Google/Motorola Mobility’s Moto X Outpaces Competition with New Innovations

[podspi]

i dont get anyone buying it with sg4 and iphone 5 out, let alone note 3, g2 and 5s

Because the experience on a Moto X is closer to that of an iphone 5 than it is to the SGS4.

Everyone who has used a Moto X will repeat the same thing over and over "no lag... ever". For Android, that's huge, and means a lot more than quad-core, 1080p screens, whatever.

I do agree that the camera and battery life are disappointing, though not unworkable.

 

[WelshBloke]

Because of how well integrated it is. Swipe up, and the app that's the source of the notification opens. Swipe sideways and the notification goes away.

And it doesn't burn battery life by switching on the entire screen to display the notifications. All you get is a gently pulsing icon until you touch the phone.

What if the display is off? Move the phone and the icon (or clock) appears until you touch it.

I rarely use the power button anymore.

.

Pretty sure most of the apps do all of those things. (The entire screen not turning off is to do with it being AMOLED and has nothing specific to do with Motos version of notifications BTW).

I'm not dissing the MotoX, its a nice phone, its just best not to blindly assume that functions are specific to one phone on Android. Unless its a hardware feature theres going to be an app to replicate the function in the play store.

 

[PowerYoga]

Apple is not innovative, they just take an existing technology and polish it up really well until it works almost perfectly in any scenario.

 

[WelshBloke]

Can we not do the "Apple/Samsung/Google/Moto/... is not innovative and they suck. Only Apple/Samsung/Google/Moto/... is innovative and they rule" thing again?

 

[Ravynmagi]

Can we not do the "Apple/Samsung/Google/Moto/... is not innovative and they suck. Only Apple/Samsung/Google/Moto/... is innovative and they rule" thing again?

Unfortunately that is the very topic of the thread you are reading.

 

[WelshBloke]

Unfortunately that is the very topic of the thread you are reading.

Just because vendor A makes something new it doesn't mean vendor B sucks and never makes anything new.

If you like vendor A buy their product, there's no need to bag on vendor B because they offer a slightly different product. Its getting really tired.

 

[thephew]

Apple is not innovative, they just take an existing technology and polish it up really well until it works almost perfectly in any scenario.

It's fair to say that the Moto X combines the best aspects of IOS and Android (intuitive and lag-free, but you still have total control). Not to mention the phone just feels perfect in the hand.

Yes, you can add Apps/launchers/ROMs/etc to partially replicate all or some of the Moto X features on other android phones, but these apps are likely to cause lag and/or drain the battery. Motorola made sure everything was unobtrusively integrated.

 

[WelshBloke]

It's fair to say that the Moto X combines the best aspects of IOS and Android (intuitive and lag-free, but you still have total control). Not to mention the phone just feels perfect in the hand.

Yes, you can add Apps/launchers/ROMs/etc to partially replicate all or some of the Moto X features on other android phones, but these apps are likely to cause lag and/or drain the battery. Motorola made sure everything was unobtrusively integrated.

Not to be rude but you shouldnt really just make stuff up and post it as fact.

 

[Zivic]

Moto X forums are full of people that sold their S4s and HTC Ones in favor of the Moto X. You can't use a Moto X for a day without being won over by it. I don't know or care if it's "innovative" but it's the most usable android phone yet.

mine just showed up. setting it up now. feels great. the blue I chose isn't as bright blue as I expected but the soft touch back feels better than the woven black I handled in the store. Screen seems VERY bright.

 

[zoiks]

motox is way behind other brands on the things that matter--screen, cpu and camera. plus no replaceable battery and no expandable storage. i hope it doesnt sell, esp after releasing that junk with so much hype and lying about price for so long

Doesn't sound like you like Android in general.

 

[thephew]

Not to be rude but you shouldnt really just make stuff up and post it as fact.

OK, here's an article where someone tried to emulate the Moto X experience on an HTC One GPE, and failed:

http://www.geek.com/android/no-you-cant-re-create-the-moto-x-with-apps-1568497/

Have you found anyone that has successfully replicated the moto X experience on another phone? Devs are hard at work on apps to truly do it right, but they aren't there yet and may not be for a while.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Just because vendor A makes something new it doesn't mean vendor B sucks and never makes anything new.

If you like vendor A buy their product, there's no need to bag on vendor B because they offer a slightly different product. Its getting really tired.

Actually that is exactly what the article said.

 

[WelshBloke]

OK, here's an article where someone tried to emulate the Moto X experience on an HTC One GPE, and failed:

http://www.geek.com/android/no-you-cant-re-create-the-moto-x-with-apps-1568497/

Have you found anyone that has successfully replicated the moto X experience on another phone? Devs are hard at work on apps to truly do it right, but they aren't there yet and may not be for a while.

Why would I want to exactly replicate the "Moto X experience"? I don't use, or like voice recognition for a start so I don't want that. I dont like the look of that shake to wake thing either.

My wife has been using apps for displaying notifications on her S2 screen in standby for ages, I don't know which one shes using at the moment but why should she need it to be the same as the version that Moto uses? What if shes worried about the notifications showing up in the same place all the time and causing screen burn for instance?

