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Football leather is now an option for Verizon's Moto X
Football season is in full swing, but let's be honest: a few months worth in the fall and winter isn't enough to last the rest of the year. To help combat the lack of pigskin next summer, Verizon has a new option for the Moto X: football leather. That's right folks, you can skip the colorful, wood or regular ol' leather backs and splurge for a sportier option. If that sounds too good to pass up, a handset with the new cover will set you back $120 with a two-year commitment.
Motorola UK begins selling the Moto 360, discounts the Moto X for one day only
Nigh on a month later than originally planned, Motorola's Moto 360 smartwatch has officially arrived in the UK today (although O2 apparently let a few units slip out at the beginning of the month). The limited stock that's available is up for grabs through Motorola directly, with online sales live right now. The £200 Android Wear watch is particularly notable for its sexy circular design, and to mark its arrival in the UK, Motorola's also knocking £60 off the starting price of its Moto X flagship smartphone for the next 24 hours. Usually £420, the base model is being discounted to £360 for one day only, with the price increasing from there if you add extra storage or one of the more ornate finishes, like leather or wood, using the online Moto Maker customisation tool.
Motorola's new Droid Turbo says hello in leaked photos
Don't fret, Verizon fans: Motorola's long-running line of Droid devices hasn't petered out just yet. It's hard to miss the swirling rumors of an impending Big Red Moto X launch, but a new image obtained by HelloMotoHK lends a little credence to rumors of another Moto handset barreling down the ol' product pipeline. It's (supposedly) the Droid Turbo, yet another Verizon exclusive... and one that might have an awfully beefy slew of components lodged inside the curvaceous, textured shell you see above. Yes, fine, a spy shot of a phone's back might not get you riled up, but some reports suggest it'll pair a Quad HD display with a 2.65GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset and a 20-megapixel camera. HelloMoto's report doesn't do much to bear out all that speculation, though it does mention that the screen'll be 5.2-inches diagonal and that the Turbo will have a front-facing speaker. For what it's worth, Verizon has been getting in on the teasing lately, too: The official DroidLanding Twitter account cryptically noted that faster battery charging is a "bigger deal" a few weeks back, so we just may be on the cusp of another big announcement.
Meet Engadget's new buyer's guide picks: The iPhone 6, Moto X and more!
Here at Engadget, we make good on our promises. So when we say we're going to be updating our buyer's guide more frequently, well, gosh darn, we mean it. Roughly two months after we re-launched the guide, we're adding a bunch of new gadgets, including the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the new Moto X, HTC One M8 for Windows, the Acer C720 Chromebook, the NVIDIA Shield gaming tablet and the Moto 360 smartwatch. Of course, we also had to remove some of our original picks to make room for the new ones: The new, 5.2-inch Moto X takes the place of the old 4.7-inch one, while the Moto 360 overtakes the Samsung Gear Live -- formerly our favorite Android Wear device. We're also getting rid of all the BlackBerrys for now. That's not to say BBM hold-outs should switch operating systems, but until we get to try the new BlackBerry Passport, we're going to refrain from including those older models. Check out our guide right here, and stay tuned for more updates next month -- who knows what we'll be adding then!
iPhone 6, Moto 360 review and other stories you might've missed
Even if you do live under a rock, you probably heard that Apple unveiled a larger-sized iPhone and its first wearable. But that's not all we have on deck this weekend -- we reviewed the Moto 360, investigated the benefits of using dash cams and more! Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last seven days. Oh, and be sure to subscribe to our Flipboard magazine!
Engadget Daily: Sony's dwindling empire, Acer's selfie sombrero and more!
It's Friday, folks. You made it. But before you checkout for the weekend (i.e. Destiny-filled all-nighters), take a look at all our news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Engadget Daily: Moto X review, 'Ninja Particles' and more!
