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The next Moto smartwatches will include an Apple Watch clone
More Moto smartwatches are coming in 2021, including a design that not-so-subtly mimics the Apple Watch.
The Moto 360 smartwatch is back, but Motorola isn't making it
The original Moto 360 was one of the most attractive smartwatches around when it launched way back in 2015. As the first round Android Wear watch, it made a huge impression with slick-looking wearables fans despite some hiccups at launch, but as with so many tech firsts, it gradually lost its charm. Now, however, it's making a comeback.
Motorola's holding a two-day sale for its top devices in the UK
If the latest flagships from Samsung and HTC haven't impressed you, now might be a good time to reconsider a Motorola phone. Starting at midnight on May 18th, the company is holding a 48-hour sale in the UK with hefty discounts on the Moto X, Nexus 6 and Moto 360 smartwatch. The Moto X is being cut by £96, pushing the 16GB model down to £299 and the 32GB version to £339. The gargantuan Nexus 6, meanwhile, is being dropped to £449 (32GB) and £519 (64GB), which is just £30 less than the current asking price.
Apple Watch vs. the competition: Where does it stand?
Now that Mobile World Congress has come and gone, bringing with it a slew of smartwatch announcements, it's time to learn more about Apple's own highly anticipated entry into the market. We finally have a firm release date and a price -- April 24, starting at $349 for the 38mm Apple Watch Sport. But the field it's entering has changed quite a bit since the Apple Watch was first announced in September. What can the Apple Watch expect to face off against when it hits stores, and how does it ultimately stack up? We've compared some of the top models in the table below, and you can walk through our gallery to learn about even more options on the market.
Here's what our readers are saying about the Moto 360
When Android Wear was announced back in March, we asked our readers in a poll which of the first two launch devices they wanted: the Moto 360 or the LG G Watch. The Moto 360 won hands down, by a three-to-one ratio. That anticipation only increased as competing Android Wear products hit the market first. The Moto 360 was finally released in September, and we gave it a score of 76 in our own review, saying Motorola's smartwatch "outclasses everything else on the market" and dubbed it "the Android Wear watch to beat." Now that this highly coveted wearable has been out for a while, how does it hold up to your scrutiny? We took a look at the user reviews you left us on the Moto 360's Engadget product page to find out where it delivered -- and where it stumbled.
Check out our latest wearable buyer's guide
Since we first posted our buyer's guide this summer, one of the most awaited wearables, the Moto 360, was released and is now starting to encircle the wrists of Android users everywhere. While it did have some battery woes at launch, recent software updates have addressed the issue, keeping this definitively watch-like device as one of our top selections this year. It's obviously not the only quantifying and notifying option out there, so for a quick refresher on some of our other top picks you can head to the gallery below. You can also check out our full listing of phones, laptops, tablets and wearables that could help flesh out your holiday wishlist. There's still more to come over the next few months, and we'd love to hear your input (in the comments below) on what items you'd like to see included.
HP teamed up with a fashion designer to make a stunning smartwatch
As beautiful as the look of the Moto 360 is, there are people who would prefer something that's styled more like a traditional watch. For this, the MB Chronowing, created by fashion designer Michael Bastian and engineered by HP, could be the perfect solution. The new wearable, which will be compatible with iOS and Android, combines smartwatch features with an appearance reminiscent of older watches. Aside from that, the MB Chronowing can let you control your music right from your wrist, as well as display email/text notifications and sync with a calendar or alarm. And, better yet, it does these things while looking quite elegant -- after all, it does come from a fashion designer.
What a week with the Moto 360 taught me about the Apple Watch
I love Apple gadgets, but I also love pretty much any type of new technology regardless of the brand. That's why a package arrived at my door last Monday from Motorola with a shiny new Moto 360 inside. Yep, the same Moto 360 that I tore apart after reviews made it clear that the watch wasn't delivering on its promise. I've spent the last seven days with Motorola's smartwatch strapped to my wrist, recharging it every night at around 10PM and re-equipping it immediately upon crawling out of bed. I've had it synced with my HTC One (M8) the entire time. My experience over the past week has taught me a lot about the future of smartwatches, the importance of intuitive software on a tiny device, and all the ways Apple could make just about every other smartwatch -- including my new Moto 360 -- look like a joke. It starts with the software. Syncing the Moto 360 to Android Wear on my smartphone was needlessly complicated. At one point I was told via pop-up notification to uninstall Android Wear, update Google Search, then reinstall Android Wear, in order to get it to work properly. My phone was telling me I had to delete software that was built specifically for it, in order to get it to function as intended. I have to admit that I laughed. If Apple can translate its "it just works" magic to the Apple watch and avoid potholes like this, it will already be ahead of the game. The fact that Apple makes the phone, the watch, and the software for both gives it a huge advantage here, whereas the Moto 360, Android Wear, and my HTC One try to do their best to play nice, but don't always get along as intended. Android Wear is very clearly half-baked at this point, and it's difficult to even consider it an operating system in the way you do Android or iOS. There's no good way to see what apps are running on your watch, or what apps are actively using Android Wear to push