In short I would rather have gimmicks kept in the Play store then I can choose which ones I want to put on my phone and not have redundant ones there (this goes for gimmicks that I like as well).

 

[WelshBloke]

Actually that is exactly what the article said.

I wasn't commentating on the article, I was asking that posters not go down that route. Stuff spirals down quickly here!

 

[Zivic]

motox is way behind other brands on the things that matter--screen, cpu and camera. plus no replaceable battery and no expandable storage. i hope it doesnt sell, esp after releasing that junk with so much hype and lying about price for so long

screen? almost every review comments how it doesn't matter, even when directly compared to the great screen of an S4. it has a great screen regardless what the spec is.

CPU?? it may not bench the same as a 600 or 800 quad, but use the phone. seen reviews that show it outpacing the HTC one when it comes to real world speed. It feels snappier than my wife's S4. if you just wanted specs on paper, then maybe this matters.

camera? you have a point here. the camera isn't great, but with the firmware update is supposed to be OK.

expandable storage, replaceable battery? I weigh those kind of heavily when I factor a new phone. or at least I used to. the expandable storage is a non issue for 99.5% of users. I thought it would be an issue for me, it has proved to be no issue. the removable battery is still one that would be nice to have, but even the nexus line has done away with it. that will be something I think will be gone in the next 2 yrs. I plan to get a battery back.

 

[thephew]

Why would I want to exactly replicate the "Moto X experience"?

Because maybe you don't like lag?

Have you even used a Moto X (not played with one in a store; actually used one for daily tasks)? Moto X subforum on Android Forums are full of people like you that thought they could get any phone to do everything they wanted through rooting/ROMS/launchers/apps, that prefer the stock Moto X software to anything they ever set up on their previous S4/One/G2/Note 2/etc.

 

[WelshBloke]

Because maybe you don't like lag?

I have no significant lag on my phone. Certainly none that bothers me anyway, if I did I'd just by a different phone.

Have you even used a Moto X (not played with one in a store; actually used one for daily tasks)? Moto X subforum on Android Forums are full of people like you that thought they could get any phone to do everything they wanted through rooting/ROMS/launchers/apps, that prefer the stock Moto X software to anything they ever set up on their previous S4/One/G2/Note 2/etc.

My point is that I don't necessarily want all of the "Moto X experience". Good for those that are enjoying their new Moto phones but I don't need someone evangelising their new Jesus phone to me. I'm capable of working out what functions I need in a phone and buying accordingly.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Since we are on the topic of the Moto X.

My Nexus 4 is encrypted. I can't view notifications unless I unlock the phone, which I don't like. Does encrypting the Moto X have the same effect on active notifications?

 

[Eug]

I agree that Motorola is doing some of the most interesting things on the Android side. The 5S just seems like a better package overall though, at least for me, and unfortunately, a lot of the Moto X features feel kind of gimmicky.

Also, with regards to a fingerprint scanner coming to the Nexus line or Motorola's phones... Maybe that will happen, but if it does it will likely suck (a la Atrix 4G) because there is no physical home button on these phones.

The only way a fingerprint scanner makes sense on Motorola and Google phones is if they rethink this no-physical-front-navigation-buttons policy.

For this reason, I'd expect a functional well-implemented fingerprint scanner on Samsung phones long before they appear on Motorola and Google phones.

 

[Red Storm]

I agree that Motorola is doing some of the most interesting things on the Android side. The 5S just seems like a better package overall though, at least for me, and unfortunately, a lot of the Moto X features feel kind of gimmicky.

Also, with regards to a fingerprint scanner coming to the Nexus line or Motorola's phones... Maybe that will happen, but if it does it will likely suck (a la Atrix HD) because there is no physical home button on these phones.

The only way a fingerprint scanner makes sense on Motorola and Google phones is if they rethink this no-physicalfront-navigations-buttons policy.

For this reason, I'd expect a functional well-implemented fingerprint scanner on Samsung phones long before they appear on Motorola and Google phones.

It would obviously go on the back, keeping the super sleek all glass button-free front look intact.

I personally would never use a fingerprint scanner regardless of which phone has it.

 

[Eug]

A fingerprint reader on the back would be pointless. BTW, that's what the Atrix 4G had.

 

[Red Storm]

A fingerprint reader on the back would be pointless. BTW, that's what the Atrix 4G had.

Because we all know it's not about what type of sensors and hardware/software are used, it's all about which side of the phone it's on that makes it work well or not...

The G2 has its power and volume buttons on the back, are they pointless? No, they work fine.

 

[openwheel]

Here comes the Apple advertising agency..

 

[WelshBloke]

A fingerprint reader on the back would be pointless. BTW, that's what the Atrix 4G had.

TBH if you're using it to replace passwords globally then the back would make more sense.

 

[MrX8503]

Moto X forums are full of people that sold their S4s and HTC Ones in favor of the Moto X. You can't use a Moto X for a day without being won over by it. I don't know or care if it's "innovative" but it's the most usable android phone yet.

Moto X forums? Lol what do you expect?