Motorola's New Flagship is called the Moto X

[pc747]

I think you're highlighting a crucial point, and it probably explains differences in expectations/predictions. I've been assuming since Google bought Motorola Mobility that (a) Google would really take over the cell-phone division (e.g., Larry Page on August 15, 2011, "We will run Motorola as a separate business."), and (b) the Motorola of days past would cease to exist. (Disclaimer: I probably took Page's comment a bit out of context -- I'm putting the emphasis on "run" but Page put it on "separate," i.e., that running MM wouldn't influence Google's business model, Android would stay open, etc.).

Anyway, I really can't say if my assumption was totally ignorant and naive, or on the money, but so far I've looked at quotes like "we have to get the old phones out of the pipeline" to mean that once old inventory was sold off, Google would come in and "do their magic." I'm still (ignorantly?) hopeful that we'll see that transformation, and that if the X doesn't wow us enough, the next generation will certainly do a better job.

On a distantly-related note: it's also been hinted here a few times and I totally agree that Google's long-term vision is to merge cell phones and Glasses -- I'm assuming in 2-3 years the cell phones we carry around will be more like portable CPUs that mostly gather ambient data from multiple sensors, do a bit of local computing, but typically feed the data back into the cloud and then bring the "answers" back, e.g.,

User: Hey Google, do you recognize that red car over there?
GoogleChipPlantedInYourHead: It's a 2009 Ferrari.
User: How much does it cost?
GCPIYH: About $150,000 in good condition.
User: Wow, pretty expensive.
GCPIYH: Would you like to see something less expensive?
User: Naah...I'm kind of hungry. Is there a pizza place nearby?...

-Matt

Yeah ill pass on the Motorola X chip . But you make a good point about inventory and something I forgot about/overlooked. Motorola could be under contract (or agreement) to set carriers (particularly vzw) which promises to produce X amount of devices that meets a certain standard. This could hinder Google from what they can do. Remember a few years ago fans hammered Motorola about the locked bootloader and Motorola's response was that they had to design the software to the carrier's specs. At the time many called hogwash (me included) only to find out Motorola was right as we started seeing other oems lock down their devices. We saw how vzw treated the nexus where they wouldn't allow Google wallet and with what Google has planned for wallet there is no way they are going to continue to let that fly. When Google bought Motorola they also bought their contracts and they are obligated to honor it. So that makes since that Google has to wait to empty the pipeline to do what they have planned. With that said I do not see Google being quiet. The tech industry is a fast moving business move too late and it could be game over. So I expect the pipeline phones to make its way to the carriers but I also see them releasing devices that follow in the suit of Google experience where they release it for purchase on their play store (gsm/hspa/lte). At least I hope they do.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[94lt1]

I'd like to point out that we don't know for sure that Google walked away from the x..if I recall, that was reported by a questionable source...it was also reported that this phone was yet another that was in the works from the previous moto think tank...

So many rumors, and a few teases that had double meanings....

Now we all know motos history... and we are expecting a repeat...

Now Google and their statement of not showing favoritism to Moto...cause they were afraid of running off other android manufacturers...

Am I the only one that thinks they show favoritism to Samsung?? And that Samsung is on the verge of releasing its own OS to compete with android and IOS???


Some might say that its because Samsung delivers.. does anyone remember how heavy sense got?? To me, samsungs version of android is getting very heavy... some of it I like, some I don't ..but my way of thinking goes to my true nature though...and I know I'm a minority...but to me, you don't build a beast of an engine and then pile junk on top of it so you have a ho hum performer...Samsung is doing just that...others may see it as Samsung is taking a base model car and adding dealer options and improving it....that's just not how I see it..

Back to my point....Google should take the helm of Moto, and they should really put the effort in..the time and development ....put out a phone that symbolizes what they think android should be...if it hurts feelings...oh well...

Just my opinion...

