The base model of the device is expected to be launched in the first week. It is going to be priced at Rs. 17,999. A steel band variant will follow soon after this launch. It is expected to come with a price tag of Rs. 19,999.

The Base model will arrive first and will be followed by a steel strap variant.

The Moto 360 provides some great watch faces and by being one of the two round devices. The other one being LG’s G watch R which is also expected to come later this year. The G watch R has a more authentic watch like feel, but it comes at an expensive price tag.

The main issue with the device is that even though it is shaped round, the Android Wear OS running on it is designed for rectangle devices. So round screen just end up cutting the corners of the content. Another issue with the 360 is the battery life. Motorola claims it lasts a day, but professional testing shows the Smartwatch losing power by the half day point. The wireless charger that comes with it is really cool, but the thing about wearables is that we don’t want to worry about their batteries. The battery woes might disappoint a lot of folks who have been waiting around for the device for a long while.

The Moto 360 still stands out as a unique device. It also comes from a company which has gained a lot of goodwill amongst the users. The 1st generation of the 360 does have some pretty visible flaws. Motorola had a lot of time on their hands to mend the issues. Hopefully, now that the flaws are apparent in the market, Motorola will fix them in their next versions or provide software tweaks to make the 360 better so that it stands true to the Moto Brand. We just have to wait and watch for this Smartwatch.

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September 17, 2014
The Smartwatch Battle Begins! Apple Watch vs Moto 360

Apple’s first attempt on the still nascent wearable market was huge, with people eyeing Tim Cook’s wrist the moment he entered the stage. Apple Watch (not iWatch) will be priced at $349 and will be available by early 2015. It will come in three variations – Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and the Apple Watch Edition. The wearable will be compatible with iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus.

There are already quite a few competitors trying to define what should a smartwatch look like on your wrist. However, Google beat Apple in that race by just a few months by releasing Android Wear. One of the crowd’s favourite is Moto 360 which was launched last week, priced a hundred dollars less at 250$.

The smartwatch technology is still in its infant stage. Apple is known for its innovations and setting trends like it did with iPods and iPads; the Apple Watch is anticipated to have the same impact. However, both Moto 360 and Apple Watch both have their strengths and weaknesses. A quick rundown to help you decide which one to buy, once the devices are available.

Interface

Both companies have provided several interestingly themed watch faces which can be changed easily to suit your mood. Agreed that our watches are getting smarter, but the basic function of the watch is to tell time every time we look at the device. Apple Watch display turns off when you aren’t looking at it. When you turn your wrist, it’ll light up again only showing information when you want it.

In Moto 360, colors pop on the display, and everything is easily viewable, even in direct sunlight. However, when the display is dimmed it darkens after a few seconds of inactivity, but the time is still visible. Though, it is very hard to see outdoors. Waking up the watch is as simple as lifting your wrist; same as on the Apple Watch.

On-The-Go Information and Notifications

Main aim of smartwatches since their earlier days has been to minimize handset use by integrating phone notification with the smartwatch on your wrist for a easy and more convenient experience. In Apple Watch all notifications coming through your phone will pop up on your watch. If the app developer chooses to, they can enrich that notification to let you do a lot more with it — replying to messages or even taking actions, like accepting a Facebook friend request. All together, it sounds fairly decent.

Google’s smartwatch platform is all about notifications, which uses most of its interface. In Moto 360, all of your notifications are routed to it, and you can swipe through the phone to view them all, dismiss them, and even act on some of them. That said, you can’t use them as easily as Apple hopes to allow.

A good smartwatch, in my opinion, is the one gives you what you want, when you want it, without having to do to much. To some extend both Apple and Motorola have achieved that. Apple promises that the person sitting next to you would not be able to tell that you’ve received a notification. The notification buzz will simply give the effect as if someone is tapping you lightly on your wrist. You can customise the apps which you’d like notifications from. It will use the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi from the iPhone for all communication purposes. The built-in speaker phone and microphone can be used to receive calls and use the built-in Siri. With a simple tap on the digital crown, Siri can be activated.

