The Moto 360 might be one of the most anticipated devices of this year, and it's not a smartphone. This round smartwatch has captured a lot of attention and I know many of you have been eagerly wanting to know more about it and when it can be purchased.
Well I finally had a chance to play with it at Motorola's headquarters yesterday, and trust me, it was worth the wait. Motorola doesn't like to refer to it as a smartwatch because they feel it's a re-invention of the wrist watch.
As expected, it's stainless steel and sports a 1.56-inch (320 x 290) LCD display. It's not a complete circle as some like to refer to it as a flat tire, but on the plus side, there is virtually no bezel. This means that you get the biggest display possible. That bottom black area actually includes the display hardware as well as the ambient light sensor. There is no way that Motorola could pull off the next-to-nothing bezel without it. LG offers a full circle on the G Watch R, but the bezel is huge.
Most of everything else about the watch is just like any other Android Wear device. However, Motorola is allowing further customization with the Motorola Connect app. You have the ability to customize any of the pre-loaded watch faces with colors for not only the background and accents, but the hands as well. You can also use the Connect app to update your wellness profile (height, weight, and age), and it also keeps track of your watch's last known location in the event you forget it somewhere. The button on the side serves as a way to turn on the display as well as quick access to settings (press and hold).
The included pedometer and heart rate sensor should make fitness enthusiasts excited. It will keep track of your steps throughout the day as well as let you know how many minutes you exercised each day.
As rumored, the Moto 360 will have wireless charging capabilities. All you have to do is slip it in the included dock and it will not only start charging, but it will act as a nightstand clock.
The Moto 360 will be available starting at noon today at Motorola.com, Best Buy, and Google Play. Pricing will be $249, and that will include a leather strap made from Horween Tannery, the same source for the Moto X leather back plate options. You have your choice of black or silver for the watch itself and the straps will be offered in both black and grey. Later in the Fall, you will be able to buy your Moto 360 with a stainless steel strap (silver or black) for $299. However, if you can't wait until then, you can grab the watch now, and you will be able to upgrade your existing strap to stainless steel for $79. Leather straps will go for $29. Of course, you can always replace it with any strap you want since it's removable and sized at the standard 22 mm.
Full specs
- 1.56-inch (320 x 290) backlit LCD display
- Gorilla Glass 3
- TI OMAP 3 processor
- 512 MB of RAM
- 4 GB of internal storage
- Bluetooth 4.0
- watch case: 46 mm x 11.5 mm, 49 grams
- Sensors: Pedometer, Optical Heart Rate Monitor
- IP67 water resistance
