Like that “special club” I went to the other night, this particular handset is all about “No touching”. It uses the Google voice-recognition system so you simply need to say “OK Google Now” to get going. You can get information like the upcoming weather, sports results and so on.
Moto have made some tweaks to the notification system too, with their “Active Display” system “pulsing” information without interrupting you. There’s also a Google extension which will let you see and respond to text messages and notifications from your desktop PC without having to fiddle with your phone.
There’s also a migration system to help you move onto the Moto X easily and an assistant that’ll read and reply to texts while you’re driving or doing other things. The Touchless Control system is shown off in this video if you want to see it in action.
It’ll be available in black on February 1st from Amazon, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4u. The handset will also be exclusive in white to Phones 4u for the first three months. Expect to pay £380 SIM free or £25 per month. There’s also 50GB of Google Drive storage on top of the standard 15GB for two years, so you’ll have plenty of cloud storage to keep those all-important files and pictures safe.
Specs? Well, there’s a 4.7″ AMOLED HD (720p) screen and it runs Android 4.4 (KitKat) on a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro dual-core 1.7GHz CPU with a quad-core Adreno 320 GPU. Other specs include Bluetooth 4.0 + EDR, WiFi, 10 megapixel rear camera (clear pixel + quick capture plus 1080p video capture), 2200 mAh battery for “up to 24 hours mixed use” and a 2 megapixel front camera. There’s 2GB RAM and you can either buy the 16GB or 32GB version – but that latter model is only available online. Expect to be buying the 16GB version in most places. No microSD expansion by the looks of it though.
Full press release below..
Moto XTM. Just Talk, it responds.
LONDON, 14th January, 2014 – Meet Moto X™ by Motorola, the ultimate wingman, because your smartphone should work for you – not the other way around. Moto X represents the best of Motorola and Google, and it’s coming to the UK.
Moto X has a unique curved back, designed to fit your hand. Talk to Moto X and it learns your voice. With Google Now, it tells you what you need to know – even when you’re not touching it. With two flicks of your wrist, Moto X becomes your camera and captures the shots you used to miss. All of this coupled with its all-day battery means that Moto X is ready when you are.
“At Motorola our roots are deep in mobile hardware – we invented mobile communications,” says Andrew Morley – Vice President & General Manager, Motorola Mobility UK. “Now, as a Google company, we’ve become the kind of company that can build a 4G smartphone like Moto X. It fuses our history of mobile innovation with the best of Google mobile services.”
No touching.
To use your Moto X, you only need your voice. Without touching it at all, you can get directions, set an alarm or do just about anything – just by talking. Say “OK Google Now” to get started. Ask it if you need an umbrella and it gives you up-to-the-minute weather for your location. Tell it you’re going home, and your Moto X will get you there. Because it knows your voice, Moto X can do things other phones can’t.
Moto X is always ready to tell you what you need to know. Instead of an unhelpful blinking light, Active Display on Moto X quietly pulses the info you need without interrupting you. Even while it’s asleep, it’s always on top of things. A last-minute dinner invite? A missed call from your boss? A key email while an important meeting is going on? Moto X will discretely keep you up-to-date.
Get the shot.
Moto X knows when you need a camera. Just twist your wrist twice and it’s ready. Touch anywhere on the screen, and you’ll get the shot. All in just a few seconds. The camera’s 10MP high-quality sensor with Clear Pixel technology will capture the darkest scenes or stop motion blur in bright light. With Moto X, you’ll always get the shot.
Even smarter.
Don’t have your Moto X nearby? The Motorola Connect extension for Google Chrome™ lets you see and respond to notifications and text messages – right from your desktop. Hate the hassle of switching phones? Motorola Migrate makes it easy to wirelessly transfer photos, texts, SIM contacts, call history and more from your old Android phone to your Moto X – you can even migrate contacts and calendar events from your iOS device[1]. While Motorola Assist helps keep interruptions at bay when you’re doing specific tasks like driving, attending an important meeting, or sleeping. It can read and reply to texts for you or screen your calls. Just a few examples of how Moto X puts the smart in smartphone.
Built for you.
With CorningÒ GorillaÒ Glass, an advanced water-repellant nano coating, and an all-day battery, Moto X is as durable as it is smart. It has a gorgeous edge-to-edge HD display which strikes the perfect balance between readability and one-handed use. And it is powered by the Motorola X8 Mobile Computing System, a tightly integrated system of eight processor cores that have been purpose-built for the demands of today’s mobile users in terms of device size, performance, responsiveness, battery life and overall user experience. All of this packed into an approachable and warm design with a curved back sculpted to fit comfortably and securely in your hand.
Availability and pricing
Moto X will be available in black from 1st February from Phones 4u, Carphone Warehouse, O2, Amazon and Techdata. Moto X will also be available in white exclusively to Phones 4u customers for the first three months. Prices vary but start from £25 per month on contract or £380 SIM free. For more information, please visit www.motorola.co.uk.
About Motorola
Motorola Mobility, owned by Google, creates smartphones, tablets and wireless accessories that simplify, connect and enrich people’s lives. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.
