Motorola Unveils 4.7-Inch Moto X Smartphone with 24-Hour Battery and Touchless Controls

[Karma*Police]

This sucks. The only thing I envy of the samsungs and motorolas is the screen size.
How in the world Apple is not seeing the light?
Size Matters. iPhone users want bigger phones.
Stupid Tim Cook doesn't realize the "experience" can be better with more space...
This pisses me off a lot!

While I agree that Apple should have multiple sizes, not all iPhone users want bigger phones. I have an HTC One and an iPhone 5, and the iPhone gets far more use. The .7" inches does not materially alter the user experience. In fact, the iPhone 5 is far easier to navigate with one hand and I appreciate the smaller and lighter form factor.

 

[osaga]

For what it's worth, I use Siri all the time. It saves me a ton of time setting reminders, alarms, calendar entries, adding to lists (grocery list, etc.), doing math, converting units, etc. I rarely have any trouble with it not understanding me – even in the car with music or talk shows on, etc.

Do you ever use Siri in front of other people? At a grocery store, on the street, or at an airport restaurant, etc.? I find it a little embarrassing unless you're doing it sarcastically. Alone, no problem.

 

[ppdix]

Touchless is really not very useful...

I like and use some voice commands on my iPhone and even in my 2013 Audi S5.
On my iPhone, I ask Siri to set alarms, timers, reminders and to find simple things and also to dictate in 3 different languages, which does save a lot of time.
Everything works fine provided there is not a lot of background noise or other people talking next to you, which can be a problem.
The other problem is the fact that commands take some time to process.
Let's say you want to play a song. You have to invoke Siri and then say what you want to play. Siri will say something like, OK, let's hear David Bowie and the first song on the album will play.
Nice, but if you are already playing a song, then you have to stop it to say the command and then, 10 seconds later it will play.
Same in my car. I can ask it to play a song, but it requires you to stop whatever is playing and say the command. Hope the car understood what u wanted and then after a few seconds it should play. if it doesn't understand, then it will ask you which album or artist u wanted... Such a waste of time. I Can scroll on the screen in seconds, while the music is playing and queue the next song easily.
Same goes for navigation: I can say, "Google Search: Italian Restaurant". After a few seconds it will give me the results and I can navigate to it or get the info I need about the place but the music stopped playing, the navigation screen is stuck on "please wait"... Another waste of time.
Relying solely on voice commands is dumb and not useful in some situations.
Apple and others should concentrate their efforts into improving the OS user interface instead.
I do use the dictation feature a lot while driving. It does come in handy but it misses some words sometimes, so you are forced to edit the mistakes, which is as dangerous as typing the message entirely to begin with...

 

[The13thDoctor]

Its a bit pricy as far as android phones go. For that price, I could easily pick up a HTC One or a S4. So I guess the sell point would probably be the customisation part and the battery, the specs are pretty much run of the mill.

 

[ppdix]

While I agree that Apple should have multiple sizes, not all iPhone users want bigger phones. I have an HTC One and an iPhone 5, and the iPhone gets far more use. The .7" inches does not materially alter the user experience. In fact, the iPhone 5 is far easier to navigate with one hand and I appreciate the smaller and lighter form factor.

I agree, the bigger the phone, the harder it is to handle with one hand...
I think Apple should give us choices. The experience from 3.5" to 4" is huge!
There should be an iPhone 5C at 4" and a 5S at 4.5" or higher and for whoever wants one, an iPhone 5XL like the Galaxy Notes.
I also don't understand the concept behind the iPhone 5C coming in a few colors. Just sell it in Black and white and let people customize hundreds of ways.
I use the Draco Design Aluminum case for my iPhone 5. I get a lot of compliments, questions and surprised people asking what kinda iPhone this is. I make it my own. Personalized. So can anyone else.
3 different size iPhones would solve lots of problems and current users very happy.
Remember we had to wait almost 2 years for copy and paste and 5 years for an extra 1/2" screen...
Apple DOESN'T LISTEN...

 

[techwhiz]

Why on earth are they claiming 24 hour battery? That's just a marketing BS way of saying "it lasts a day with average use" which is the case for almost every major smartphone now. They know damn well it will be immediately debunked so why bother? There is no way in hell they got a 2200mAH to last anything even remotely close to 24 hours of usage when Motorola themselves make phones with higher capacity batteries. Unless of course they've mastered witchcraft.

I easily get 24 hours with marginal use on my Razr HD.
The X along with the new Razr variants should get better power.
This includes a few calls, some games, some streaming, some GPS and some web lookups.

 

[Shrink]

Let's see, how could this be accomplished?

The only truly sensible and realistic solution was mentioned in a earlier post...telekinesis!

 

[bjb.butler]

Google servers listening on every conversation … waiting for a command? no thank you.

The phone is only listening locally. Good try though.

 

[techwhiz]

This is the flagship product that Motorola/Google is releasing and it runs (X-1) version from last year and NOT the version X released a month or so back.

