Android By Ryan Whitwam Sep. 6, 2014 10:30 am
The new Moto X has been announced, and the early reviews are extremely positive. Last year’s Moto X got similarly high praise, but it didn’t sell particularly well. However, this year Motorola is due to be sold off to Lenovo where its performance will surely matter more than it has under Google’s stewardship. The new Moto X at least has a shot at making a splash with an array of updated features. Let’s check out the five coolest features of the new Moto X.
[h=3]Moto Voice[/h]Moto Voice is the new name for Touchless Control, which admittedly was a rather confusing name. This feature will still handle all the voice commands on your device like before, but it’s gaining some new abilities this time around. At the top of the list is the custom launch phrase.
The Moto X can listen for the launch phrase all the time, even while asleep. This is one of the big differentiators from other Android devices, which can only respond to voice commands when they are awake. Rather than saying “OK Google,” you can choose your own custom phrase when designing a phone in Moto Maker or in the device settings. Having a unique launch phrase in Moto Voice is great as more devices start gaining the ability to listen for “OK Google.” You don’t need your phone, tablet, computer, and watch all waking up when you start talking.
The other big improvement in Moto Voice is integration with apps like YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp. So without even touching the phone you are able to post a status update on Facebook telling everyone how you didn’t have to touch your phone. This is definitely the future. Of course, Moto Voice still has all the general Google search commands you’d have in the regular search app, and it can be used to control device settings. If you like talking to your phone, this is really the best way to do it.
[h=3]Moto Display[/h]Moto Display was introduced as Active Display with the original Moto X, and it may be the best thing to come to smartphones in years. The new Moto X has a 1080p AMOLED, which will probably suck down power. However, when only a few pixels are lit, it’s very efficient. Moto Display wakes up the screen to show you notification icons that you can act on or dismiss without turning on the rest of the phone.
Active Display on the first gen X would only show you the most recent notification with a list of other items below it. This time Motorola has changed up the interface to support up to three active notifications that you can tap on to get more information. From there you can open the notification or just unlock the phone.
Another aspect of Moto Display is the way it ties into orientation sensors. The phone knows when it has been picked up from a table or removed from a pocket. When that happens, it wakes up the screen to show you the time and any pending notifications before you wake the rest of the device with a swipe. It essentially obviates the power button.
[h=3]Moto Assist[/h]Your phone knows where it is, what the time is, and how fast it’s moving. Putting all that together should give it a little contextual awareness, but most phones don’t do that. Moto Assist ensures the new Moto X can adapt to fit into your life. Assist is used to change the settings of your phone based on your activities, and it really works.
This feature debuted on the original Moto X, and has been evolving ever since. Assist includes situations like sleep, driving, and meetings with custom settings for each. For example, the phone can go into silent mode when it’s bed time or you have a meeting. When you’re driving, the Moto X will automatically read messages aloud.
Moto Assist is not as powerful as something like Tasker, which has a large following among hardcore Android users. Still, Assist is easy to use and consumes no detectible amount of battery.
[h=3]Motorola Migrate[/h]Even the best Android phones don’t have a great out-of-the-box experience. Moving from your old device is a big pain that requires manual backups, and you’re bound to forget something in the process. Motorola Migrate can get your data from one device to the next with very little hassle.
Migrate uses a QR code to pair your old and new Android phone over a direct WiFi connection. From there, you get to choose the content to be copied over including SMS, contacts, images, videos, and settings. The length of time will vary based on how many files you have to move, but it’s still a lot better than doing it all manually.
Migrate even works with an iDevice, so you can move platforms without tearing your hair out. All you need to do is log into your iCloud account, and the Moto X will pull down your contacts and messages. Some content won’t transfer between platforms, obviously, but the Moto X still has the best Android migration experience by far.
[h=3]Quick Charge 2.0[/h]You won’t see a lot of talk about Qualcomm Quick Charge on the Motorola website, but the new Moto X is one of the first devices to have v2.0 of this feature. What does that mean? Well, the Moto X will be able to fill its battery considerably faster than other phones, which might make up a bit for the smallish capacity.
This technology is baked into the Snapdragon chip at the heart of the Moto X, allowing it to charge up to 75% faster than other phones. Motorola does state that it only takes 15 minutes of charging to get another 8 hours of usage on the new Moto X. That’s at peak efficiency, though, which is only activated when the battery is low on power. After that, it slows down to preserve battery health.
