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Wired's LED-powered Moto X ad lets you try custom colors before you buy
Designing compelling interactive ads for web is hardly a challenge for experienced marketers, but engaging print magazine readers in a similar way requires significant creativity. One method is through technology -- Esquire stood out at newsstands with its attention-grabbing E Ink cover in October 2008, and Forbes turned some heads with a Microsoft ad earlier this year that integrated a functioning T-Mobile WiFi hotspot -- but Wired's January 2014 issue shall not go without mention, thanks in no small part to a partnership with Motorola. A trio of LEDs, a slab of plexiglass, four batteries and an array of buttons make up an interactive Moto X ad, right in the middle of the magazine. The design enables readers to "customize" a Moto X's rear, with bright LEDs illuminating the phone in 11 different colors. Tap blue and the phone lights up blue, yellow and it's yellow, red for red, and so on. The ad shuts off after a few seconds of inactivity, so those four lithium batteries should last you for quite some time, serving as a reminder of Moto's accomplishment long after the smartphone is laid to rest, while boosting this issue's appeal for collectors as well. Digitas, the advertising agency tasked with creating the ad over the last six months, says 150,000 copies of Wired in New York and Chicago will include the interactive advertisement. It's available on newsstands in those cities as well, so you should be able to get your hands on one even if you're not a subscriber. It's a costly endeavor, no doubt, but if today's publicity is any indication, it should pay off. Take a closer look in our hands-on (and teardown) video, embedded after the break.
Got wood? Moto Maker does and it'll cost you $100 extra
Motorola promised us Moto X's made of wood many moons ago, and the day has finally arrived. Folks who like their electronics built of more... sustainable materials can head on over to the Moto Maker website and snag an X phone constructed of bamboo. The catch? (There's always a catch.) To indulge your wooden inclinations, it'll cost an extra $100 dollars over the standard personalized Moto X, and there's currently a two-week wait to get one. So, you won't be able to put it under the tree, but if you head on over to the source, you may just have it in hand to start 2014.
Moto X Touchless Control update lets you speak your unlock code
You no longer have to give up some of the Moto X's voice commands if you want to rely on security codes. An update to the smartphone's Touchless Control app lets you speak a PIN code to unlock the device; as long as you're not worried about eavesdroppers, you can check private messages without poking at the screen. You won't even have to unlock the phone as often as before, since the upgrade expands the range of Google Now voice instructions that work while the handset is sleeping. You'll need to be running Android 4.4 KitKat on your Moto X to use the improved Touchless Control, but it's otherwise ready to download through Google Play.
Motorola kicks off its Moto X do-over sale with extra stock (update: sold out)
After wannabe buyers failed to get a Moto X for $150 off on Cyber Monday due to higher-than-expected demand and problems with MotoMaker, Motorola announced two new sale days. The first is today, with another chance next Monday (December 9th) and there's a silver lining if you were skunked before. Google's handset arm said that it has increased the stock available for both days, meaning there's now a better chance of nabbing one at a discount. You'll need to register for the promotion (at the source) either today or Monday starting at noon EST, at which point you'll get a code if any handsets are left. You can then take up to a week to customize and order one for the contract-free $349 price. The whole debacle at least shows that folks still want a Moto X, despite rumors of tepid sales -- just not at the original price. Update: It seems that Motorola has inherited Google's inability to estimate demand, because today's allotment of discounted Moto X's has already been snapped up. As is now noted on the site, you've got one more shot at it on Monday, December 9th at 12 noon EST.
Moto X for Verizon starts getting Android 4.4 KitKat (update: T-Mobile, AT&T too)
Motorola promised that it would be one of the first to roll out the Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade to its smartphones, and it's making good on its word. The Google-owned company has announced that Moto X users on Verizon are getting the OS update beginning today. Most of the improvements are those inherent to KitKat itself, such as new Gallery editing features and the smarter phone dialer. However, Motorola has significantly improved its custom camera app -- you can now drag your finger to control both the exposure and focus points. Details for Moto X upgrades on other carriers are coming "very soon," the phone maker says. Whether or not you're part of this first wave, you can check out the KitKat upgrade release notes at the source link. Update (11/21): The Motorola blog post has been updated today, indicating KitKat is rolling out for the Moto X on T-Mobile as well. Update 2 (11/22): Now it's AT&T's turn, apparently when Moto said news on other carriers was coming soon, it meant it.
