One of the more surprising aspects of Motorola’s Moto X launch this week was that the company decided to sell a smartphone with mid-level specs at a high-end price. Motorola says that users who don’t want to pay $200 for Moto X don’t need to worry, however, because the company plans on releasing a cheaper version of the device as well. CNET reports that Motorola this week revealed that it will release a low-cost version of its new flagship device that’s tailored specifically for prepaid carriers and consumers in emerging markets later this year. Motorola Mobility CEO Dennis Woodside told CNET that the company’s goal is to give more people “access to affordable smartphones” that don’t scrimp on quality, since “the experience of devices you can get for less than $200 is subpar right now.”
Just over 24 hours ago Motorola and Google announced their all new smartphone, the Moto X. For many it was an exciting unveil and quite the handset, although we know many of you aren’t fond of the price. However, you might be fond of the system dump with all those new goodies under the hood, not to mention the Moto X wallpapers.
The phone is in the hands of a lucky few at the moment, but won’t be arriving for regular folks until later this month. The end of August is when we’re expecting almost all major US carriers to announce and sell the phone. In the meantime though, if you’d like to make your current device look a little fancy we have all the wallpapers ready for you now.
There’s an entire system dump, as well as all 16 wallpapers that come stock on the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean powered smartphone. Oh and don’t forget the camera app leaked last week.
If you like the split color wallpaper above, or any of the wallpapers you’ve seen from press photo’s our own hands on, or a few of those recently released Moto X TV ad spots, hit the download link below and get them now. Question of the day. Who will be getting the Moto X?
The pure Android-laden HTC One and GALAXY S 4 Google Play Edition of the two handsets are seeing a version boost to Android 4.3 this evening, with reports surfacing that some users have scored an over-the-air update. Though not every handset owner has received it yet, the details are already rolling out for all to see.
Those with the handsets will be seeing the OTA update showing up as build JWR66V – the Samsung GALAXY S 4 version is the larger one with a 180MB size, and the HTC One is a bit smaller at about 150MB. After updating, users are seeing several changes, including larger widget panel icons and the ability to tether with Bluetooth (for the GALAXY S 4, that is).
When using the Google Play Edition handsets in comparison with their regular-variety cousins, the pure Android software feels snappier with regular use, though the benchmarks betwixt the two show relatively the same numbers. Obviously, the lack of preloaded software reduces the overall file size – in the case of the S 4, it takes it down to the 6GB range. Meanwhile, the hardware remains relatively unchanged.
As we said, the update is arriving to users over-the-air, and not all users are seeing it yet – if you’re one of them, hang tight. For those not familiar with Android 4.3, it brings several changes, including improved rendering, enhancements, and changes for developers.
There are smartphones, and then there’s the Megaphone
In case you’ve neglected to notice, smartphones are getting bigger, and in 2013 in particular we’ve seen manufacturers push past the six-inch screen mark and into the bizarre no man’s land between phones and tablets.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega is one such device, with a titanic 6.3-inch display. On the face of things, it’s essentially an oversized Galaxy S4, in the same way the S4 Mini is an undersized Galaxy S4. But there’s more to it than that, and the result of Samsung’s efforts is a product that’s closer to a highly portable mid-range tablet than a smartphone. (Though it’s perfectly capable of making calls, should you desire to do so.)
Check out our video walkthrough after the break, and be sure to share your own thoughts on this 6.3-inch megaphone down in the comments.
With the Samsung Galaxy S4 now out of the way the door has been thrown open for the Korean firm's other high-end smartphone to get a reboot in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
Rumours are circulating about Samsung's next super-sized handset, suggesting it's going to get even bigger - even though the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 raised eyebrows with its larger size.
Samsung executive J.K. Shin has confirmed the existence of the Galaxy Note 3, revealing it will feature a non-flexible 5.9-inch OLED display.
Samsung Kazakhstan has also slipped up, accidentally revealing the Galaxy Note 3 on its official website alongside the Galaxy Z4 Zoom and Galaxy Tab 3 10.1.
We're constantly on the look out for Galaxy Note 3 news and you'll be able to find all the latest right here. You lucky things.