Ninja Particles? Yep, IBM's new superbug-fighting nanobots are even cooler than their name. But that's not all we've got on deck today. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Moto X review (2014): from also-ran to amazing in one year
I'll be honest with you: When the first Moto X came out last year, some early apprehension soon gave way to unwavering fondness. It wasn't because of the sheer horsepower (there wasn't much of it) or a stunner of a screen (it was fine, at best). No, it was because the Moto X smacked of pluck. You could customize it to hell and back. It tried to improve on stock Android with software features that were actually quite useful. And the icing on the cake? It was a pure joy to hold. Motorola -- a company that basically jump-started the premium Android phone movement with the Droid before getting lost in an endless loop of modest annual upgrades -- seemed to have a pulse again. So here we are, one year later, and the X has finally gotten an upgrade to match the rest of the mobile big boys. Is it enough to make the new X a winner? Is Motorola really back? Read on, dear friends, and we'll see.
The Moto X returns: high-end specs, aluminum frame and leather back
As a half dozen of my colleagues toil away in Berlin bringing you the latest news from the likes of Samsung and Sony, I'm more than 4,000 miles away in the city of Chicago. Specifically, I'm in Motorola's headquarters, which spans 600,000 square feet across four floors high atop the Merchandise Mart, a large and impressive commercial building built in 1931. After taking a grand tour through its facilities, I finally encounter Motorola's latest flagship smartphone: the Moto X. No, not last year's Moto X. I mean the new Moto X, the one that it's announcing today to the world. Yes, the company -- which Lenovo has recently agreed to purchase -- has decided to keep the name the same. But aside from the name, the new Moto X promises to be different. It's bigger, beefier and it boasts a number of new features and design tweaks that should up the X's desirability quotient considerably. All of that, and the new Moto X is priced to please: It starts at only $99.99 on-contract and $499.99 (£419.99) unlocked.
Motorola's Moto X sequel spotted
Want a good, clear look at one of the devices Motorola is expected to unveil at its September 4th event? You've got it. As a parting shot, retiring leaker Evan Blass (aka @evleaks) has posted press images for Motorola's next big flagship smartphone, frequently known as the X+1. It largely confirms what previously appeared in some dimly-lit photos, including dual camera flashes, a wooden back option and Moto E-style front-facing speakers. There are a couple of new tidbits, though. The Verizon logo leaves no doubts about one of the supporting US carriers, and we're curious about those dots on the top and bottom bezels -- are they Fire phone-like face tracking cameras, plain old screws or something else? You'll get the full scoop in a couple of weeks, but this serves as a nice (if very unofficial) teaser.
You can now unlock your Motorola phone with a 'digital tattoo'
Hate unlocking your Android smartphone so much that even Face Unlock or Skip feels like too much of a hassle? Motorola just came to your rescue. The company has partnered with VivaLnk to launch the previously teased Digital Tattoo, an NFC-based skin tag that unlocks your phone (currently limited to the Moto X) with a quick tap. The tattoo can stay on your body for up to five days, and it should survive abuses like showers and sweat-laden runs. It's a clever approach that might be appealing if you're fed up with PIN codes and patterns, although the back-of-a-napkin math suggests that you're paying a lot just to save a couple of seconds when checking your email. VivaLnk is asking $10 for packs of 10 tattoos, or enough to last 50 days -- you'll have to spend $80 to get through a whole year. It could be useful for those busy days when you're constantly waking up your handset, but you might be better off rolling that money into a Moto 360 or your next big phone upgrade.
Motorola doubles the Moto X's storage and lets you try one for a penny
Motorola has just released a 64GB version of its customizable Moto X handset, and is extra keen to get one in your hands. It just launched a promotion that will allow you to put a nominal $.01 deposit down on that or any Moto X model, and customize it using Moto Maker. It'll then ship it out, and once you've had a look you can either pay for it (the new 64GB version is $450) or send it back, with no hard feelings or strings attached. The cynical among us may say that it's anxious to unload stock as a result of its acquisition by Lenovo and the resulting Texas plant closure, though Motorola says otherwise. Either way, it seems sure that you won't be able to resist a Moto X of your own design once it's in your hands. We don't disagree -- but for that price, we're also tempted by other options. Update: It's too late for the penny promotion, sorry folks! After barely getting started, Motorola now says it has already sold all the Moto X handsets allotted for the try-then-buy deal.