EDIT: they should stop thinking sensibly....innovation is not the product of rational thought...hand the reins over to the dreamers...the people that strive to push the boundaries of "what if" ...what've they got to lose?

 

[jroc]

About the 2 processors thing...I came across this:

Asus Transformer Book Trio runs both Windows and Android, houses two different Intel CPUs and batteries

From the article:

We are not talking some sort of emulation here from within Windows - the tablet can switch to one or the other operating system, and even has two different Intel processors to support them, as well as two different batteries. If you need power for some real work done on a Windows computer, a Core i7 CPU is at your disposal, alongside a 33Wh unit "with up to 15 hours of battery life" when the tablet is docked into the keyboard part, which also houses a 750 GB hard drive. You can also connect the dock to an entirely different external monitor of your choosing, making the Trio a desktop replacement unit as well.



If you need some light tasks and entertainment with long battery life - a 2 GHz Intel Atom Z2580 chip will back up your Android session "

That mentioned 2 different batteries...but thats a tablet. Could this be what Motorola has in store? Anyone think this is even possible in a phone?

On a side note.....I am VERY interested in that Asus tablet now....

 

[GotnFX]

Asus Transformer Book Trio runs both Windows and Android, houses two different Intel CPUs and batteries

Great find..man if this is what Gorola X is gonna be that would be sweet!

 

[kodiak799]

I can't imagine Google allowing a Moto device to run Windows, at least not a flagship device. Couldn't work in a phone, anyway - no way to cool the processor for the heavier PC workload. And, as mentioned, dual-booting WinMo wouldn't make sense in the least.

Not to mention cost. Asus can pull it off as a laptop & tablet replacement, and charge $800+ for it.

 

[GotnFX]

I can't imagine Google allowing a Moto device to run Windows, at least not a flagship device. Couldn't work in a phone, anyway - no way to cool the processor for the heavier PC workload. And, as mentioned, dual-booting WinMo wouldn't make sense in the least.

Boo..rain on the parade why don't you..Lol. Maybe not two different OS, but what about 2 different Android versions. One to handle everyday tasks, another to handle performance...I was also intrigued by the mentioning of the two batteries in article...Didn't Woodside bring up the industry battery issue in his interview and then mention the phone has two processors:

"Motorola has some of the world's best engineers and systems designers who spend their lives on that problem. There are two processors in the device that creates a system that allows you to do such a thing."

And that is how the original article ended..What was meant by that?

 

[kodiak799]

I assume it's Moto's answer to the big/little architecture. Same basic concept. Not sure what would be so special about a second battery because mAh are mAh not matter how you slice it.

 

[teddyearp]

All I want to know is if the bootloader will be unlocked/unlockable.

 

[pc747]

All I want to know is if the bootloader will be unlocked/unlockable.

For vzw probably not but there will likely be a developer version.

 

[teddyearp]

For vzw probably not but there will likely be a developer version.

Which is ok, but that means that there won't be any real developement for it; at least the likes of which we had with the Droid and have with the Gnex.

 

[Sal R.]

Hmmm...might have to trade up to a new and younger version.

But I still love you note2.

 

[pc747]

I'd like to point out that we don't know for sure that Google walked away from the x..if I recall, that was reported by a questionable source...it was also reported that this phone was yet another that was in the works from the previous moto think tank...

So many rumors, and a few teases that had double meanings....

Now we all know motos history... and we are expecting a repeat...

Now Google and their statement of not showing favoritism to Moto...cause they were afraid of running off other android manufacturers...

Am I the only one that thinks they show favoritism to Samsung?? And that Samsung is on the verge of releasing its own OS to compete with android and IOS???


Some might say that its because Samsung delivers.. does anyone remember how heavy sense got?? To me, samsungs version of android is getting very heavy... some of it I like, some I don't ..but my way of thinking goes to my true nature though...and I know I'm a minority...but to me, you don't build a beast of an engine and then pile junk on top of it so you have a ho hum performer...Samsung is doing just that...others may see it as Samsung is taking a base model car and adding dealer options and improving it....that's just not how I see it..