Moto Maker customization for Moto X now available on all major carriers
AT&T's monopoly over personalized Moto X handsets has finally come to an end. As was predicted last week, the Moto Maker website has opened up to customers on Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. The free service allows you choose from a wide range of back plate colors, a selection of front plate colors and accent colors, to create a unique handset design that Motorola says will reach you in just four days. While there's still no sign of the wooden-style Moto X back plates, the company has added a personal engraving option and confirmed it'll begin rolling out Android 4.4 KitKat to the Moto X soon -- maybe after it unveils the Moto G on November 13th.
Verizon's Moto X customization page is online right now, not that you can use it
It's less than a day until we're expecting to see carriers other than AT&T offer customization options for the Moto X, and it looks as if Verizon's already getting its ducks in a row. One of our eagle-eyed readers has spotted that Big Red has thrown up a Moto Maker page, which should, from tomorrow, let you select various cover and button combinations for Google's new mid-ranger. Naturally, the page is currently inactive, but at least you can bookmark it ahead of tomorrow's anticipated announcement, right? [Thanks, Paul]
Moto Maker customization for Moto X may soon be available on all major carriers
Fancy as those personalized Moto X handsets may be, they've so far only been an option for customers on AT&T. If evidence from @evleaks and Android Central is to be believed, however, Motorola's special factory lines will open up to Verizon and Sprint customers this coming Monday, November 11th, and possibly today on T-Mobile. The free Moto Maker service allows you choose from a wide range of back plate colors, a couple of front plate colors and some accents colors, so that you never have to experience the world-ending embarrassment of turning up to a party where someone else is wearing the same phone. There was also meant to be a signature engraving option as part of the service, but it's running fashionably late.
Motorola phones updating to Android 4.4 KitKat include Moto X, newer Droids
Now that Google's latest mobile OS is officially rolling out, the folks over at Motorola are letting end users know which phones will see Android 4.4 KitKat, and which ones won't. As AndroidCentral points out, digging through the upgrade tool reveals pretty much what you'd expect: all Moto X variants are on the list, as well as the company's recent Droid Mini, Ultra and Maxx devices. Statuses for the Droid Razr HD, Razr Maxx HD and Razr M are left fuzzily tagged "future plan coming soon" while the Droid Bionic, Razr Maxx and Droid 4 are all confirmed staying on Android 4.1.2. VP of Product Management Punit Soni posts on Google+ that Motorola will keep updating the website as plans get more detailed (and hopefully get release dates, or at least windows).
Moto X camera updates skip carriers, available through Google Play
Moto X users tired of waiting on their laggard service providers for camera updates should be happy to find out that future camera updates to Motorola's latest big deal are bypassing carriers and headed straight for Google Play. The first such update is already available on the Google Play store, as spotted by Droid-Life, and it's said to add a brighter viewfinder display, expand Quick Capture, and fix some bugs. All in all, it's a smart play for Google in addressing user issues directly rather than sticking to the (flawed) standard system. And it's sure nice for Moto X owners who haven't been thrilled with the phone's camera for some time now -- the recent updates are said to make it a much more functional part of the Moto X.
Daily Roundup: Xbox One dashboard, fresh Samsung SDKs, Rogers' Moto X and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
IRL: Testing the Moto X on Canada's Rogers network
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. After a two-week hiatus, we're back -- and we've got some new banner artwork in tow (don't all thank us at once, now). During that time, too, resident phone collector Jon Fingas has been testing the Moto X on Rogers in Canada. Turns out, he likes it, even if he can't deck it on Moto Maker.