Doesn't this show that the platform is severely fragmented? Am not discounting the phone or its features. But what does this release show to the user - Google's own Motorola cannot come up with a phone running latest greatest, how can this task be expected from other OEMs.

There are a lot of cool features that many may like... only the lack of latest greatest is a weakness that even Google cannot handle. Why? Is the platform and extend of customization so complex that OEMs take months if not year to provide updates? May be the knowledgeable experts can share their thoughts.

The phone and the OS were in development at the same time.
4.2.2 and 4.3 are not completely different.
4.3 changes a few APIs but the look and the feel on a phone is basically the same. I have a Nexus 7 and I upgraded to 4.3 and really can't tell the difference. They added "TRIM" support for memory and some other stuff.

4.3 is still a JellyBean release. It's a minor release.

 

[ElTorro]

Same thing with my co-worker. In her case, she not only found Android to be confusing and frustrating to use, but her Galaxy S3 is now refusing to charge properly / hold a charge. She's limping along until iPhone 5S comes out.

I guess she is too lazy to go to Best Buy and get a $20 OEM battery

 

[cleanup]

The screen size. That's all an iPhone user can envy from an Assdroid phone...

Actually most of my friends who use iPhones are pretty interested in how my phone works; when I show them how file management works (a la the Share function) they usually bemoan how tricky and confusing it is to manage files across multiple apps with an iPhone. The fact that Android maintains some basic, common-sense file management ability is actually kind of huge in daily usage, particularly for me as I like to use a lot of photo editing and productivity apps.

 

[entatlrg]

While I agree that Apple should have multiple sizes, not all iPhone users want bigger phones. I have an HTC One and an iPhone 5, and the iPhone gets far more use. The .7" inches does not materially alter the user experience. In fact, the iPhone 5 is far easier to navigate with one hand and I appreciate the smaller and lighter form factor.

Same with me, I have the new HTC One and the iPhone 5 and I prefer my iPhone over the HTC by FAR. Definitely like the size of the iPhone.

 

[techwhiz]

I like that too. I've seen manufacturing crumble in this country over the past few decades and its good to see some of that coming back now.

My one concern is serviceability. I like that my iPhone 5 can be easily repaired, based on what I've seen from the iFixit teardown. I read Anandtech's article on the Moto X and it looks pretty sealed up. Guess there's no way to know for sure until someone takes it apart, but I favor devices where I can do the repairs myself if necessary.

What kind of repairs are you doing??
That's what Applecare+, Squaretrade and Insurance are for.
I'm mechanically inclined and have done surface mount PCB rework in the past (not as a living, I design chips for a living). I prefer to let someone else deal with the phone. Broken glass? Let them fix it. Motorola is a bit slow but glass repairs for their phones run about $100 directly from Motorola.

 

[Taz Mangus]

The iSheep are getting a little peek outside their walled garden.

People on the android sites are accustomed to awesomeness so this is nothing new.

It is kind of funny.

Yea, like dude it is totaly awesome NOT!

 

[jyen]

I like the red, white and blue background on the phone. Nice way to convey that the phone is made in the USA.

 

[Hastings101]

Usually try to avoid buying off of contract so I don't end up a phone junkie but I might just get this to replace my HTC One X+ if the reviews are good.

 

[The Robot Cow]

Some people expected this to be some sort of hyper-spec hardware beast that'll have a 8.75ghz quadcore and 32gb of ram.

I love this phone, and i think it takes a page from Apple.
Quality not quantity.

 

[captain kaos]

This just shows the competition are striking earlier than expected before the launch of the 5S and if all that model turns out to be is a 'faster, sharper' model of the 5 - but with fingerprint recognition - then Apple cant expect to continue as it has done unchallenged to date ...

Cant Imitate My Ass!

I agree. There are things i like about Android, there are certainly things i like about this Moto X, such as the notifications on the sleeping screen, definitely the battery life if true, the clear view pixels and the customisation of colours. These are things Apple isn't doing at the moment, and i think they are playing catch up. Things are looking a bit worn out and old in the Apple design for both software and hardware. Granted S/W is looking better with iOS7, but theres still some things Android is doing better-i.e, i'd like more Android like lock screen notifications.

I can see this new colour iphone as the main phone, not the "cheap" option, mainly as if they keep going with the current iphone 5 design, it really is looking old. Say the naming stays, we get a 5S this year, then its another year before another possible design change, which is a long time in the tech world. I really see the S spec bump every other year with the same externals as making Apple slow to design change, and i think they are going to get off the old naming convention this year.

 

[Michael CM1]

Haha the comments here so far are more positive than on Google friendly tech sites.

Everybody thinks the backup QB is so much better than the starter despite the fact that the starter IS the starter for a reason.

Some people switch between phones and like the other better. But I get amazed at how many times on here I see someone say they finally decided to buy some Android phone and then realized how much they missed the iOS environment.

