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Moto X allows lots of customization
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In the four decades since Motorola first showed off a prototype of the world’s first cellphone, the company has watched Apple, Samsung and other innovators surpass it in sales. With Google as its new owner, Motorola is introducing the Moto X, a phone notable for innovations in manufacturing, as part of an attempt to regain its stature.
Yes, there’s plenty the Moto X offers in terms of software, including the ability to get directions, seek trivia answers or set the alarm without ever touching the phone. There’s good hardware, too, including a body that’s nearly as slim as the iPhone 5, but with the larger, 11.9-centimeter screen that is comparable to those found in rival Android phones.
But what’s really special about the Moto X has nothing to do with making calls or checking Facebook. Rather, it breaks from the pack by allowing for a lot of customization. You can choose everything from the color of the power button to a personalized message on the back cover.
To make those special orders possible, Motorola is assembling the Moto X in Texas, making it the first smartphone to be put together in the US. Motorola promises to ship custom designs within four days. (Phones for overseas will be made overseas.)
You can still buy the phone the traditional way, but that’s boring.
You’re still limited to black or white as your front color, but you can choose any combination of 18 back cover colors and seven “accent” colors, which highlight the power button, volume control and the rim of the camera lens. There’s more coming: Motorola is testing back covers made of wood, for instance, and it plans to let people vote on Facebook on future patterns, colors and designs.
You can choose a custom message for the back of the phone — with limits. I tried to enter profanity and trademarked names and was told, “We’d rather you not say that.” You can use the space to display your email address, in case you lose the phone, for instance. In addition, you can choose one of 16 wallpapers in advance and enter your Google ID so your phone is all set up the first time you turn it on. You can select a different custom message to appear on your screen when you turn the phone on.
Choose carefully, as you won’t be able to make changes after a 14-day return window. These aren’t parts that you can simply pop out and swap.
With the exception of US$50 more for a phone with 32 gigabytes of storage rather than 16 gigabytes, there’s no cost for the customization. They will be available at about the same time the standard white and black phones come out in late August or early September.
In the beginning, you can get custom versions only with AT&T as your service provider, but other carriers are coming. Standard versions will also be available through Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and US Cellular at launch. You do the ordering through Motorola’s Moto Maker website.
Moto X also advances hands-free phone use. Although hands-free options are available elsewhere to make a call or send a text, Moto X opens the door to the entire Web. It relies on Google Now, the virtual assistant that retrieves information when you speak into the phone. Normally, you press something to activate Google Now. That’s how Siri works on iPhones as well. With Moto X, you simply say, “OK, Google Now.”
That command is specific to your voice. I asked three colleagues to speak “OK, Google Now” into a phone I trained by repeating the phrase three times. The phone ignored my colleagues, but responded to me instantly once I spoke from the same distance.
Even in a quiet room, though, Google Now made a lot of mistakes responding to requests to call specific people. When I asked to “call Bob,” it offered me “Emily,” ‘’Dave” and “Super.” And if you protect your phone with a PIN code, you’ll need to type it in to unlock the phone, except to make a call.
Although Motorola has released other phones since Google bought the company in May 2012, the Moto X is the first to be designed under Google. It’s an impressive offering that could make Motorola a contender in phones again.
About Moto X
The Moto X smartphone is US$50 more for a 32-gigabyte phone. The standard is 16 GB. It has a 11.9-centimeter screen and two cameras capable of high-definition video at 1060p. The back camera is 10 megapixels and the front one is 2 megapixels. With a curved edge, thickness ranges from 0.55cm on the edges to 1.04cm in the middle. That middle part is thicker than most phones, but it’s designed to fit more naturally in your palm in grip position.
The phone goes on sale in the US in late August or early September. Customization is selected through Motorola’s website.
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