The Moto 360 can do a number of things, such as display incoming calls and texts, measure your heart rate, pull up directions from Google Maps, count your steps, and tell you the weather. The idea behind Android Wear is that the watch should display contextual information before you even need to ask for it. Google Now has always been really capable, and its ability to predict and surface information that you’re interested in is built right into Android Wear. So, for example, if your favorite IPL team has a match at 7 p.m. tonight, Android Wear would display that information on your wrist automatically.

Health and Fitness

The Moto 360 has a heart rate monitor on the underside, that’s good for getting a causal fix on your overall health, but it will not be much of use for vigorous workouts sessions. On the Moto 360 are three pre-installed apps for measuring your overall health. Fit shows how many steps you’ve taken during the day, can measure your heart rate, and lets you set a goal for the number of steps you take each day. In a similar vein, Heart Activity displays how many minutes you need to be active during each day (it’s set at 30 minutes), and how close you are to completing that goal.

Apple Watch promises to take over and take it to a whole new level. Instead of simply tracking daily activities, the watch will actually encourage you to be more active. It has two key apps for this; the first will map your fitness activity through the day, while the second and the more important one, will help you set goals and then help you achieve them.

Thirty-Party Apps

For wearables to entice prospective buyers, third party apps were needed and both Motorola and Apple understood that. Apple has already experimented with certain third-party apps. Developers will be able to create custom notifications for the home screen. For example, the City Mapper will remind you to get off at the right station, the BMW app will direct you to where you would’ve parked your car and the Nike app will allow you to challenge your friends to go for a run.

It’s been a few months, and Google says there are already thousands of apps that support Android Wear. Facebook Messenger, for instance, will now send messages to Wear and can accept responses dictated over voice. Though, we’ve seen a handful of good apps that run specifically on Wear, but no one has actually gave us any breakthrough app yet.

Style

Since watches are worn all the time, it’s important that they look good. The design and style should suit you well. The Apple Watch will be available in six designs. The watch comes with a mechanism which would make it super easy to switch between the straps. The straps include a sport band, soft quilted leather and stainless steel options. And since one size does not fit all, Apple has also developed smaller sizes.

The Moto 360’s 1.56-inch-diameter round display is big, bold, and feels a lot larger than a square display. It has a 320×290 resolution, effectively, at 205ppi. Actually, it’s not fully round there’s a bit of a black bar on the bottom. Apple has done great job by giving us variety, but Moto 360’s round dial and sleek look has already garnered many fans.

A biggest setback is that the Apple Watch will be compatible with only with iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus, on the other hand the Moto 360 isn’t as exclusive or biased to its own brand. Apple definitely stands out with its sophisticated and extensive sensors. Unlike Moto 360, Apple Watch seems to do much more than just showing you notifications. It seems both the devices have the right components, they just need to get some developers to come up with more compelling apps.

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September 10, 2014
The Moto 360 is Finally Here!

We’ve spent months tracking its every move; it is the only smartwatch which promised style as well as utility. And today, amidst all the September Tech madness, Motorola revealed all the details of its most awaited wearable – the Moto 360.

It has stuck to the classic design that it promised months back. The 1.65-inch display is encased in stainless steel, the watch comes in leather straps and has Gorilla Glass protecting the screen from unwanted scratches. We’re extremely pleased with Motorola’s choice of design. Instead of going for bulk, it has stuck to the sleek style of a traditional wrist watch.

The water-proof Moto 360 is going to be a super useful wearable. Powered by Android Wear, it will give timely updates based on location, such as Weather, Time, Reminders, Location and Traffic. It has been enabled with voice control, so even when you’re driving you can easily ask for directions and traffic updates. “Ok Google” can also be used to send text messages. The watch comes with a charging dock, and the battery life is said to last a day.

Like most wearables, Moto 360 has paid attention to our health needs, and provided a heart activity app that tracks daily routine. Priced at $249.99, we’d say it’s a beautiful meddle of leather, glass and technology. Moto 360 comes in two colour variants – silver and black and will be available in India by late September.