Every time I use my Windows notebook I am reminded of why I switched to Mac OS about a decade ago. Windows 7 is not that different from XP as far location, but I find myself stupefied at how difficult it is to do just simple crap in settings. I figure the Android environment is the same thing, and I have no desire whatsoever to even test it.

 

[Oracle1729]

While I agree that Apple should have multiple sizes, not all iPhone users want bigger phones. I have an HTC One and an iPhone 5, and the iPhone gets far more use. The .7" inches does not materially alter the user experience. In fact, the iPhone 5 is far easier to navigate with one hand and I appreciate the smaller and lighter form factor.

That's why multiple sizes are the answer. For me, the .7" is the difference between a tiny cramped device I can't even be bothered running apps on any more and a fantastic user experience.

Lots of people have very good reasons why the smaller screen is better. I have yet to see a reason why any single size is better than 2 sizes. There's 2 iMac sizes, 2 iPad sizes. 1 iPhone size.

 

[Krauser]

And if you believe that, I've got a bridge I'd like to sell you...

You know he's right, don't you? That's part of the X8 mobile chip Motorola is using in this and the new droids. One of the processor cores is constantly doing voice recognition which is completely local. Its always listening but not always broadcasting to a server. When it recognizes "OK Google now..." it records the phrase and then connects to the server. Believing it is constantly listening AND connecting to the server would not only destroy data but it would kill battery. Seriously, why is it so hard to think its locally done? That's the appeal of this mobile chip set. Its an S4 pro with two added cores. One does continuous local voice recognition and the other does continuous local sensor data capture so you can do the motion stuff.

 

[Kwill]

I rate battery life above megapixels.

 

[Oracle1729]

Some people switch between phones and like the other better. But I get amazed at how many times on here I see someone say they finally decided to buy some Android phone and then realized how much they missed the iOS environment.

I'm still using my 4S I bought launch week (paid full price to replace a stolen 4), even though I've been eligible for a subsidized upgrade for 8 months. I feel trapped, I hate the tiny screen now, but I'm sure I'd be in the camp that misses iOS. So I don't feel like buying anything.

Every time I use my Windows notebook I am reminded of why I switched to Mac OS about a decade ago. Windows 7 is not that different from XP as far location, but I find myself stupefied at how difficult it is to do just simple crap in settings. I figure the Android environment is the same thing, and I have no desire whatsoever to even test it.

Windows 7 is pretty decent, windows 8 is complete garbage. Either way I love MacOS it is so far superior to windows that I can't see myself switching.

That being said, MacOS does some things that are stupid difficult. It blocks you from accessing non-standard ports. Last time I checked, they're in the spec for a reason, but the average drone doesn't need them so Apple blocks them and makes it a nightmare to get around them.

I use VPN quite a bit, and Apple does something weird that makes PPTP more trouble to use than it's worth, so I end up on L2TP which doesn't suit my needs as well but apparently it's the Apple way and Apple wants to get their way in everything.

The other thing I hate is that Apple leaves out key functionality on purpose just to force you to buy other stuff. Look at everything the ATV could do but Apple doesn't allow. On the other hand, I'd like to use my mac mini as an air display receiver, it would have been simple for Apple to add it but they're trying to sell more ATV hardware. Instead I had to buy a $15 app to get a simple feature that should have been part of the OS.

So basically because windows is such complete crap, Apple has me; there is no way I'll convert, but it feels like they're abusing it.

 

[bobenhaus]

Not really.

There are privacy technologies vendors can deploy to protect the users.

Google refused to obey the do-not-tack RFC and were fined in EU. There are other privacy tech that should be implemented. If you watch the WWDC videos, you can see these solutions in iOS too.

Yeah but the point is it’s not going to stop anytime soon and why stop yourself from enjoying nice technology worrying about something you really have no control over. We all know government is tracking everyone. It’s just a waste of time. I use whatever fits my needs and do it with caution and that’s the smartest thing you can do.

 

[powerstrokin]

You know he's right, don't you? That's part of the X8 mobile chip Motorola is using in this and the new droids. One of the processor cores is constantly doing voice recognition which is completely local. Its always listening but not always broadcasting to a server. When it recognizes "OK Google now..." it records the phrase and then connects to the server. Believing it is constantly listening AND connecting to the server would not only destroy data but it would kill battery. Seriously, why is it so hard to think its locally done? That's the appeal of this mobile chip set. Its an S4 pro with two added cores. One does continuous local voice recognition and the other does continuous local sensor data capture so you can do the motion stuff.

Do you believe that at the point in time it DOES connect to the server, that it isn't sending in the data it previously heard while offline? That's what I'm scoffing at...

I'm not debating the fact that it uses voice recognition while offline.

I guess it probably doesn't matter either way. People will continue to post their entire lives on facebook or whatever else anyways, with no dignity or need for privacy felt at all.

Meh...