notifications from your phone to your wrist. You can go into a menu on the Android Wear phone app to select apps you want to mute, but the list is absolutely filled with apps that I've never seen on my watch and certainly don't use on my phone. One of Android Wear's key features is the ability to intelligently tell you information you need without you having to actually ask for it. Things like what the weather is outside and how to get home when you're out and about are supposed to just pop up magically. They definitely appear, but it's anything but magical. For whatever reason, my watch seems to think I'm always 7 minutes from home, regardless of where I am, and almost always alerts me of this when I'm actually already at home. I have no idea how to turn this off, as I've already tried disabling Maps, which didn't help. To put it simply, Android Wear needs some work. On the plus side, the majority of the third party apps I care about -- Twitter, Facebook Messenger, etc -- work surprisingly well on Android Wear, and I have to assume the same will be true for the Apple Watch. Glancing at my wrist to see if a mention on Twitter or Facebook requires a reply is really great, and tapping the screen and saying "Set an alarm for one hour" before dozing off for a Saturday nap is pretty fantastic. It's moments like this where you realize why a smartwatch makes sense, and why the Pebble won't stand a chance against this new crop of touchscreen powerhouses. Android Wear has few bright spots so far and I'm confident that the first release of Apple's Watch OS will be noticeably better than the current state of Android Wear, simply because the bar is so low at this point. It's already clear just from what Apple has shown off that the app situation is far more transparent on the Apple Watch, and that it's a much more feature-rich experience, both of which will help it start off on the right foot. On the hardware side of things, I've been extremely surprised by the Moto 360 -- in a good way, believe it or not. The build quality, display, and materials are all top notch, and the watch isn't nearly as large as I had feared. Anyone with particularly small wrists might find it awkward, but it's not as unwieldy as some have made it out to be. The Apple Watch, of course, will come in two sizes, and while the shapes of the displays are different, the 1.56" display on the Moto 360 falls somewhere between the 1.5" and 1.7" displays of the Apple Watch twins. Yes, the 1.5" corner-to-corner display measurement is the same, but the fact that the Moto 360 is round means it has a bigger footprint, though not as big as that of the larger Apple Watch. Battery life isn't amazing, but it's not bad, either. A post-launch update vastly improved the power usage of the device, which is great. Keeping the watch in Ambient mode -- where the screen is always lit, though dim -- burns through battery life very rapidly, but with that turned off, the watch gets an easy 18 to 24 hours of battery life. The screen turns on when you lift your wrist or with a tap, and both are fine for checking the time or looking at missed alerts. Apple has remained pretty quiet on the subject of battery life, making no promises yet. If the watch gets the same battery life as the Moto 360, it will be a bit disappointing, but not a deal breaker. The benefit of having a small battery is that it charges in a hurry, and even if you somehow forgot to charge your watch over night -- at least in the case of the Moto 360 -- you can bring it from dead to 100% in under 90 minutes. If the Apple Watch can match this, I'll consider it a bonus. For me, the biggest takeaway from my week with the Moto 360 is that Apple will be entering the smartwatch fight next year against at least one competitor that has a pretty decent handle on how to make a solid product. Android Wear's growing pains aside, the Moto 360 gets a lot of things right. The Apple Watch -- with its digital crown, dedicated "friend button" or whatever it's going to be called, and more intuitive interface -- is going to get a lot of buyers simply because it's coming from Apple. What will mark the success or failure of the product is whether Apple can make it appeal to people who don't care about it yet. For someone who loves gadgets, like myself, the Moto 360 is a pleasant surprise, but it's not the kind of gadget that "normals" will care about. The Apple Watch just might be.
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!
Motorola's UK store will now sell you the new Moto G and other devices
Although Motorola has offered phones in the UK for decades, the company has never let you buy direct. Even when it was owned by Google, it chose to point customers in the direction of retailers like Amazon. Now that Motorola is now part of Lenovo, however, the company has decided to take matters into its own hands by opening its first UK-focused online store. From today, you'll be able to order the second-generation Moto G in black or white for £149.99, although they both currently show pre-order availability. While it'll cost you £5 more to buy it from Motorola over Amazon, the online retail giant does note it could take between 1-3 weeks to reach your doorstep. Sure, only the Moto G is available today, but Motorola's UK launch does show that it's ready to handle the upcoming release of the Moto X and Moto 360. For the first time, Brits will be able to customise their Moto X using the company's Moto Maker tool, which is set to go live later this month.
Moto X up for pre-order and the 360 returns on September 16th
Eagerly awaiting the brand new Moto X? Well you'll have your chance to pre-order one on September 16th. Both the AT&T version and the unlocked Pure Edition will hit the web, with the carrier-free version setting you back $499. All the accessories announced alongside Moto's new flagship will also be available for pre-order on Tuesday, including tiny Moto Hint bluetooth earbud and the Turbo Charger, which cost $150 and $35, respectively. There's even good news for those of you upset that you missed out on the Moto 360 the first time around. The circular Android Wear smartwatch will go back on sale on the 16th as well. So set your alarm for noon (ET) on Tuesday and keep those credit cards warm.