September 5, 2014
Motorola to Launch 9 More Devices in Next Four Months

Motorola are already offering quite an impressive line up. And now it seems like Motorola, has big plans for the second half of this year. A new report from PhoneArena, citing an insider source, has revealed that Motorola is planning to launch around 9 devices in next 4 months.

One of top highlight will the new Nexus smartphone along with Moto X+1, Moto G2, Moto X Play, Moto S, Droid Turbo, Droid and Droid Maxx. The reports also added that Moto 360 smartwatch will be one these devices.

The company sent out an invite to the media yesterday, mentioning only that it is going to host an event in New Delhi on September 5. It is widely expected that the company will launch the successors of Moto X and Moto G smartphones as well as Moto 360 smartwatch at the event in New Delhi.

The invite reads, “Mark 05 September on your calendar. Motorola will be holding an event in New Delhi.” Though the invite doesn’t reveal much.

The company has also been rumoured to be working on the next Nexus smartphone, with a device, codenamed Shamu recently showing up on benchmarks. According to speculations, this is the new Nexus smartphone, which comes with a Snapdragon 805 chipset and 3 GB of RAM.

The Moto G2 is expected to come with an improved 8MP rear snapper and faster processor, but the display resolution could remain the same at 1280 x 720 pixels. The improved variant of the Moto X, allegedly the Moto X + 1 is likely to come with 25 back variants during its launch.

It is speculated that the upcoming Moto X could work in sync with the Moto 360. Its circular face measures 1.5-inch LCD display and features 320×290 pixels of resolution. It also comes with a heart rate monitor and a pedometer. The Moto 360 is expected to be priced at $249 that translates to Rs. 15,100.

So get set folks, September is going to be a lot of fun.

August 22, 2014
Moto 360 Specs and Price Leaked
We have been hoping to get our hands on the Moto 360 smartwatch next month. It is said to launch on 4th September. But it seems that we don’t have to wait long to get a preview of what Motorola has in store for us.

Best Buy has gone ahead and (accidentally?) spilled the beans by releasing the device’s features and price. The big-box retailer has posted a product listing for the timepiece that appears to reveal many (though not all) of the specifications. We have seen the device and many leaks that gives us a fairly good image about what the device will look like. Up until now, the only one thing that had been alluding everyone was the price.

According to specs published on Sunday on the electronics retailer’s website, the Moto 360 will cost $250 and feature a 1.5-inch backlit LCD touch screen with a 320×290 resolution and 205 pixels per inch. Corning Gorilla Glass 3 will protect the Android-powered smartwatch’s screen.

The voice-activated smartwatch will sport an optical heart rate monitor, pedometer, and Bluetooth 4.0. It will be compatible with most devices running Android 4.3 or later versions of Google’s mobile operating system, according to Best Buy’s page.

The Moto 360’s availability is listed as “coming soon,” which we can only presume to means after Motorola officially debuts it. Google has hinted that the smartwatch will arrive at some point this summer, and Motorola will likely debut the watch at a press event on 4th September.

Specs mentioned in the product page:
- 1.5-inch backlit LCD touch screen
- 512MB of RAM
- Waterproof up to 3.3-feet for 30 minutes
- Texas Instrument processor
- Built pedometer and HR monitor
- Compatible with Android 4.3 or later
However, Product pages have been wrong in the past. The final specifications for the Moto 360 might differ slightly from what Best Buy has listed, as might the device’s final price. As such, it won’t be shocking if there are at least a few surprises left when the Moto 360 makes its official debut next month.
August 18, 2014
Motorola to Announce Moto 360, X+1 and G2 on 4th September

In case September wasn’t already exciting enough for you, Motorola has now decided to hold one of its biggest announcements of the year on September 4th. The press invite says it all, we are going to be introduced to the next Moto X, the next Moto G, the hotly anticipated Moto 360 smartwatch, and what seems to be a cool new bluetooth headset accessory at the event.

Recapping the rumoured specs of the X+1, the company’s flagship is expected to feature a 5.1” or a 5.2” Full HD 1080p display, a Snapdragon 801 chipset with a 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a 12MP rear-facing shooter, and a healthy 2,900MAh battery.

