Motorola Moto X (GSM, 1st gen.)
Motorola's Wood-Backed Moto X Due in Several Weeks
The wood-paneled variant of the Moto X should hit Motorola's Moto Maker site in the coming weeks, according to Reuters reporter Sinead Carew. The Moto X was first announced this summer and can be designed with custom colors, accents, wallpapers, and inscriptions. Once available, customers will be able to select from several different woods to form the rear cover of the phone.
AT&T Moto X Now Receiving Android 4.4 KitKat
Motorola recently announced that the Android 4.4 KitKat system update is now being delivered to the AT&T version of the Moto X. KitKat was made available to the Verizon and T-Mobile versions of the Moto X earlier this week.
Moto Assist and Connect Published in Play Store
Motorola has made its Moto Assist and Moto Connect apps available to more of its devices by publishing them in the Google Play Store. Previously, they were only available on select devices, notably the Moto X, as preinstalled apps. Moto Assist is a tool that lets device owners set certain times when they shouldn't be bothered, such as when sleeping, in meetings, or driving. Moto Connect is a utility that let's people see incoming text messages and calls in their computer's Chrome browser. Both apps are compatible with the Moto X, Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx, and Droid Mini. Motorola also recently made the Moto X Camera and Touchless Control apps available in the Play Store.
Moto Maker Now Available to Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon
Motorola has expanded the availability of its Moto Maker tool to customers of Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. Moto Maker lets people customize a Moto X smartphone online and have it delivered to their house. The Moto X offers a range of different back panels, accents, and screen-customization options. Motorola says there are more than 2,000 unique variations of the Moto X. Orders will be assembled at Motorola's Ft. Worth plant and shipped to most customers in four days. Moto Maker was an exclusive to AT&T customers for several months. Further, the price of the Moto X has dropped from $199 with a contract to $99 with a contract. Last, Motorola confirmed that the Moto X will be updated to Android 4.4 KitKat in the near future.
Motorola Commits to Updating Moto X, Droids to KitKat
Motorola's support site revealed that the handset maker plans to update some of its more recent smartphones to Android 4.4 KitKat. Among those to be updated are all variants of the Moto X, as well as the Droid Mini, Ultra, and Maxx. The latter three are sold by Verizon Wireless. Older phones, such as the Droid Bionic, RAZR Maxx, and Droid 4, will remain on Android 4.1.2. Timing for the update will depend on the carrier and the exact model in question.
Google Makes Moto X Camera App Available in Play Store
Google today published the Motorola-developed camera application for the Moto X as a stand-alone app in the Google Play Store. By pulling the app out of the operating system and adding it to the Play Store, device owners will be able to update the camera without being beholden to system updates, which can often become bogged down in carrier approval processes. The app, which is free, has been updated with a brightened camera viewfinder so it's easier to see, enabled Quick Capture for businesses, and bug fixes.
Moto Maker Will Import iPhone Contact Data to Moto X
Moto Maker, Motorola's online tool for designing and customizing the Moto X, is now offering to import iPhone users' contacts and calendar data. During the design process, Moto X customers can choose to enter their AppleID/iCloud credentials and Motorola will port the data to the customer's Android/Google account and install the data on the Moto X before it ships to the customer. This way, when the device arrives, it will already be synced and ready to go out of the box.
AT&T Pushing Software Update to Moto X
AT&T today said that a software update is available to its variant of the Moto X. The update makes a significant number of improvements to the camera, including white balance, exposure, and better low-light focusing. In addition to the camera, the update also improves the responsiveness of touchless control, and fine-tunes the accuracy of the Find My Phone feature. The update is be to rolled out gradually over the next few days.
Motorola Selling Moto X to T-Mobile Customers Directly
Motorola today announced that the Moto X smartphone is available to T-Mobile subscribers, though they'll have to purchase the device from Motorola's web store. Motorola is charging the full retail price of $599.99 for the T-Mobile version. The black version is available now, and Motorola says the white version will be available soon. T-Mobile itself is not selling the Moto X. The Moto X is already available from AT&T, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless.
Motorola Says Custom Moto X Orders May Not Arrive in 4 Days
The Motorola Moto X became available at AT&T stores today, as well as online via the Moto Maker web site. Moto Maker allows AT&T customers to custom-design their own Moto X. When first announced earlier this month, Motorola said that custom Moto X orders would arrive within four days. Now, however, Motorola has changed its tune a bit. The company took to its blog to state that high demand may delay orders. "We'll be working hard to get your customized Moto X to you as quickly as possible. We expect that because of high demand, initial shipping times may vary. But we will get that down to 4 days or less as soon as we possibly can." Phone Scoop ordered a custom Moto X and waited a full week before it was delivered. Motorola also said that the Skip, its NFC-based tap-to-unlock accessory, will be included free with the initial batch of Moto X orders. Last, Motorola said that it is doing its best to bring back the engraving feature, which it had to drop due to quality issues. The Moto X costs $199 and $249 for the 16GB and 32GB variants, respectively. It will also soon be sold by Sprint and other carriers in the U.S.