Back to my point....Google should take the helm of Moto, and they should really put the effort in..the time and development ....put out a phone that symbolizes what they think android should be...if it hurts feelings...oh well...

Just my opinion...

EDIT: they should stop thinking sensibly....innovation is not the product of rational thought...hand the reins over to the dreamers...the people that strive to push the boundaries of "what if" ...what've they got to lose?

Just read this, but that is why i hope samsung continues the google experience versions. TW is getting to heavy and the s4 could be the pendulum of having too much "stuff". I wish oems would allow me to buy a base model (aka google experience) and allow me to install the features I want. I hate the all or nothing model because some tw features I would actually use (ie blocking mode Ill turn it on while at the gym watching netflix on the treadmill) but other features I do no care for. I am still enjoying my n2 but when upgrade time comes I am looking at my next device being google experienced.

 

[bkdodger]

I came across this article..

http://www.androidauthority.com/rum...pixel-camera-android-4-2-2-jelly-bean-227708/

N2 Tap'd

 

[droidbionicmaster]

Motoual core
Sammy:quad core
Moto:10 mp
Sammy:13
Hmmm them trying to out do sammy with the moto x won't be out doing the galaxy but iPhone yes it can. Moto needs to step it up and get into the high end specs. But If the price is right then I can see it doing well but if its for $300 then no way

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Droid Forums

 

[gadgetrants]

Thanks CK, I've been hoping for an update on the elusive beast. It's nice to get more news.

In the meantime, I checked my eyeballs and they're still safe in their sockets. I have to say the hype isn't quite living up to my hope -- "contextual awareness" sounds like a term the marketing guys worked up to put a new spin on "location awareness" ("Yeah, you see...'contexts' are broader and more general than 'locations'!") and multi-processor battery management (*sigh*) -- yeah, that was the whole idea behind dual and quad cores, i.e., distribute the workload across processors so that they could run at a lower speed, and reduce power consumption. I'm thinking...this feels like a heavy dose of Emperor's New Clothes.

If this is all there is (oh yeah, I shouldn't forget...multiple colors, user-selected hardware features, "broadly distributed" across carriers, etc.), I'll predict the Moto X is not coming close to breaking the top 5. It sounds like all sound and fury, signifying a great big "meh". Where's the WOW-factor when you most need it?

-Matt

Comments flow through the forum so quickly that we rarely get the chance to connect past discussions/leaks/news to current realities. So I wanted to follow-up for once (WOW has it REALLY been over two months?) and reflect back on our hopes and aspirations for the X. Specifically, I posted this yesterday on a nearby thread, and think it deserves a repeat copy/paste here:

Google's Moto X: What the reviewers are saying - Apple 2.0 -Fortune Tech

My favorite sound-bite from the collection of comments:

Joseph Volpe, Engadget. Moto X Review. "The Moto X exudes no tech halo like the Galaxy S 4 or the HTC One because it is the sum of averages. Here's how I see it: You know those people who own iPhones, but don't know which model number they own and also refer to all Android phones as Droids? This phone is for them."

And another unflattering comment:

Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal: Motorola Mobility's Moto X Offers Customized Colors and More. "I've been testing the Moto X, which starts at $200, for nearly a week, and I like it. In my tests, it performed as advertised, and showed strong battery life. But I wouldn't call the Moto X a game-changer, like the original iPhone was in 2007. That's because, today, voice input on all phones, including this one, is still limited and sometimes frustrating, and saving a step or a second for just a couple of functions isn't earthshaking."

To be fair, there's admittedly no shortage of early positive comments about the X. But I want to repeat and stand by my original claim: I do not think the X is a remarkable phone, and I am pretty disappointed by the amount of spin and hype that Google has put into it, without backing up the hype with ground-breaking features. Kudos to Googarola for trying, but I'm calling this one a "fail."

-Matt