Announcement and release date
In terms of a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date the trail is pretty cold at the moment with "later this year" all we have to go on for now.
If previous iterations of the handset are anything to go by we can expect Samsung to uncover the third generation Galaxy Note smartphone towards the end of August, in the run up to IFA 2013 in Berlin.
Samsung executive J.K. Shin has said the Note 3 will arrive at IFA in September, although we're still waiting on an official comment from Samsung itself.
This would mean that the Galaxy Note 3 would probably hit stores around October if previous cycles are maintained - but given the Samsung Galaxy S4 emerged earlier this year, could the same trick be repeated for the Note 3?
A separate report suggests something rather different however, tipping the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date for July or August - although we'd be surprised if the Korean firm didn't wait for IFA in September.
Update: We now have a tentative Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date ofSeptember 4 - two days before the IFA conference in Berlin opens. This falls on one of the media days before the event, so seems to make sense as a potential launch date.
More than a pretty penny in price
You can expect the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to carry a hefty price tag, probably in line with the Galaxy S4 - making it more expensive than its Chinese rivals the ZTE Grand Memo and the Huawei Ascend Mate.
The Note 3 will probably set you back at least £550 (around $800/AU$770) give or take, plus there will be regional variances too.
Does the screen need to get bigger?
Although exact specs are still unknown the general consensus seems to suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will sport an even bigger screen than its 5.5-inch predecessor.
Early reports pointed towards a whopping 6.3-inch display, which would see the handset dwarf the 6.1-inch Ascend Mate and 5.7-inch Grand Memo.
Other sources have claimed that the Galaxy Note 3 could actually pack a slightly more modest 5.9-inch AMOLED screen.
We thought Samsung may have let the cat out of the bag on its own website after listing a smartphone accessory compatible with screens from "4- to 6.3-inches", potentially hinting at a massive display bump for the Note 3 - although with the announcement of the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Galaxy Mega 6.3 this is now less likely.
Screen size, then, remains a mystery but that's not the only quandary we have regarding the display on the Galaxy Note 3. Oh no, there are now reports suggesting it will be the first phone to sport a flexible OLED display.
Samsung did show off such a display at CES 2013 - although it wasn't part of a phone at the time and we reckon there's still some way to go before it's ready to hit our handsets, but it certainly gives us food for thought - especially now there are reports that Samsung is mulling three designs, one of which includes a flexible option.
We're also hearing that the Galaxy Note 3 may actually pack a 5.99-inch, Full HD display - although this news has come from unknown "inside sources".
Could this be Samsung replacing the Note range, or adding more feathers to its super-sized cap?
With JK Shin "confirming" the existence of the Galaxy Note 3, the Samsung exec is also reported revealing the 5.9-inch OLED display the super sized handset will pack.
Update: The 6-inch screen size gets another shout out as part of an image leak on Twitter, with @punkpanda noting the screen was "accounting for 84%" of the front of the device.
The operating system conundrum
We can be pretty sure that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will roll up running Google's Android platform, but which particular version that will be is not so black and white.
Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie is expected to be announced at Google's IO event in May, potentially alongside the Nexus 5 - which would put the Note 3 in the running to also launch with the latest version of the software.
However if history has taught us anything it's that assuming is for fools - as we've seen numerous handsets launched with older versions of Android - but the Note 2 was one of the first handsets from Samsung to launch withJelly Bean, so perhaps a Key Lime Pie device isn't so unlikely.
The latest reports now point towards the Note 3 running Android 4.3 - an updated version of Jelly Bean which may arrive at Google IO ahead of a delayed Key Lime Pie.
Specs
The big screen won't be the only feature Samsung will want to shout about though, as you can expect the Galaxy Note 3 to be packing some serious tech under the hood.
It could be another industry leading handset (the Note 2 was the most powerful smartphone when it launched) with reports suggesting it will follow in the footsteps of the Galaxy S4 with a ridiculous octo-core chip.
As this device will fall into Samsung's "Note" family you can expect the fabled S-Pen to make another appearance here as it looks to rub shoulders with the Galaxy Note 8.0 and Galaxy Note 10.1.
According to Android Geeks a software engineer has spilled the beans on the S Orb camera feature which is apparently destined to debut on the Galaxy Note 3, after reports earlier this year suggested it would arrive on the Galaxy S4.