Motorola confirms Moto Maker isn't dying, despite US factory closure
Today's revelation that Motorola is shutting down its sole American plant is an indication that its latest flagship didn't do as well as expected in the US and the costs of operating the Texas factory were simply too high to continue operations. Since the facility focused heavily on shipping Moto Maker products to US consumers, speculation arose that the feature -- which gives you the ability to customize the color and trim of your Moto X -- would die along with it. Upon reaching out to Motorola, a spokesperson confirmed to us that Moto Maker is not going away as a result of the factory's closure.
Motorola to close its Moto X plant in Texas by the end of the year
Motorola became part of a growing trend when it opened a plant in Texas to build its flagship Moto X, but just a year on, its now decided to shut down its US manufacturing operations. According to The Wall Street Journal, employee numbers have plummeted from nearly 4,000 when it was in full swing to only 700, and the plan is to close the factory by the end of the year. Motorola's intention was to offset the inherently higher cost of manufacturing in the US, compared with places like China, by being able to get handsets to customers quicker, and manage the Moto Maker customization process on home turf. But, despite churning out 100,000 Moto Xs a week at one point and progressively making the handset cheaper, the 'born in the USA' vision hasn't paid dividends.
A new version of the Moto X is coming this summer
After Lenovo's recent purchase, questions immediately arose surrounding Motorola's planned device launches for 2014. In a Twitter Q&A surrounding the events at Mobile World Congress, the handset maker revealed that the next version of its popular Moto X is coming in "late summer." Unfortunately, that's about all the outfit was willing to spill for now, but we'll be curious to see how things like manufacturing play out in the coming months.
Motorola Migrate can now shepherd iOS users (and their data) to a new life on Android
If a Motorola device has recently charmed you away from the iPhone, make sure to check out the company's Migrate app. Moto just refreshed the transfer tool to add iOS support (similar to the one found on MotoMaker), making it easier to transfer iCloud data to Google's services -- so long as you have a supported handset. Unfortunately, it'll only work with the Moto X, Moto G, Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx and Droid Mini at the moment, and it can only port calendar entries and contacts. Still, those are two things to slash off your list when moving phones, leaving you with more time to worry about transferring all those selfies.
Motorola expands Moto X wood finish options, drops the price premium to $25
If you've wanted a Moto X with a wood finish, but didn't like bamboo or the $100 price premium over a regular model, we have good news: Motorola has just made the option a lot more appealing. Starting January 21st, you'll get to customize the Android smartphone with an ebony, teak or walnut backing (rosewood isn't an option, alas). That astronomical price has come down to Earth, too, as the wood option now costs a more reasonable $25. We can't imagine that many prospective Moto X buyers have been waiting for a device that matches their coffee table, but those particularly demanding customers should be very happy after next week.
Motorola's Moto X is coming to the UK, France and Germany on February 1st for £380
When Motorola returned from Google's wilderness, it came back with a new approach to phone design and customization. The Moto X was the subject of plenty of envious glances from the other side of the pond, and while the Moto G is an excellent low-end smartphone, it couldn't entirely scratch that itch, you know? That's why it's to our delight that the flagship is now coming to the UK, France and Germany albeit without the choose-your-own-body options that are available in the Moto Maker, at least not at launch. According to CEO Dennis Woodside, the company will launch the service just as soon as it can work out how to deliver the units within the same four-day window as it does in the US. It'll be priced for £380 unlocked, or for around £25 a month when it lands in stores on February 1st.
Motorola announces January 14th event in UK, hints at Moto X in the invite
UK residents that liked the Moto G, but wanted the Moto X might not have to wait long. In middle of untold CES-based emails, rants and schedule updates, Motorola tells us that it'll be holding a London event for a "new addition" to the Motorola family. Oh look, there's a Moto X right in the photo. You can join the dots, right?
Motorola's New Year's resolution is to sell more smartphones, drops unlocked Moto X to $400
It's no secret that Motorola's flagship Moto X hasn't been a tremendous hit with consumers, and with considerable inventory likely building up, it's time to move some product. Google's smartphone arm is kicking off the new year with some aggressive new pricing. The base configured Moto X will now run you $400 without a contract or carrier affiliation, while the much-anticipated wood flavor now commands a cool $500. Moto Maker pricing remains at $100 with a new AT&T, Sprint or Verizon contract, if a two-year agreement is how you like to roll.
