Moto 360 review: smart watches that have not justified their hype

Google announced Android Wear in March 2014, an operating system for wearable devices that any manufacturer can use. Since then, people around the world, including myself, have dreamed of equipment that combines the design of classic watches with the unique capabilities of modern software. That dream was Moto 360. And now this dream is over.

Rating

pros

Cons

Motorola Moto 360 design and build quality

The Moto 360 stands out among smart watches in that it is one of the few watches built in a round format (the only other main name is the upcoming [19459066] LG G Watch R) . At first glance, Motorola's wearable device is beautiful and elegant, especially in person. The aluminum frame and genuine leather strap provide an excellent feel, and the fact that the edges of the display is slightly raised creates a pleasant appearance even when the screen is off.

With the Moto 360 on the wrist, the elegant look does not change. I have a lot of experience when it comes to wearables, I used Galaxy Gear , Gear 2, Gear Fit , Pebble, LG G Watch and Gear Live ... but none of them feel as weird as the Moto 360. To look at the watch from top to bottom, they look quite normal, but when you see them from the side, it seems that you wear yo yo on the strap.

Despite its thickness, the Moto 360 is lightweight. It weighs only 49 grams and the leather strap is soft, but this can be a problem, as it easily scratches and quickly shows signs of wear. However, replacing it is not difficult, and Motorola will also offer wristbands with various designs and materials from its website later this year.

Smart watches are water resistant, that is, they can withstand rain or survive washing, but do not drown in the bath or pool. The fact that the strap is made of leather will tell you that you should not absorb it.

On the right side of the device we find the physical button, like on a classic watch, but on the Moto 360 it serves to activate and deactivate the screen or open the display settings while holding. It is a pity that Motorola did not provide a button with other functions, such as quick access to recently used applications or quick shortcuts, as this would be very useful. But, of course, this will also depend on integration with the software, and at present such features are not provided.

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The back of the Moto 360 is made of plastic and contains a heart rate monitor. As with Gear Live, the sensor is not entirely accurate, and it may take several attempts to get readings.

In terms of design, the Moto 360 definitely seems more interesting when we look at it from afar, rather than on the wrist. T it attracts attention with style, but this is not a dream, but its thickness doesn't let him look really courteous.

Display Motorola Moto 360

The Moto 360 screen is a 1,56-inch LCD with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. With a resolution of 320 × 290 pixels and a pixel density of 205 ppi, the image quality is unfortunately poor. I got the impression that the videos and photos that are viewed on the Moto 360 look much sharper and with better contrast than when we actually look at the device in normal mode. If you Pay attention to the application icons and notifications that appear on the screen, you can almost count the number of pixels that can be seen.

Despite the fact that the Moto 360 has a round screen, the display is not completely round. Motorola has decided to include an ambient light sensor in this smartwatch, which ultimately occupies a small space at the bottom of the screen. It is not visible in the dark or when the screen is black, but it is clearly visible in any other circumstances, and I cannot deny that it is repulsive.

However, the ambient light sensor is of great importance for the experience of using the Moto 360. When the device is turned on, the device adapts the screen light to suit the environment in which you are, eliminating the need to access the settings to increase or decrease the brightness of the screen when changing lighting conditions.

Motorola Moto 360 Software

Update: Motorola Confirms Moto 360 Will Get Wi-Fi Support With Update for Android Wear. Since the Moto 360 uses an older Texas Instruments processor (compared to the newer Snapdragon 400, which is found in most other Android Wear smartphones), there was a concern that the Moto 360 would miss this feature. Motorola has now confirmed on its blog that the Moto 360 will indeed get Wi-Fi support, along with new gesture controls that can be drawn on the wrist, support for hand-drawn emoticons, and constantly-on apps with better battery management. ,

Moto 360 runs on Android Wear and is compatible with any device running Android 4.3 or higher. Moto 360 software allows you to interact with the gadget using gestures and voice, and in fact one of the highlights of the device is how well it allows users to perform certain actions with intelligent voice commands.

The OS revolves around common user data from Google accounts and uses location information from the mobile device with which it is associated. It sends notifications from services like Gmail, WhatsApp, Hangouts, Weather, etc., and I . In most cases, information appears when necessary.

What is a little embarrassing is that many of the functions for which you use smart watches turn out to be quite invasive - and everyone around you will know the contents of the message you are exchanging. Android Wear does not yet have a built-in or third-party keyboard app, so anything you want to send must be recorded out loud. At the same time (if you forgive the pun), I cannot deny that voice commands are very welcome when you are busy and need to send a message in a hurry.

By clicking on the main screen, you start a voice search, which can also be started by saying now infamous words: “Good, Google.” By moving your finger from bottom to top, you can access the settings. What sets Moto 360 apart from other watches running the same OS without a physical button is that you can press and hold the physical button on the side of the device to quickly go to the settings page - although it takes two or three seconds register (Samsung Gear Live can also do this.)