Daily Roundup: McLaren's futuristic P1 'hypercar,' Moto X price drop, Scentee hands-on and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Moto X price drops to $100 at Moto Maker, Sprint and US Cellular
Many have griped about the Moto X's $200 on-contract price, which is a lot to pay for hardware that's frequently considered mid-range. Motorola must have heard that grousing, as the price of its 16GB Android flagship has dropped to $100 for both AT&T's Moto Maker variant as well as the plainer Sprint and US Cellular versions. AT&T's customized 32GB phone is also cheaper at $150. The regular 16GB AT&T and Verizon editions still sell through the carriers for $200, although it's possible to pick up either of them for $100 at third-party stores like Amazon. While the discounts won't sway those who insist on high-end hardware, they could easily tip the balance for anyone who was holding out for a better deal.
Moto X camera fix finally rolling out to Verizon variants
You don't have to keep hanging on, Verizon subscribers: that critical Moto X camera fix is rolling out now. Though we've yet to see it on our own handset, Phandroid is reporting that Motorola's over-the-air update has finally passed Verizon's rigorous testing and should be hitting all handsets soon. The update includes a slew of tweaks to refine the accuracy of features like Touchless Controls and Motorola Assist's text-to-speech. But the main improvement most are anticipating concerns the camera. As a refresher, the update (which has already hit T-mobile, Sprint and AT&T variants) should see users enjoying faster focus times, more balanced color representation and better exposure for outdoor shooting. And with that, we can finally put the Moto X's camera foibles to rest.
MotoMaker scores iPhone transfer tool, ships Moto X with your data inside
Transferring contacts and data to a new phone is always a pain, but Motorola is trying to make the process a little easier. Now, users can order a new Moto X with their existing contacts baked into the phone before it ships, thanks to MotoMaker's new Migrate tool. The migration helper pops up at the end of the program's Moto X design process, and copies your iCloud data to Google. Unfortunately, the tool can only bring over contacts and calendar entries at this point, but Motorola plans to develop it further. According to the company, it should take around five minutes to port up to 500 contacts and 500 calendar entries. It'll take a little longer if you have an inordinately large contact list, but hey, at least you won't have to start from scratch.
Refresh Roundup: week of October 7th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Moto X camera fix begins rolling out to AT&T-branded devices
It only took two weeks, but Motorola's firmware fix for the Moto X has passed AT&T's scrutiny and, as of today, has begun rolling out to handsets. Owners of that particular variant should see an over-the-air update arrive that brings with it the very same imaging improvements we first saw hit T-Mobile's unbranded variant. Things like low light performance and color accuracy are all getting a much-needed boost, in addition to tweaks for a faster touch-to-focus response time and better exposure for outdoor shots. But the Moto X's camera software isn't the only area getting patched -- Touchless Controls have also been adjusted to deliver users better voice recognition and more immediate results, while setup for the "Ok Google Now" feature has been simplified. So, has this firmware update hit your handset yet? Let us know in the comments below.
T-Mobile Moto X gets updated with significant camera enhancements
In our review of the Moto X, we determined that while its ClearPixel camera was decent, its performance was hit or miss. Fortunately, Motorola has taken a lot of feedback and has cranked out a software update with improvements to the camera's performance, specifically in the areas of exposure, color accuracy and focus speed. The refresh, which is so far getting pushed out to T-Mobile phones -- we expect it to roll out to other carriers as soon as each one is done testing the new firmware, though nothing is currently confirmed -- appears to make a rather substantial difference in several scenarios, such as reducing noise in low-light and eliminating haze in outdoor shots. Anandtech's Brian Klug had the opportunity to take the updated shooter for a test run and declared it to be "nothing short of the biggest [improvement] I've ever seen come across in an OTA update." In addition to the camera improvements, Motorola also threw in a few other enhancements as well. Users who have downloaded the update should expect increased Touchless Control accuracy, a fix for the choppy audio issue some have experienced in voice calls and an improvement to Moto Assist as well.
Refresh Roundup: week of September 16th, 2013
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
