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Top 5 new features in Moto X 2015 (Moto X Style, Moto X Pure edition and Moto X Play) vs Moto X 2014

Moto X 2015 vs Moto X 2014: micro SD card support, improved camera, 5.7" 1440p Quad HD screen for Moto X Pure edition and Moto X Style, faster CPU and more RAM, and Moto X Pure Edition works on all networks

September 28, 2015 by simon Leave a Comment

Moto X 2015 is the third generation of Moto X. And Motorola brought 3 models for the public: Moto X Pure edition (for the USA), Moto X Style (for other regions except for USA), and Moto X Play. There are some interesting new features in Moto X 2015 (Moto X3).

As explained in this post, Moto X Pure edition and Moto X Style are twin brothers heading to different regions (US or international markets). Moto X Play is a scaled-down version Moto X Style.

Now, the question is what are the improvements and new features in Moto X 2015 vs Moto X 2014.

This post will try to answer the question of Moto X 2015 vs Moto X 2014 to help you decide whether you should upgrade to Moto X 2015 (Moto X 3rd gen) if you own a Moto X or Moto X 2014 (Moto X 2nd gen). The new features in Moto X 2015 were explained.

#1. micro SD card support: the most welcomed new features in Moto X 2015

Motorola finally changed mind on the stance on SD card support.

Moto X 2015 supports micro SD card up to 128GB. You can instantly expand additional 128GB storage at around $60 for your Moto X 2015.

Although SD card is not often used, a lot of smartphone owners still prefer some “backup” options. You may need it one day.

Some Android vendors are going the opposite (and surely wrong) direction. For example, Samsung removed the micro SD card support in Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge+. The weaker-than-expected sales of Galaxy S6 and Note 5 already make it clear that Samsung is wrong.

Some expert may argue:

micro SD card is seldom used. Samsung was misled by such experts. The survey may be legitimate. But the issue is that most owners think they may use it someday. Just like airbags in your car, you probably never use it. But if car manufacture removes it, will you still buy the car? Samsung now probably knows the answer.
Performance of micro SD card

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Top 10 improvements in Android KitKat update for your Moto X

November 24, 2013 by simon 24 Comments

Motorola beats all Android smartphone makers again with the Android 4.4 (KitKat) update!

When Samsung, HTC, Sony and LG are still struggling to push Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean 4.3) update for their flagship phones, Motorola gives us the KitKat treat. We got this Android 4.4 update even a few days earlier than the owners of pure Android Nexus 4.

And it seems the update works very smoothly. Most Moto X owners are enjoying the updated phone. As a contrast, a lot of Samsung Galaxy S4 owners are grumbling about the latest Android 4.3 update.

There are quite a lot of improvements in the Android 4.4 (KitKat) update for Moto X. In this post, you will learn the top 10 improvements or new features you may enjoy everyday.

1. Unified messaging with Hangouts

If you have mixed contacts on phone and Google, you know all the contacts are combined in your phone. The new Hangouts app now moves a step further: it can (optional) combine your messages (SMS, MMS) with all other conversations in Hangouts. With the new Hangouts app, all of your SMS and MMS messages are together in the same app, alongside your other conversations and video calls.

The new Hangouts app also allows you to share your location and send animated GIFs. This makes it better than the most popular SMS app: WhatsApp.

Essentially, the new Hangouts app eliminates the need of a separate messaging app. Of course, if you are not ready for this change, you can still use messaging and Hangouts individually (although they share the same contact list).

2. Drag to focus and expose

You can focus on any location on the viewfinder by just dragging the crosshair to the desired objects or location. Moto X will automatically adjust the expose and lighting conditions for the photo. The result is better image quality.

This is actually a nice enhancement of the old “touch to focus”. You now get the option with a new circular, on screen control that can be dragged by your finger around the viewfinder to adjust a photo’s focus and exposure.… Continue to read....

First major software update for Moto X

September 24, 2013 by simon Leave a Comment

moto-x-t-mobile Motorola rolled out the first major software update for Moto X (139.12.57.ghost_row.Retail.en.US). Significant improvements are expected. So, it is recommended to apply this update.

Although this update is for T-Mobile Moto X users, users in other networks will receive similar update in a few days (up to a few weeks).

