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Daily Roundup: Sony's 'Project Morpheus,' the Moto 360 smartwatch 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.
Android Wear: Zen and the art of smartwatch design
Are you ready for a smartwatch that knows where you are, what information is important to you and, above all, wants you to forget that you're even wearing it? That seems to be the basic idea behind Google's Android Wear platform, which promises to deliver contextual, relevant information to you whenever you need it, while fading into the background when you don't. With today's announcement of the Android Wear platform for wearables, much of the discussion has revolved around how Google is following the Android smartphone playbook and focusing on creating an ecosystem that can accommodate multiple manufacturers, with a range of products with different price points and feature sets. And Google has lined up an impressive list of partners, including smartphone makers HTC, LG and Motorola; chipmaker and smartwatch-wannabe Qualcomm; and watchmaker Fossil. Even Samsung, which just last month held a splashy launch for its latest round of Gear smartwatches, is in on the game.
This is Motorola's new Android Wear smartwatch: Moto 360
LG went first, and now it's Motorola's turn to unveil its Android Wear smartwatch: the Moto 360. Putting an emphasis on the tried-and-true design of classic timepieces, Motorola's crafted a smartwatch that hews closely to a more traditional, premium look. The Moto 360 boasts a circular, digital watchface powered by Android Wear that grants users access to notifications with, presumably, gestures, as the company's official line mentions the need for a "twist of the wrist." There's also Google Now integration, much like on the G Watch, that'll make checking in on the weather, sports scores or flights a hands-free affair just by saying, "Ok Google." From the looks of it, Moto's made what's arguably the sexiest smartwatch we've seen to date, but that image above isn't the only form factor we'll be seeing. When the Moto 360 launches this summer worldwide, it'll come in a "variety of styles," and sport leather or metallic bands. If you happen to live in the US, you'll be getting first dibs on this Android Wear looker when it debuts.