Quick Charge 2.0 itself doesn’t require special cables or connectors, but Motorola will sell a higher wattage wall adapter (the Turbo Charger) that works more efficiently with the Moto X. It also juices up other phones and tablets a bit faster. All the better to enjoy these cool features longer.
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[h=3]Moto Voice[/h]Moto Voice is the new name for Touchless Control, which admittedly was a rather confusing name. This feature will still handle all the voice commands on your device like before, but it’s gaining some new abilities this time around. At the top of the list is the custom launch phrase.
The Moto X can listen for the launch phrase all the time, even while asleep. This is one of the big differentiators from other Android devices, which can only respond to voice commands when they are awake. Rather than saying “OK Google,” you can choose your own custom phrase when designing a phone in Moto Maker or in the device settings. Having a unique launch phrase in Moto Voice is great as more devices start gaining the ability to listen for “OK Google.” You don’t need your phone, tablet, computer, and watch all waking up when you start talking.
The other big improvement in Moto Voice is integration with apps like YouTube, Facebook, and WhatsApp. So without even touching the phone you are able to post a status update on Facebook telling everyone how you didn’t have to touch your phone. This is definitely the future. Of course, Moto Voice still has all the general Google search commands you’d have in the regular search app, and it can be used to control device settings. If you like talking to your phone, this is really the best way to do it.
[h=3]Moto Display[/h]Moto Display was introduced as Active Display with the original Moto X, and it may be the best thing to come to smartphones in years. The new Moto X has a 1080p AMOLED, which will probably suck down power. However, when only a few pixels are lit, it’s very efficient. Moto Display wakes up the screen to show you notification icons that you can act on or dismiss without turning on the rest of the phone.
Active Display on the first gen X would only show you the most recent notification with a list of other items below it. This time Motorola has changed up the interface to support up to three active notifications that you can tap on to get more information. From there you can open the notification or just unlock the phone.
Another aspect of Moto Display is the way it ties into orientation sensors. The phone knows when it has been picked up from a table or removed from a pocket. When that happens, it wakes up the screen to show you the time and any pending notifications before you wake the rest of the device with a swipe. It essentially obviates the power button.
[h=3]Moto Assist[/h]Your phone knows where it is, what the time is, and how fast it’s moving. Putting all that together should give it a little contextual awareness, but most phones don’t do that. Moto Assist ensures the new Moto X can adapt to fit into your life. Assist is used to change the settings of your phone based on your activities, and it really works.
This feature debuted on the original Moto X, and has been evolving ever since. Assist includes situations like sleep, driving, and meetings with custom settings for each. For example, the phone can go into silent mode when it’s bed time or you have a meeting. When you’re driving, the Moto X will automatically read messages aloud.
Moto Assist is not as powerful as something like Tasker, which has a large following among hardcore Android users. Still, Assist is easy to use and consumes no detectible amount of battery.
[h=3]Motorola Migrate[/h]Even the best Android phones don’t have a great out-of-the-box experience. Moving from your old device is a big pain that requires manual backups, and you’re bound to forget something in the process. Motorola Migrate can get your data from one device to the next with very little hassle.
Migrate uses a QR code to pair your old and new Android phone over a direct WiFi connection. From there, you get to choose the content to be copied over including SMS, contacts, images, videos, and settings. The length of time will vary based on how many files you have to move, but it’s still a lot better than doing it all manually.
Migrate even works with an iDevice, so you can move platforms without tearing your hair out. All you need to do is log into your iCloud account, and the Moto X will pull down your contacts and messages. Some content won’t transfer between platforms, obviously, but the Moto X still has the best Android migration experience by far.
[h=3]Quick Charge 2.0[/h]You won’t see a lot of talk about Qualcomm Quick Charge on the Motorola website, but the new Moto X is one of the first devices to have v2.0 of this feature. What does that mean? Well, the Moto X will be able to fill its battery considerably faster than other phones, which might make up a bit for the smallish capacity.
This technology is baked into the Snapdragon chip at the heart of the Moto X, allowing it to charge up to 75% faster than other phones. Motorola does state that it only takes 15 minutes of charging to get another 8 hours of usage on the new Moto X. That’s at peak efficiency, though, which is only activated when the battery is low on power. After that, it slows down to preserve battery health.
Quick Charge 2.0 itself doesn’t require special cables or connectors, but Motorola will sell a higher wattage wall adapter (the Turbo Charger) that works more efficiently with the Moto X. It also juices up other phones and tablets a bit faster. All the better to enjoy these cool features longer.
More...
