Motorola officially unveils the Moto X today. Although we'll have exact details soon, there's still plenty we know about the device -- and even more that we don't. Here's a sampling of what's certain and what's still up in the air.
What we know for sure
August 1 reveal date
Official invitations have been sent; Motorola will introduce the long-rumored handset on August 1. On July 26, the Moto X officially cleared the FCC.In stores by October
Motorola first confirmed that the Moto X is real and that it would arrive before October.
Motorola has officially switched on a sign-up page for the Moto X, giving interested readers an opportunity to learn more about the phone as the launch approaches.
According to tech blogger Taylor Wimberly, an unverified source suggested that carriers would sell the phone as soon as today.
It will come in black and white
The Motorola invitation shows these two hues, but there's a possibility we'll see more colors emerge.It's curvy
The first few images of the Moto X to pop up showed a more gentle approach to Motorola's recent tough, edgy form factor. Gone are the angular shoulders and Kevlar coating, replaced with a curvy back and what looks like a plain, soft-touch finish.
The official Moto X invitation confirms that we'll see rounded edges and slight bevels.
What we think we know
The Moto X will be customizable
Motorola's Guy Kawasaki threw the Android faithful into a tizzy when he hinted at the possibility of customized smartphones.
Molded glass
It isn't clear which components exactly will be customizable: the color, the capacity, the apps, custom back plates, or the finish. But here's some of what we'd like to see.
The Moto X could feature molded Gorilla Glass that wraps over the sides of the phone. It could be called "Moto Magic Glass." According to tech blogger Taylor Wimberly, there will be zero gap between the glass and the back case.
If there's a display element beneath the glass, this kind of treatment could support a customized ticker or other notifications along the edges. Or, it might just be plain old glass for added sheen and premium oomph.
It will be contextually aware
Various members of the Google and Motorola teams played coy over the last couple of months, alluding to features in the upcoming device. Talk centered mostly around battery life, durability, and contextually aware settings.
"Contextually aware" can mean a lot of things that involve location, sensors for light and spatial positioning, incline, and so on. If the phone senses you're outside at night, for instance, it may turn on night settings. If it detects you're traveling, the phone could line up some transportation and dining tips.
Motorola hasn't given any indications that this is what it means in terms of the Moto X, but when we think of Google Now's personal assistance capabilities, we get the sense of what a phone could do.
Google Now is always listening
A recently leaked (and subsequently pulled) YouTube video, allegedly from Canadian carrier Rogers Wireless, gave a few hints as what's in store for the phone. Among the details in the short clip were an always-listening Google Now experience that can be activated by saying "OK, Google Now." Additionally, the phone was shown to have onscreen notifications called Active Updates.Quicker camera launching
Another feature of this YouTube video was waking up the phone into the camera app. A simple flick of the wrist may be all it takes to launch the app from your pocket.In stores by August
Even though we know for sure we'll see the Moto X before October, a recently leaked Verizon road map points to an August 23 sales date. Considering that Google's own Eric Schmidt has been spotted out and about with a Moto X we might expect it that it's mostly retail-ready.
A few of the rumored color cases for the Moto X smartphone.
It will have a nano SIM
According to a leaked photo, the Moto X will join Apple's iPhone 5 in using a nano SIM card.What's still up in the air
If rumors are correct, the comparatively lackluster midrange feature set could include a 720p HD AMOLED display (we'd guess a 4.5- or 4.7-inch screen with that resolution), a 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 Pro processor, and a 10-megapixel camera.Hardware details.
We have to remain skeptical about the Moto X's leaked specifications, which seem lower than they should be for Moto's comeback hopeful.
The phone could also come with 16GB internal storage and 2GB of RAM. Motorola's Droid Razr series is completely embedded, which means there's no removable battery, but there is an expansion slot. If the Moto X is the same, users with high storage needs should be happy.
Android version
While early rumors pointed to an Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean build, recent chatter indicates that Google could have 4.3 ready to go. Google is announcing something on July 24, and we've got our money on Android 4.3. That timing would put the Moto X in line to be the first phone on the market to ship with the new OS.Camera specifics
Whatever the megapixel and sensor size, the Moto X's camera might have its own special sauce. Rather than implementing your standard run-of-the-mill digital camera lens in the Moto X, customers could see a new sensor with technology known as Clear Pixel.
Kodak apparently uses the technology to improve the way that a sensor captures light when taking a photograph, making photos clearer and less dark. There don't seem to be any other sources to substantiate the claim, but it's an interesting idea.
Interestingly enough, Motorola recently toyed with Twitter followers on the camera front, saying "Either this kid is really fast, or today's phones are really slow."
Sales model
Rumors suggest that the Moto X will be offered through multiple carriers, not just through Verizon as with the company's Droid line of phones. Should that be the case, we may look for standard color and finishes at retails stores.
There's also been talk of Google selling the smartphone direct to consumers through the Google Play store. What remains unclear is whether customers will be able to buy the custom designs through either channel. With rumors of 16 colors (translate) and multiple finishes, either Motorola or Google could run the e-tail show from their Web sites.
Cost
Since most of today's top phones still hover at the $200 mark on contract, there's a good chance that the Moto X will slide in around that range or slightly under. At the end of the day, it'll all depend on the specs we see.
We think there could be a surcharge for custom phones, especially if they involve engravings, etchings, or harder-to-manufacture designs.
Motorola's Moto X event kicks off August 1 in New York.
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