One of the most anticipated wearables of the year

As for the Moto G2, the device will bump up the screen size to 5” while maintaining the 720p resolution, a Snapdragon 400 chipset with a 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM, along with an 8MP rear camera. Once again, the device will be dual-SIM compatible. There are reports claiming the price tag to be €250, which is a bit of a disappointment considering what a bargain the original Moto G was.

The Moto 360 needs no introduction. Ever since its announcement in March this year, we’ve had a ton of leaks, revealing almost every detail there is to the watch. A beautiful metal body, a 44mm circular round dial, wireless charging, and the latest Android Wear platform. There’s not a lot more that we can ask for. The price of the watch is rumoured to be around the €249 mark, which is a bit steep when compared to its other Android Wear siblings.

The event falls right in between some of the biggest tech announcements of the year, including the Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone 6. Along with those two, IFA Berlin also kicks off on the 4th of September. Motorola will really need these products to be special if they want to make an impact.

By Pranav Arora

August 15, 2014
Rumor Roundup : All That We Know About the Moto 360

The most hotly anticipated wearable of the year, the Moto 360 smartwatch, couldn’t come soon enough. Announced way back in March, the device hasn’t exactly been Moto’s secret project with multiple demos and hands-on videos at this Google I/O this year.

But do we really know every detail about the smart watch? Here’s a rumor roundup to sum up everything we know other than the official information on Motorola’s website.

Use of Premium Materials

As Motorola and Google have made sure to point out several times now, the Moto 360, unlike its Android Wear siblings, the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, will be crafted of premium materials, namely glass and metal. Yes, no cheap plastics here.

But is this really true? A Chinese website, G for Games, recently made claims that the Moto 360 would actually be made of plastics that mimic metal. Now, before you start frowning, we should point out that a lot of tech reviewers are claiming these rumours to be fake. But we can’t be certain until the watch officially releases.

Standard Dimensions

Ever since the announcement, Motorola has made a big deal out of how the Moto 360 will look and feel just like a regular watch. It will have a regular 44mm round dial and a leather strap that can be switched with any other strap.

However, another rumor recently surfaced that Motorola will have to increase the thickness to 13.5mm to incorporate wireless charging into the watch. This will make it considerably thicker than either of it’s siblings, the G Watch and the Gear Live, who stand at 9.95mm and 8.9mm thick, respective

Wireless Charging

In the past couple of months, this has been one of the most consistent rumors. If the Moto 360 manages to support any Qi Wireless Charger, this will be a major accomplishment for the smart watch as it will eliminate the need for proprietary charging docks.

Water Resistant

It has been confirmed by Motorola that the watch will be water resistant. However, no comment has been made on whether it will be IP67 rated or not.

Leaked Images from Mistergadget.net

Optical Heart Rate Sensor

Recent leaked pictures by Italian website Mister Gadget show the Moto 360 flaunting an optical heart rate sensor on its back. We are yet to find out how it will be implemented.

Release Date

Finally, the Moto 360 is believed to be be launching by the end of this summer. This is exciting news, as summer is just coming to an end, and we should expect the watch to be launched at an event in the near future. A very recent rumor is floating that the watch will be released this September. We wish this stands true.

The Moto 360 has definitely managed to become one of the most hotly anticipated gadgets of the year. While we all wait with baited breath for the launch event, if you haven’t already, check out this video by Motorola:

By Pranav Arora

August 7, 2014
Moto 360 is Motorola’s Android Wear Watch

Its no surprise that Motorola will be the first company to drop in the most interesting piece of hardware in the new ecosystem announced by Google, aka Android Wear.

Called the Moto 360, its possibly the best vision of what a smart watch should be like. Motorola has taken the traditional route with the new Moto 360 keeping the design round and the materials very robust. A generous use of Steel and Leather alongside a tried and tested milled round design make the hardware look very promising.

Thanks to very enticing images, we are now aware that the Moto 360 will show maps as well as updates from Google Now. Motorola may have hit the nail right on the head with the new Moto 360, it is said to be available in the summer in a list of varied styles including a Leather strap or all metal strap.

Its goes on sale in the US in the summer to start with, expected globally soon after.

March 19, 2014