According to the release note, this update boosts the following improvements:

Improved Voice Quality: Fixed an issue that could sometimes result in choppy audio being heard by the person you’re talking with on your Moto X
Improved Photo Quality: Improved capture of natural light (auto-white balance) and color accuracy for more precise exposure in outdoor and backlit scenes
Improved Focus: Faster touch to focus time and reduced unnecessary refocusing in low light conditions and scenes with continuous motion
Faster Switching: Shortened the time it takes to switch between rear and front-facing cameras, as well as transition between the viewfinder and the Gallery app
Enhanced Touchless Control: Increased accuracy and responsiveness when using Touchless Control, and added easier training of the “OK Google Now” trigger
Improved Motorola Migrate Experience: Improved transfer of content from an old Android phone to a new Motorola phone
Google Drive – 50GB Promotion: Added a promotion expiration date – customers have 30 days from phone activation or installation of this update to redeem the 50GB offer
Lost Device Finder: Fixed an issue that could sometimes prevent a lost phone from reporting its location to the Moto Care Lost Device Finder service
Driving Detection: Fixed an issue that could sometimes cause the phone to read out text messages and announce calls when not in Drive mode

The update is delivered through OTA. If you did not receive the update notification, you can go to Settings–About Phone–Software updates.

Before downloading and installing, you should backup any important info/files.

Hope you enjoy the update.

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Moto X or HTC One?

August 31, 2013 by simon 1 Comment

When I was asked about the “alternatives” for Moto X, the firs one popping out is HTC One. Not just because of the similar screen size.

But yes, Moto X and HTC One both have small display (compared with other flagship Android phones from Samsung, Sony and LG). It is 4.7″. Actually the display is not small. Both of them use very thin bezel and therefore, they looks even smaller than their actual size. Just for your information, Moto X has similar front surface area with iPhone 5, but with 20% more display space.

Unlike Asian users, most American users still prefer one-handed smartphone, i.e, the phone can be easily operated with one hand. Moto X apparently caters such demand. It is not a coincidence that both Moto X and HTC One are in the same size range of iPhone 5. Of course, Android users are spoiled with large display, so 4.7″ screen is a reasonable compromise.

Design and build quality

Among today’s Android manufactures, HTC is still a leader in hardware design. I’m not talking about market share, for which HTC is plummeting. Maybe HTC will have to leave US market just in 2 to 3 years if the trend cannot be reversed.

The design of HTC One seems better than Moto X. The metal body will strengthen your impression when you compare Moto X and HTC One side by side.

Moto X actually deviates from Motorola’s old design, especially the robotic Droid design. The exterior design of Moto X is very similar to HTC One: simple and elegant. What drags Moto X down is the plastic feeling. Because Moto X wants to offer customization on the back plate, metal or tempered glass is out of the options.

So, from the view point of design and build quality, HTC One is surely better.

BTW, “designed, engineered and assembled in the USA” does not help much on design and build quality for Moto X.

Software

Both Moto X and HTC One run Android Jelly Bean 4.2. Both will be upgraded to 4.3 in a couple of months.

Moto X … Continue to read....

Top 5 Unique Features of Moto X

August 5, 2013 by simon 2 Comments

Moto X is finally announced on August 1. By the end of this month, you may have the chance to get one in your pocket from the major carriers in US or BestBuy.

The biggest surprise of Moto X is not the phone, is its price. Motorola asks for similar price as that for Galaxy S4 and HTC One, although the hardware specifications are obviously inferior (arguable).

Motorola is confident consumers will like their unique features and fork money for features rather than hardware specs. They may be correct. Most flagship Android phones are obsessed with hardware specs, and therefore are overpowered (i.e., wasted).

The problem is what these features are and why people are willing to pay for them instead of better specs.

In this post, I will share with you the top 5 unique features of Mot X.

Touchless control

Touchless control is the killer feature of Moto X. You can control and operate the phone without touching it. It is also dam smart as well: it knows what to do and when.

Essentially, it is a combination of voice control and Google Now. What makes Moto X stand out of the crowd of Siri, S Voice and other similar apps is that you can use voice control even the phone is locked. “OK Google Now” is the hot words (Moto magic) to wake up the phone. You probably can configure this to something else like “Oh, Moto Magic” if you want.

