First Ads Appear for the Moto X

[kodiak799]

The way motorola explains it the phone's photo and proximity sensors will prevent it from activating in a pocket or hand bag. Additionally the orientation and type of motion also come into play.

Maybe it's just me, but "shake to snap a pic" seems like an oxymoron. I foresee people shaking their phones in violent frustration and finally getting a blurry pic.

 

[xeene]

i think the shake is to activate the camera not snap a pic. you can't shake anything and take a legit picture.

 

[TheOldFart]

i think the shake is to activate the camera not snap a pic. you can't shake anything and take a legit picture.

That's the way I understand it too. Shake to activate camera, even when phone is in sleep mode. Touch anywhere on screen to take picture.

 

[seamus]

I've said for years that I'll never buy a phone without a SD slot. Then I realized that I have never removed my SD card from either my Droid or my Inc2. I've also never come close to filling it (8.6GB remaining of the 14GB on the Inc2 after 20 months). For this reason I'm reluctantly willing to settle for a non SD Moto Ultra series phone, as long as it has at least 16GB memory (12GB usable). Same for the battery. I'm a bit less concerned about the battery since I've discovered that Moto will replace it for $50. If it makes the phone more durable then I'll accept it.

You also need to consider the implications of sending the message to Motogoogle that it's peachy keen to offer "consumers" less choice. I use up my internal card in 6 months and have to work to keep it pared down. Fortunately that "work" mostly consists of moving apps and data to the SD external card.

Why buy consumer-grade when professional-grade kit is available at the same or better price?

 

[kodiak799]

Why buy consumer-grade when professional-grade kit is available at the same or better price?

While I share your preference, to each their own. Not everyone cares or needs that much storage, and in fact we seem to be a rather small minority. It may only cost the mfr $10 for the slot and another $10 for a 16gig card, but $20 per phone adds up on the bottom line. Plus maybe another $15 giving 16gigs internal vs. 32gigs.

As I've said many times, with the exception of Sammie and Apple, the OEM's aren't even able to break even (because they don't have the volume, mainly). They are all anchoring to the same 1-2 price points, so it's a big deal to save that $20-$35 on storage because they otherwise can't pass that cost on to the consumer. HTC, Moto and the other minor leaguers are all struggling to match specs consumers demand and not go bankrupt in the process.

Now I wouldn't have a problem paying an extra $50 for more storage, but maybe that's not the case with most consumers - I'm sure they all have the research to determine that adding the storage and bumping the price $50 kills their sales.

I don't know. Maybe eventually we see some bifurcation where some phones are more media focused (lots of storage and better camera, traded off for other specs). I went with the Rezound (even swapped out the GNex) because of storage and the camera, and when I decide to upgrade those will probably be my main two criteria again. And I always like to have several gigs free on my sd just in case I'm at an event where I go crazy with pics and video.

 

[PereDroid]

The way motorola explains it the phone's photo and proximity sensors will prevent it from activating in a pocket or hand bag. Additionally the orientation and type of motion also come into play.

Still a lame gimmick when sliding your finger on the lockscreen from LOCK > CAMERA takes oh... exactly the same amount of time. If not even less.
I tried that app I posted. It isn't bad actually. You can set how hard to shake it to activate... any app. Not just the camera. But for testing, of course, I used the camera. You can set an app on one shake, another on 2 shakes, still more on shakes with the screen pointed down.
But.. as I said... it's more of a gimmick. I'd rather just UNLOCK > CAMERA.

 

[kodiak799]

Still a lame gimmick ...

Not to mention how you have to shake it looks entirely awkward and unnatural (which they clearly had to do because of how it would shake in your pocket walking around). And it's buggy!

The quickest/best alternative is just to put some logic into the volume rocker - if you're not listening to music and the display is off, then you could launch the camera (and no need to unlock the device for that). I'm sure there are apps or roms that do this.

For that matter, they could have just added a camera shortcut to their low-power notifications that trigger with phone movement. Quicker and more natural.

 

[TheOldFart]

You also need to consider the implications of sending the message to Motogoogle that it's peachy keen to offer "consumers" less choice. I use up my internal card in 6 months and have to work to keep it pared down. Fortunately that "work" mostly consists of moving apps and data to the SD external card.

Why buy consumer-grade when professional-grade kit is available at the same or better price?

So you're saying that I should refuse to buy a phone that I find the best for me so that they will then make the next phone that someone else will like better???? Perhaps I should refuse to buy the Mini that I'm thinking about so that Moto will think they need to make a 6" screen phone that I have zero interest in. I've realized many years ago that no product will be made that is exactly what I find ideal.

 

[seamus]

So you're saying that I should refuse to buy a phone that I find the best for me so that they will then make the next phone that someone else will like better????

You jumped on that extreme misinterpretation pretty darn fast.

Perhaps I should refuse to buy the Mini that I'm thinking about so that Moto will think they need to make a 6" screen phone that I have zero interest in. I've realized many years ago that no product will be made that is exactly what I find ideal.

I simply said, consider the implications. Motogoogle is a monster already. Most people don't know it yet. They (along with the rest of the consumer electronics industry) want to turn the empowerment of computers and smartphones into a corral of limited social and commercial media choices, all paid for by advertising and the suckers who will be early adopters for whatever next 'gotta have' device they come up with. But more on point, who knows, maybe there will be a better phone for you with a better price point with a less-gigantic marketing push that you wouldn't have noticed if you did what the big corps all expect consumers to do: watch their TV and buy what they see.