Although Android Wear is still young, it needs an urgent review; as it is still far from what it promises. In the case of the Moto 360 this is even more noticeable since most applications are not yet adapted for round screens, so most third-party applications are still displayed in square format. Some text elements are still clipped, despite Motorola's length of production. Android Wear 2.0 is due out on October 15, so let's see what changes.

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Motorola has provided some unique dials for the Moto 360, and most of them are extremely well designed. There are four different layouts that can be customized from the Motorola Connect app. With this application, you can select different color schemes, as well as specific settings according to the functions of each display. Although Google does not allow changes to the user interface of Android Wear, manufacturers have some freedom when it comes to dials.

Last but not least, the Moto 360 has a built-in heart rate sensor system using Google FIT to monitor users' physical activity. Using the voice command “show my heart rate”, the user begins to receive information about his heart rate in real time. Information is collected by the sensor on the back of the device and t The Moto 360 can also measure the number of steps taken by the user.

Performance Motorola Moto 360

Moto 360 does not have much performance, and p perhaps due to the fact that the device is equipped with the same processor that Motorola used in its first smartwatch, MOTOACTV, three years ago. It uses the Texas Instruments OMAP 3 chipset, based only on the single-core ARM Cortex-A8 processor. This processor was big news ... in 2011, so it is not surprising that scrolling through the Moto 360 screens leads to some delays.

I assume that the manufacturer chose this processor to reduce production costs. The problem is that this choice could endanger another part of the project: the battery (don’t worry, we will get there). For other specs, the Moto 360 has 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal memory.

The Moto 360 does not have NFC, so pairing occurs with the smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0. Motorola tells us that the maximum distance between a smartphone and a device should be 45 meters, but t Often, connecting to a smartphone ends at a distance of about 30 feet.

By the way, pairing the Moto 360 with your smartphone was almost always a headache, and until the end of April 2015 there were also no Wi-Fi capabilities. This meant that the Moto 360 was useless without a Bluetooth connection. All smart features, such as voice search and messaging, became impossible if the Moto 360 lost touch with the phone . Fortunately, the Android Wear update has fixed this.

Motorola Moto 360 Battery

After the smart watch with Android Wear was announced, one of the main criticisms was the low battery life of these gadgets. In this regard, the Moto 360 arrived with a promise of up to 2,5 days of use before it needed to be charged again. But, as many critics have already noted, this is not so. On the contrary, as soon as the device arrived in the news department, we noted that in the first few hours of use, the battery ran out by almost 50%.

However, at the end of September, Motorola released an update to fix problems with the Moto 360 battery, and it seems to have succeeded. After the upgrade, the Moto 360 battery lasted 24 hours. In my test, the clock remained on from 8 a.m. Monday until 8 a.m. the next day, which means that it can work 24 hours under ideal conditions . Before the update, I was lucky to do this in 12 hours.

During the time I spent hours with this review, I sent messages via Hangouts, email and WhatsApp, making calls and setting reminders. I used the Moto 360 as a media control on the way to work and to read various emails that I received in the morning. I also did some research using google search and practiced his Italian using duolingo.

Even with such behavior, which I consider moderate, and when using the watch with the “surrounding screen” turned off, it was necessary to charge the Moto 360 at least once at some point during the day. If you think that your laptop and smartphone already require daily charging, you can decide for yourself whether charging another device is an inconvenience or not.

One of the positive things about the Moto 360 is that it can be charged without wires. Motorola Delivers Moto 360 with Qi Wireless Charging Dock and despite its small size, it is well designed and can stand on your desk or nightstand. T To charge the Moto 360, just set the watch on it and it will automatically start charging. Well maintained.

Another aspect of charging that I would like to draw attention to is that charging time is fast. After 30 minutes, battery life increased by 50%, but this should not be surprising given the small capacity of 320 mAh.

Price and release date

The price of Moto 360 is $ 249, which makes it one of the most expensive watches for the Android Wear platform. Regarding the release date of the Moto 360, Motorola wearable devices are already available on Motorola's official website and in retail stores. Check out the Moto 360 specs below.

Technical specifications Motorola Moto 360

The final verdict

The Moto 360 was touted as a “cult” gadget and an “amazing technology example." The dream to see the first smartwatch in a classic format ended with the delivery of not impressive hardware and software, which is still under development. The fact that Motorola has developed innovative solutions in terms of the design of smart watches with a round dial and wireless charging is not enough to put the Moto 360 above what already exists on the market today.

In my opinion, the Moto 360 is not an amazing device, and the proof that Android Wear still needs to be improved before we see it. Of course, you can do some interesting things with the Moto 360, quick access to notifications and voice messages is cool, and the design is very well thought out, despite its thickness.

But in the end, your satisfaction with the Moto 360 will depend on the size of your expectations. And maybe we had too much.