The usually reliable SamMobile has also had its say on the Note 3, with its own "inside sources" claiming the handset will be the most powerful in the world with a octa-core processor, eight-core GPU, 3GB of RAM, 5.99-inch Full HD display and a 13MP rear camera.
There's been further leaks surrounding that 13MP camera, with news claiming the snapper will sport optical image stabilisation tech, which will apparently give traditional cameras a run for their money.
Update: The suggestion of 3GB of RAM has been given another boost by a second source "confirming" the memory of the Note 3.
Apparently the Galaxy Note 3 will measure 8mm in thickness and weigh in at 183g, so slimmer than the Galaxy Note 2, but pretty much the same weight.
Plastic or metal?
Many were hoping the Samsung Galaxy S4 would see the Korean firm change its way when it came to chassis construction - ditching the plastic for a fancier metallic finish, but alas this wasn't the case.
The whole plastic vs metal debate isn't over though and now rumours are suggesting the Galaxy Note 3 could well sport a hard alloy case.
SamMobile sources reckon the HTC One has "worried" Samsung, leading the manufacturer to consider a new material for the Note 3.
We've also seen an image slip out online claiming to show the metallic body of the Galaxy Note 3 and a completely new design language for Samsung - although we're not overly convinced by this.
Credit: @evleaks
Those hoping Samsung will pull out some premium materials for the Galaxy Note 3 may have their dreams dashed as inside sources claim the handset will follow in the footsteps of the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S3 in terms of design.
More images of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 have surface, this time showing off a rounder handset which bears more of a resemblance to the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S4.
HTC has released the kernel source code and related platform support files for the Google Play edition HTC One, as required under the GPL. The code drop comes ahead of the Google Play HTC One's Android 4.3 update — officially, the phone's still on 4.2.2, and we've not seen any updates on our own devices just yet.
The kernel source code is from software version 3.06.1700.10 (up from 2.14.1700.15) and Linux kernel version 3.4.10 (unchanged from the 4.2 firmware.)
We've checked Samsung's open source release center and there's no Android 4.3 code on there just yet, so it looks like HTC's first out the gate with its kernel release. In any case, hopefully this means the 4.3 update for Google Play edition phones is just around the corner. We'll let you know as soon as the updates start rolling out.
Like most everyone here, I was pretty excited to see exactly what Motorola had to tell us yesterday. After months of hype and countless rumors, I was curious about what they would, and could, offer up with the X Phone and how it would differ from all those rumors. You just knew they all couldn't be true.
As the news came in, I was pretty happy with the parts that were true. The specs and the new X8 computing system is something I'm excited to have a go with, allowing buyers to pick their color may sound silly but it will be a big hit with plenty of folks, and even the 720p screen was something I'm fine with. A screen is more than the ppi. But the killer feature, and one that matters most to me, was just not to be. That broke the deal.
Motorola (and Google, since they write the checks) made this one all about the carriers by not selling it themselves.
The AT&T-only color customizations, and the all-important 32GB version exclusivity, made me want to kick something. I am a little disappointed with the price, but willing to accept that smartphones are a luxury item and we'll see big markups on them. My $600 and me would have parted ways as soon as I was able to buy one, except I'm not buying one from AT&T or Verizon.
I can't help but remember the limited launch of the Galaxy Nexus, where the US version was tied to Verizon. Google took a shot and held hands with Big Red, and look how that turned out. Verizon sold more than a few, and the people who bought one soon started complaining about Verizon's control over the device. And I don't blame them, it was (and still is) ridiculous. I look back on Motorola's previous phones, some of which I really liked, and realized that the experience of every one of them was made worse because they were tied to a carrier. I'm a firm believer that you can't make anything better by adding heavy amounts of AT&T or Verizon to it. Needless to say, I was really disappointed at the news of how and where I can buy one.
Oh we know they are coming. Motorola told us as much. Dev editions and unlocked models are in the works. We hope they will have access to all the colors and 32GB of storage, but most of all we hope they come timely.