Moto 360 review: It's the best Android Wear watch, but that isn't saying much
When it comes to wearables, fashion trumps function. That's the mantra Motorola went by when it designed and developed the Moto 360, and judging by the enthusiastic response the watch received when it was unveiled earlier this year, plenty of people agree. The Moto 360 is undoubtedly the best-looking of the three inaugural Android Wear watches (the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live are the other two), with its premium leather strap, chamfered glass and circular design. As Motorola designer Jim Wicks said in an interview, "We wanted to hit that 'Whoa!' mark." And so it did. But is that enough? In the past few days, I struggled to like this watch, even though it's the best Android Wear device available today. Allow me to tell you why.
The smartwatch bar is embarrassingly low, and it's Apple's for the taking
Smartwatches suck. They're crap. Shite. Excrement. Doo-doo. Pretty much universally, the wrist-worn devices we've seen so far are too big, too clunky, and overall a massive disappointment. That could change on Tuesday, when Apple will have a captive audience for one of its most important events in years. But right now... smartwatches still suck. The reviews for the Moto 360 -- you know, the watch that the crowd at Google I/O gushed about -- are now in. This was the watch that was supposedly going to help kick the smartwatch market into high gear. I'll let the reviews speak for themselves: "Round is hard, though, and not just for Motorola. Google may technically support round displays with Android Wear, but the 360 provides constant confirmation that this operating system was designed with rectangles in mind. Scrolling through a list will often cut off titles and images; sometimes list items get kicked way down to the bottom of the screen for no apparent reason." - The Verge "It almost looks like I grabbed a clock off the wall and strapped it to my arm." - Wall Street Journal "The watch comes with a 320mAh battery which can be recharged wirelessly using a supplied charging cradle but, and this is a very big BUT, the Moto 360 only has a one-day battery life. While the 2-3 day battery lives of other smartwatches are nothing write home about, one day is just ridiculous." - IBTimes The Moto 360 is too big, Android Wear is too clunky, and -- according to multiple reviewers -- the battery will last you for 12 hours, if you're lucky. This is not the smartwatch you're looking for. The iWatch rumor mill has been churning out both believable and not-so-believable tidbits about an Apple smartwatch for the better part of two years now. We know next to nothing about it, aside from the theory that it will tie in closely with the company's new focus on health tech. If current smartwatch tech is anything to go on, that's a pretty safe assumption. Right now, Apple has a tremendous opportunity on its hands. It's sat back and watched Samsung, LG, and now Motorola fumble their attempts at creating a revolutionary device, in much the same way early smartphone manufacturers had a lot of good ideas but almost universally blundered when it came to executing them. It's 2007 all over again. The folks in Cupertino have never been shy about stealing great ideas and making them their own, but what they do equally well is avoid pitfalls thanks to the missteps of other companies. Make no mistake: Apple learns from the mistakes of others in a way that no other company can match. You can bet that if and when Apple unveils the iWatch -- or whatever it'll be called -- it will have a battery that lasts more than half a day, the software won't be half-baked, and the screen won't have a massive slice taken out of it because the design team figured it was "good enough." There is no "good enough" for Apple these days, and on September 9th, they're going to have a great opportunity to prove it once again. [Photo credit (concept): Philipp Zumtobel]
Hello Moto: when are Motorola's new products coming to the UK?
Like many other phone makers at IFA this week, Motorola has shown its hand, introducing a new flagship and a revamped version of its highly-rated budget smartphone. It's even told us when its circular smartwatch will go on sale. It's unleashed the Moto X, Moto G and Moto 360 on the world, but when are they coming to the UK and how much will they cost? Let us explain.
Moto 360 smartwatch on sale now for $250, metal bands coming this fall
Motorola's long-awaited smartwatch is finally ready to be released, at least in the US. After roughly five months since being unveiled, the Moto 360 is due to hit the consumer market at last, one that's been so patiently awaiting its arrival. Starting today at noon ET, those of you in the States can order your very own for $250, from Motorola's website, Google Play and Best Buy (both online and at retail stores). That's not it, though, since Motorola also revealed that its circular Android Wear watch in metallic flavors will be coming later this fall -- although those sleeker silver and black options are set to be priced for $50 more than its leather counterparts. That said, Motorola does want early adopters to feel blanketed, so it's making the metal, swappable bands available separately for $80 a piece. Across other parts of the world, meanwhile, the Moto 360 smartwatch is going to hit the UK in "early October" for £199, and Canada in the fall for $279. Your move, LG.
Engadget Daily: living in Google's world, the faces of Android Wear and more!
Today, we take a look at the Android L Developer preview, compare the three faces of Android Wear, evaluate a $1,000 bread-making robot and dive into the hyper-connected world of Google. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Weekly Roundup: the Moto 360, Sony's Project Morpheus, NSA transparency reports and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Feedback Loop: Ultrabooks, discrete graphics, Google Voice replacements and more!
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week. Happy Saturday! This week, we took a look at Ultrabooks with discrete graphics cards, debated the merits of smartwatches, discussed viable alternatives to Google Voice, talked about how we discover new apps and fondly remembered some of our earliest RSS feeds. Head on past the break and join the conversation in the Engadget forums.
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.
