The focus in the last six months appears to have been shifting away from introducing more features and smartphones into the world to wearable technologies.
Samsung has had a strong presence in the wearable technology segment with its Galaxy Gear, but the device is not without its flaws. The flaws coupled with the high sticker price of $300 have put away many buyers. Motorola is ready to take the plunge into this segment after announcing the Moto 360 a few months ago.
Design
The Moto 360 could potentially bring about a breakthrough in the segment partly because it is designed by Google, the architects behind the android operating system, but primarily because of its looks. While most wearable devices like the Galaxy Gear have tried to go after futuristic designs that have never really caught on, Moto 360 relies upon the tried and tested circular style of many classic watches.
Display
The device does use a touchscreen display, but it is easy to mistake the high resolution display for a normal dial. For the uninitiated, the Moto 360 looks like a normal watch, only looking upon closer reveals the 1.5 inch display. The product was first showcased at the Google IO 2014. Rumors are intense that Google and Motorola could launch this device in the first or second week of September. Ahead of this much anticipated launch, there has been a lot of speculation about the price of the device. As with every other product, price will be a crucial factor, but even more so in this segment.
Price
An accidental leak from a retailer, however, suggests that the Moto 360 could be priced at $250. This would not mean a significant drop from the price commanded by the Galaxy Gear, but the attractive looks and the feature rich nature may appeal to a lot of buyers. The Moto 360 will certainly not be the cheapest device in the segment, as the likes of LG already have products at around $220. Samsung’s Gear Live is also comparatively cheaper at $200.
Operating System
One of Google’s biggest success in recent years has been the Google Now feature, which is now seamlessly integrated even in most mid-range smartphones. Moto 360’s main competitor, Samsung Galaxy Gear, recently shifted away from the Android operating system to the Tizen OS. They claimed that this improved the battery life of the device, without making any substantial changes to the battery size. The Moto 360 is expected to come with the Android 4.3 version, but it is rumored that the adoption of the OLED technology has helped this device consume 40% less power than it would have otherwise done with a normal LCD display.
Resolution will be one of the high points of the Moto 360. The 1.5 inch display offers a resolution of 320 x 290 pixels, thus translating into 205 pixels per inch. Early users of the device have claimed battery life of more than two days, which should be ideal for such a feature rich product. It remains to be seen if the $250 price will make the device a hit.
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