I am really interested in the Moto X, and still want very much to buy one — a yellow one with "Fatal if swallowed" engraved on the back if at all possible, but even a model in basic black would be fine. But at heart, I'm both a consumer and a tech-geek. My attention span is pretty short, and that $600 won't last long. I'm not going to give it to AT&T, so if you want my money you'll need to offer me the phone you showed us, free of any carrier foolery now and in the future.
Working to clarify some of the confusion surrounding the Moto X launch yesterday, VP of Product Management at Motorola Punit Soni shed some light on the state of bootloader unlocking and Developer Editions. In a post on his Google+ page, Soni explained that the Moto X hitting Sprint, U.S. Cellular, T-Mobile and Rogers will all have unlockable bootloaders — that is, locked out of the box and unlockable will Motorola's tools.
Additionally, he stated that two different Moto X "Developer Edition" devices will be made available, one for Verizon and one "general North American" version. Presumably since the AT&T model wasn't named specifically as having an unlockable bootloader, this North American Developer Edition will be an unlocked GSM model with AT&T-compatible bands.
This is certainly a big deal for those who have been questioning Motorola's tactics with its carrier partnerships on the Moto X. But we're holding off on our overwhelming applause until these devices hit store shelves (be it virtually or otherwise) where people can actually buy them. We still question why the message has been so murky on these unlockable and Developer Edition devices in the first place.
Sony has started pushing out an update to the Xperia Z, ZL and ZR yesterday that builds on the previous jump to Android 4.2.2 with several fixes and improvements. We have just pulled down the v10.3.1.A.0.244 update on our own Xperia ZL (C6506 model) via the Sony Bridge for Mac application, but the update is supposedly pushing out OTA (over-the-air) as well.
While we don't notice any immediate changes, across all three devices users are reporting various subtle fixes such as a smoother boot animation, more efficient RAM management, improved 3G signal strength and touch response. A couple of camera changes have been made as well, giving access to high resolution images when not using HDR and improving low light performance.
Other fixes reported are sleep and wake times improving, fixing screen flicker and fixing unusual battery readings. While we never saw these issues on our own Xperia ZL, it's good to see Sony following up with minor updates to fix a group of small issues. Together with the big update these devices received to Android 4.2.2 recently, Sony is clearly taking updates to its devices seriously.
Following right on the heels of HTC releasing the kernel source for the Google Play edition HTC One, Samsung has released its required code for the GPe Galaxy S4. This isn't at all surprising, as the manufacturers are required under their license to make the kernel source for these devices available. What is surprising is that the source is for Android 4.3, a build that as of now hasn't been pushed to either one of these devices.
We have to think that the kernel source code being published means that these updates will be on their way in short order. In the meantime those who need this kind of source code can start looking through it (search for i9505g at the source link below) — remember that this isn't everything needed to make a custom ROM, just the kernel bits. Keep on the lookout for those OTA's, folks.
For Big Red customers looking for a new phone that's a bit more svelte than today's average Android phone, The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini with a big fat Verizon logo has been outed in some leaked pictures over at Engadget, We're going to assume that the SCH-i435 will be the same basic Mini as the world version Alex had a look at last June, though it's always possible Verizon has done a little tweaking here and there.
While the Mini won't satisfy anyone's need for raw specs, we found it a decent performer, though slightly hampered by a less than stellar screen. But being one of the few phones available under 4.5-inches, that may be a trade-off many are willing to make. It looks like Verizon is betting on just that, and the S4 Mini should be a great seller if it's priced accordingly with a new agreement.
Of course, nothing is official until Verizon says it's official, and we'll keep an ear to the ground for more news on this one. After the break there's one more picture that gives a good impression of the overall size compared to the iPhone 5. For more images and details, including comparisons to its bigger bother, be sure to have a read of our Galaxy S4 Mini review.
Scattered reports of users with both the HTC One Google Play edition and the Galaxy S4 Google Play edition phones seeing an OTA update to Android 4.3 are coming in this evening. We've seen the kernel source for both devices uploaded to the web — a legal requirement before any software is delivered — so we've been expecting the updates.
Users should see the same basic experience that Nexus users have been playing with, plus the few minor additions that Samsung and HTC have made with Boomsound and Flipcover support.