Motorola Will Not Engrave Moto X at Launch
Motorola today indicated that it will not offer custom engraving for the Moto X once Moto Maker launches later this week. Custom engraving is one of the features touted by Motorola as a way to individualize each Moto X. The company said that its test runs did not produce results with which it was happy. It hopes to offer the engraving feature some time in the future.
Motorola Intros Skip, Easier Security for the Moto X
Motorola today announced Skip for the Moto X. Skip is an accessory that makes maintaining device security a little easier. Skip is a wearable, thumb-sized clip that pairs with the Moto X and unlocks it with a tap. The device is paired to the Moto X and set up as a "safe device" with the Touchless Control feature of the Moto X. Motorola is pitching the Skip as an alternative to using passcodes or PIN locks to secure the Moto X. The Skip comes with three "dots" (NFC tags) that can be placed in spots such as an office, car, or nightstand for easy unlocking. According to Motorola, only Skips that have been paired with the Moto X will unlock it, and they can be unpaired at any time. The Skip and Skip dots will only be available directly from Motorola.com. Motorola said that they will be included free with Moto X's that are custom designed with Moto Maker, but only for a limited time. Motorola didn't say how much the Skip will cost.
Moto X Developer Editions Come At Cost of Warranty
Motorola today provided more information about planned developer editions of the Moto X. The consumer versions of the Sprint, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular Moto X variants will ship with unlockable bootloaders. Motorola will offer two developer variants, a Verizon Wireless Developer Edition and a general North American Developer Edition. Developers will need to purchase the developer editions directly from Motorola via its developer web site. The devices will need to be manually unlocked. According to Motorola, unlocking the bootloader, even on the developer edition handsets, voids the warranty.
Moto X Customization Coming to Verizon
Verizon just announced "Moto Maker coming later this year" in reference to the new Moto X phone. Moto Maker is the online customization tool that lets buyers select custom color combinations - including real wood - and engraving for a Moto X phone.
Hands-On: MOTO X
Motorola claims the new MOTO X was made just for you. It is a curious phone that offers useful new software features and some compelling hardware options. Here is Phone Scoop's first look.
MOTO MAKER Lets AT&T Customers Design Their MOTO X
Motorola today announced MOTO MAKER, an online tool that will let people create their own, unique version of the MOTO X smartphone. The MOTO X is being sold in either black or white from most carriers, but AT&T customers will be able to use MOTO MAKER to choose from 14 different back panel colors, several different accent colors, and other options that make the MOTO X their own. Verizon has announced that it will get the option later this year. MOTO MAKER does not cost any extra money to use, and Motorola says most custom-designed phones will ship within four days. This is possible because the MOTO X for the U.S. market is being assembled at a facility in Ft. Worth, Texas. Though components come from all over the world, including 16 different states, Motorola says the MOTO X is an American-made product.
Motorola's MOTO X Offers Voice Control and Customizations
Motorola today announced the MOTO X, a smartphone that was "designed for you." The MOTO X represents the first device created by Motorola from scratch after it was acquired by Google last year. Motorola and Google focused on developing several key features for the MOTO X that they believe will delight users. First, the phone's size and shape were calculated to fit the average hand as comfortably as possible. It is thin and lightweight. The X includes what Motorola calls Touchless Control. With Touchless Control, owners can speak a catch phrase to wake the device and initiate a voice command. The voice command can be to make a phone call, ask for directions, read emails, and so on. Motorola developed a special, low-power processor that is able to enable this feature at all times without draining the battery. The X has a Quick Capture camera that can be woken up quickly with a gesture. The idea is to pull the phone from your pocket and be ready to take a shot within two seconds. Another key feature is the Active Display, which Motorola recently showed off on its Droid smartphones for Verizon Wireless. Active Display lets owners see the clock and certain notifications on the lock screen. Last, the X can be custom-ordered with various colors and accents (AT&T model only). In terms of specs, the MOTO X has a 4.7-inch 1280 x 720p HD display and a 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 2GB of RAM. It includes Motorola's X8 architecture, which has a separate GPU and contextual core to handle extra processing tasks for the sensors. The main camera rates 10-megapixels and the user-facing camera rates 2-megapixels. Both can record 1080p HD video. The X has a 2200mAh battery that is sealed in. Storage options include 16GB or 32GB, but there is no expandable memory. The X supports dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, GPS, and NFC, and will be sold by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. The 16GB model costs $199 and the 32GB model costs $249 with a contract. It will be available in late August or early September.
Motorola Teases Moto X Phone With New Ad
A new ad and teaser web page from Motorola has surfaced promoting the forthcoming Moto X phone, highlighting that it's assembled in the USA. The ad and site also mysteriously call it "The first smartphone that you can design yourself." and "Designed by you."
Moto X To Be Made in USA, Focus on Sensors
Motorola's CEO Dennis Woodside today personally announced a handful of details about the company's next flagship phone. The phone - to be called the Moto X - will focus on responding to context using sensors, automatically entering pocket, hand-held, car, and camera modes. It will also be assembled in the USA, in a Texas factory previously used to make Nokia phones. The FCC has recently approved high-end, unannounced Motorola phones for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint, all of which may be carrier variants of the same Moto X phone. Woodside was speaking at the D11 conference.