More interestingly, Moto X only responds to your command, not others’. If 10 other people around you shout “OK Google Now” , your Moto X will not respond to them, because it knows your voice and knows you are the master. It is more loyal than you secretary.

Google Now is one of the best innovations from Google. It was officially unveiled in Google I/O 2012. Its predictive, not responsive, thinking make the smartphone smarter. By combining voice control and Google Now, Moto X now is No.1 in intelligence and voice control among smartphones. There are no comparable products in the market yet. Of … Continue to read....

Moto X will be officially announced on August 1: will it be a game changer?

July 20, 2013 by simon Leave a Comment

Finally, the birthday of the Moto X was confirmed. It will be on August 1, 2013.

According to Business Insider, Motorola is sending out invitations for the Moto X event in New York on August 1. Obviously, Moto X will be announced in this event.

We will see this long -awaited smartphone on the stage in New York. The rumors will stop then.

It is the last chance for Motorola Mobility in the fast-growing mobile phone industry. This is the sad fact for the past market leader in this industry. We are interested in this Moto X phone based on rumors; but we are more eager to know whether the 12.5 billion Google acquisition will save Motorola or will accelerate the death of Motorola.

Moto X is the first smartphone project in Motorola with Google’s leadership. Will it be a game changer?

The rumored specs ( 2GB RAM, 16GB/32GB storage, 10MP clear pixel camera, 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 720p HD display) indicate Moto X is targeting the middle range market. This market is volatile because major players just provide a strip-down version of the high-end flagship models. Potential users are driven away to either high-end or budget end, because there are no exciting offers in this category.

So, aiming at mid-range market is a smart move, if Motorola prices the Moto X wisely.

Currently, most high-end smartphones are overpowered, for example, a full HD display on a 4-5″ screen does not make sense, but all manufactures are in the race of hardware, because this is the easiest way to “differentiate” to competitors. Eventually, consumers are over-paying.

What was overlooked is the day-to-day user experience. Based on the leaked (official) Roger video, Moto X does a quite good job in this aspect. For example, the always-on voice activation (OK Moto Magic), notification screen when screen is off, double twist (although a bit awkward, maybe customizable) to launch camera.

Moto X will very likely come with Android 4.3 with very minor customization. It is not Nexus, but user experience will be very similar. Although it is arguable whether the … Continue to read....

OK Moto Magic: Moto X Phone officially leaked by Eric Schmidt (photo) and Rogers (video)

July 14, 2013 by simon 1 Comment

After the teaser in July 3rd, a new wave of teasers of Moto X are available to the public this weekend. Now the exterior, camera and voice control are quite clear from the official videos and photos.

Eric Schmidt, the Google Chairman, was using a Moto X phone publicly at the Sun Valley Conference “Camp for billionaires”.

The photo confirmed Moto X is not a giant phone, very likely less than 5″. So, the size is similar to Nexus 4 or even older Galaxy Nexus.

The thickness suggested the battery probably is quite large. The battery capacity is very likely somewhere close to 3000mAh, which is comparable to Droid Razr Maxx’s 3300mAh.

The exterior material is plastic without the metal rim as in Samsung’s. The back can be customized as suggested in the official teaser page. Plastic make senses for quick customization.

For the camera, the official Motorola Mobility account tweeted some blurred photos and mentioned “Either this kid is really fast, or today’s phones are really slow.” #AlmostGotIt pic.twitter.com/mdMEOGqfhr This indicates Motorola wants to remind us there are significant improvement on camera. Maybe not on the number of pixels, but more on the image quality for real life.

The most juicy leak is the commercial Rogers (a Canadian Telecom company) prepared for the launch of Moto X. In the long (close to 2 mins) video, you get a closer look of the Moto X phone.

Some unique features are illustrated in the video. For example, double twist to launch the camera. The voice control and new notification also makes the phone standing out. Apparently, these new features are quite practical, not just software gimmicks in Galaxy S4.

The technical specifications are still a secret. But based on rumors, the phone will feature 2GB RAM, 16GB/32GB storage, 10MP camera (non-conventional one) , 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 720p HD display

What do you think about Moto X Phone? Share your thoughts in the comment box below!

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