There are bound to be a few bugs, but perhaps the most exciting part of the whole thing is that we've got a good idea what "timely" updates means, at least this time around.
If you've got either of the Google Play edition devices, start hammering that button.
Update: Shortly after the soak testers started getting emails, Verizon made 4.2 official for everyone with a Xoom. We're not sure if they still have something special planned for testers or if they're done with the Xoom.
Update 2: It seems that the soak test has begun, and it is for Android 4.1.2 — despite the official Verizon page (see screen shot after the break). We may see a retraction from Verizon soon.
Almost 3 months after the initial invites were sent out by Motorola, emails telling participants that the soak test for the Verizon Motorola Xoom 4G LTE will soon begin and finally being sent. At the time when the invitations initially went out, it was expected that Xoom owners would get a version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to test, or maybe Android 4.2. Now that more time has passed, and Android 4.3 has been released, things could change — although it is unlikely.
It would make sense for Motorola to bring the Verizon Xoom up to the same Android version as its WiFi-only sibling, Android 4.1.2. We won't know for sure until builds become available to those participating in the soak test, which should be any time now. Verizon Xoom owners that received an invite back in May, make sure to keep an eye on your inbox.
In case you’ve neglected to notice, smartphones are getting bigger, and in 2013 in particular we’ve seen manufacturers push past the six-inch screen mark and into the bizarre no man’s land between phones and tablets.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega is one such device, with a titanic 6.3-inch display. On the face of things, it’s essentially an oversized Galaxy S4, in the same way the S4 Mini is an undersized Galaxy S4. But there’s more to it than that, and the result of Samsung’s efforts is a product that’s closer to a highly portable mid-range tablet than a smartphone. (Though it’s perfectly capable of making calls, should you desire to do so.)
Check out our video walkthrough after the break, and be sure to share your own thoughts on this 6.3-inch megaphone down in the comments.
New line of products planned for European market instead, spokesperson tells Pocket-Lint
There's disappointment tonight for buyers in the UK hoping to pick up Motorola's much-hyped Moto Xhandset. British tech site Pocket-Lint says a Moto spokesperson has confirmed that the device will not be coming to the UK. Instead, the Moto X is apparently the first in a new family of Motorola phones, and more devices in this family will be launched globally in the future.
The site quotes a Motorola spokesperson as saying —
"Because it is the first one, the Moto X has had a real buzz around it, but the US launch is not about the US being Motorola's priority at all, there are devices coming to Europe. We can't share what they are as of yet, but they are from the same family. They are cool and they are exciting and there is a lot in Europe coming up."
Motorola UK has been fairly quiet over the past year. The British arm's last major launch was the Intel Atom-powered RAZR i last September — a device which although decent, failed to set the smartphone world alight. This year there'll be more Moto handsets for Brits to look forward to — hopefully with a similar feature set to the Moto X. Until then we'll just have to watch, with envious eyes and a stiff upper lip.
UK readers — were you planning on picking up a Moto X? Will you be waiting for Moto's new global products instead? Share your thoughts down in the comments.
The annual IFA show in Berlin, Germany is usually pretty significant for Samsung. In 2010 it's where the company showed off its first Android tablet, the original Galaxy Tab. And for the past two years it's seen the launch of both Galaxy Note devices, as well as new classes of product like the Galaxy Camera.
And this year Samsung may continue the trend, if reports from South Korea's Asia Economic are to be believed. The publication reports that the third Galaxy Note handset will be announced at a gathering in Berlin on Sep. 4, two days ahead of IFA opening its doors to the public. What's more, Samsung may use the same event to launch its smart watch, the existence of which was confirmed by a company executive back in March. The report points out that a September unveiling would allow Samsung to get its product into the public eye before competing wearables from the likes of LG, Google and Apple appear.
As for the Galaxy Note 3, Asia Economic reports that a 5.7-inch AMOLED panel will be used in the device -- a small bump up from the 5.5-inch Note 2 display -- as well as a "new" Exynos 5 Octa CPU and 3 gigabytes of RAM. If accurate, that'd make Samsung's new hybrid device a formidable beast in terms of both size and specs.
We'll be live in Berlin for IFA next month, so be sure to stick around for all the show's Android-related developments.
The August 2 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is theCruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case for LG Nexus 4. These gel cases are made from shock absorbent and scratch resistant TPU. They are slim-fitting, and provide great protection for the Nexus 4 from day to day use and drops. The sleek, light-weight design of this case fully wraps around the device while also raising the front to protect the screen while face down. Available in several color options to choose from!
The Cruzerlite Bugdroid Circuit Case is available for just$7.00, 65% off today only. Backed by our 60-day return policy and fast shipping.
Most are in agreement that the HTC One is one of the best-looking and best-built phones out there, but sometimes you want a little protection from the elements. If you're going to cover up that beautiful aluminum shell with something, it might as well have our very own Lloyd stenciled on the back.
The Lloyd Flex Case is a light and durable TPU case that protects your HTC One without adding much bulk and looks darn cool doing it. Hang on after the break and see what it has to offer.
Like most rubber TPU cases, the Lloyd Flex case is one solid piece and fits tightly around all edges of the device. The bulk of the case is a glossy material that doesn't provide a ton of grip but should protect against drops well. Offsetting the slippery glossy portions are large ribbed grippers that run the sides of the device and provide just the right amount of resistance for your fingers and hand. Because it's a tough material the case can be tricky to get on the phone, but the upside is that it won't slip off accidentally.
The best part of this case is likely the giant embossed Lloyd logo that adorns the back of the case, which is raised above the glossy parts around it to give a nice feel in your hand. When you're not busy showing off Lloyd, you'll have full access to all of the ports on your One — we had no issues plugging anything in to the ports or accessing the buttons.
The Lloyd Flex Case is a good option if you're looking for a cheap and simple case to keep your HTC One safe when you expect it to take some bumps. It is available now from ShopAndroid for $10.95 and comes in black, clear, smoke and green color options.
Motorola and Google, as we like to say in the South, have done good. We've finally gotten our first look at the new Moto X today in New York City. This thing's been leaked eight ways to Sunday over the past few months — and frankly a lot of what you're about to read we saw in last week's Droid announcements— but pick up the Moto X for the first time and you know you're feeling not just another phone, but a phone looking to do things a little different.
The Moto X is the first phone designed and built from scratch since Google acquired Motorola. And the end result is a phone that's as simple as it is complex. Its design is as understated as it is attractive. There have been so many assumptions about what the first Googlerola phone should be. It should be "Pure Google." It should have NASA-level hardware. It should have at least as many features as the droid line.
What Motorola's done is taken solid hardware and attractive design and married it to a fairly stock version of Android — with some interesting features thrown in, as well as a number of customization options. It's coming to five U.S. carriers in a few weeks and worldwide later, retailing for $199 on contract.
And with that, here's our first look at the Moto X.
The Moto X hands-on video
Moto X hardware
First things first: The Moto X is deceptively big. Motorola has squeezed a 4.7-inch display into a phone that feels a lot smaller. It's not a particularly thin device — hitting 10.4 mm at its fattest point — but it's curvy in all the right places. (We've never believed that thinner always was better anyway.) The back of the phone curves very nicely into your hand, even better than the HTC One, which does the same sort of thing. The feel of the back depends on how you've customized yours. We're currently holding a soft-touch model, but there's glossy plastic to be had — and, yes, Motorola is prototyping wood backs, to be released later this year.
We'll touch on the customizations in a bit.
The 10-megapixel camera and flash are recessed ever so slightly, as is Motorola's logo. The back of the phone isn't removable or anything. No swapping batteries. No microSD card. And if you customize your phone, no swapping it out for anything else. What's there is there.
Up top is the 3.5mm headphone jack. The microUSB port is centered on the bottom. The power button and volume rocker are on the right-hand side. The nano-SIM is on the left.
The front of the Moto X is decidedly black-slabbish, but it's worth noting how the glass flows around the 90-degree edges and into the plastic body. It's very well done.
The Moto X is using the same X8 "Mobile Computing System" under the hood as Verizon's recent Droid refresh. That is to say, it's a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro running at 1.7 GHz, a quad-core Adreno GPU, and dedicated Natural Language Processing and "contextual computing" cores. The latter two are key to the Moto X's major software features.
Other hardware points of note:
2GB Of RAM
The display is (only) 720x1280, and it's AMOLED RGB. It's certainly usable, but probably not our favorite display.
The battery's got a 2,200 mAh capacity, and Motorola swears it'll go all day. As in 24 hours.
Most versions of the Moto X sports 16GB of internal memory. AT&T has the exclusive on a 32GB version.
You'll get 50GB of free storage on Google Drive for two years.
NFC and Miracast are on board.
Wifi does 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac.
aGPS and GLONASS for finding your way around.
The Moto X software …
You've got a relatively stock experience on the Moto X. Home screens, app drawers and settings are as God and Google intended. The two major customizations are Touchless Control — think Google Now without the annoyance of having to turn on your phone and actually touch anything — and Active Display, which is a low-power way of showing you information on the display without actually having to wake the phone.
Touchless Control
For Touchless Control, you'll have to teach Moto X what it sounds like when you say "OK, Google Now." From then on, the phone will be listening for you — or someone who sounds like you — to say that magic phrase. The phone will wake and be ready for voice commands. No touch required at all. And it works pretty well. Is it possible for someone else to activate? Yep. Seen it happen. It's also subject to the same limitations of Google Now. But that's a software thing, and Google Now's getting better all the time.
This is where some folks have worried about the phone being "always on" or "always listening." We're not going to let that keep us up at night.
Active Display
Active Display — again, like on the Droid line — shows you a bit of information without actually having to hit the power button and waking the phone. A clock will flash every few seconds. If you get e-mail or a text message or something, you'll know it here as well. The items that can appear on the Active Display are customizable — and some can live behind a lockscreen, hidden from prying eyes. You also can set the hours during which you want to see Active Notifications. Don't want 'em at night? Turn 'em off.
The camera app
Moto X has a new camera as well (unless you have one of the new Droids, we suppose), with that quick-flip way of getting to it. Called "Quick Capture," you just turn your wrist twice — like turning a screwdriver or a doorknob — and the camera app fires up. In just a couple seconds from any point, you're able to take pictures. (You can turn that off if you want, and the usual camera icon works just fine as well.) The camera app itself is nicely done, too. Not overloaded with features, you get to the options by sliding out from the left-hand side. From there you have options for HDR, flash, autofocus — by default, you tap the screen to take a picture; this option lets you touch to focus instead — slow-motion, panorama (no Photosphere, though), Geotagging and shutter sound.
It's also worth taking a look at the Assist app, which is sort of an offshoot of the old Smart Actions. The phone will recognize when you're driving, when you're in a meeting or when you're sleeping, and change its behavior appropriately. Moving at 55 mph? Chances are you're driving, so it'll fire up the car mode. Or it'll silence the phone at night.
Other software we're seeing:
We'll withhold official praise until we see a final retail version, but there's not a whole lot of AT&T bloatware on the unit we've got here.
Motorola's got its own "Migrate" app for transferring data from another device. You'll need to download it on the other device from Goggle Play.
There's a translate app built in as well.
There's a Motorola Connect Chrome extension if you want to get texts and such on your computer as well as your phone.
Customizing the Moto X
Motorola wants this to be your Moto X. And to that end, you're going to be able to customize it. Colors, backs, styles, textures — including, yes, wood — will be yours for the choosing.
If you're on AT&T, that is. For now, one of the coolest features of Moto X is constrained to a single U.S. carrier. That's great for AT&T. It's great if you're on AT&T. And it's lousy for everyone else. Motorola needs to get that opened up as soon as it can.
You'll do all your customizing through "Moto Maker." You can change up the color on the front. Or the back. The accents. You can even inscribe a name or message on the back of the phone. At AT&T stores, you'll have the option to either pick a basic white or black version and leave the store with a phone right then. Or if you go the custom route, you'll pay and get a redemption code, then design your phone at home.
From there, Motorola promises you'll get your phone within four days — that's one perk of assembling the phones (not manufacturing, but assembling) in the U.S. Fort Worth, Texas, to be exact.
Along with colors and designs (and the option to choose between 16GB of storage, or 32GB for another $50), you'll be able to purchase accessories — headphones, speakers, cases and earbuds — directly from Motorola.
