“The time has come for Google, the king of online search, to show whether it has any business selling hardware,” Brian X. Chen reports for The New York Times. “After lackluster results selling devices made by other companies, Google is giving hardware another try — this time with a smartphone made by a company it owns. On Thursday, Motorola Mobility, the handset maker Google bought last year for $12.5 billion and then retooled, introduced the Moto X, the company’s first major device since the deal.”
Chen reports, “Motorola’s executives think they have something special with the Moto X, which will be sold by all the major American phone carriers beginning in late August or early September. It has a 4.7-inch touch screen, which puts it right between the smaller iPhone 5 and the larger Galaxy S4 from Samsung… What executives hope makes the Moto X stand out is its voice command capabilities — like continually listening for a user’s voice and quickly reacting to commands. Saying “O.K. Google, now find me my way home” will quickly pull up a Google map with directions to a user’s house, for example. The phone learns the voice of its owner and responds only to it.”
“Still, as other device makers have learned, it takes more than snazzy features to gain traction in the handset business,” Chen reports. “The companies competing with Apple and Samsung for the high-end market just haven’t had much luck. HTC’s new smartphone, called the One, and BlackBerry’s new phone, the Z10, got good reviews but still sold poorly.”
Read more in the full article here.
I simply say, “Take me home, Siri,” and she dutifully and accurately acts.
Except that you have to press and hold the Home button. I like the larger screen and I like the voice activation. I hope Apple comes out with something like this because there’s NO way I’m gonna buy an Android device.
The those features sure would be nice on an iPhone 6…
Not really. I talk to Siri all the time, and never press any buttons. I pull the phone out of my pocket and bring it to my ear (the way I do when I answer the phone). Siri begins listening whenever the proximity sensor senses my head near the phone.
I am very curious to find out how fast will the battery be drained with the speech sensor continuously analyzing incoming audio for speech pattern. And consequently, how many people are ever actually going to be turning this feature off, due to the excessive battery usage…
Or what happens if you accidentally give a command just because it happens to be a random sentence in a random conversation
Because we always randomly say “Ok, Google” in conversations….-_-
It isn’t as implausible as you imply it to be. I can see a situation where there is an argument, and a person says: “You don’t believe it? OK, Google it”… followed by a string of some expletives or whatever else may be there, with a phone diligently listening and responding.
I always say “screw Google” in my conversations
Well, if you actually followed the news, you’d know if has barely any effect on battery at all. They optimized the Snapdragon framework to better suit the always on feature.
Well, that sounds awfully convenient, but quite difficult to swallow. We’ll just have to wait and see the reports of actual performance from actual users in real-life circumstances.
I prefer to have physical control when Siri listen to me and I would be very afraid when my phone will route every voice signal fully automatically to the Google servers – this will be the perfect SPY DEVICE.
This would even overtop George Orwells wildest misgivings.
I use the “take me home” iPhone feature all-the-time!
Sure beats sewing my address into my clothes. 😉
Ask your mother to give you your home address. Maybe you can remember it?
Gees, some people just don’t seem to get humor.
Wow a phone that is constantly listening to you, so now google can eavesdrop on your every word and you get to pay google for the privilege.
A. It only listens when you say “Ok, Google”.
B. If they really wanted to listen to you, they already can by simply activating the microphone remotely.
C. You can always turn it off 😉
Yes, any phone could be manufactured to turn on the microphone and listen to you. Any phone. Could be now. And yes, you can turn off that feature. Do you remember the feature from AT&T whereby you could call your landline phone and turn on the receiver to listen to the room? Same feature was available on many answering machines. That was at least 20 years ago. Big Brother has been listening to us for a long time. Check out the movie The Conversation with Gene Hackman. Fantastic movie.
Peter you ignorant slut, how does it know you said, “Okay Google” unless it is ALWAYS listening?
Ahhh classic SNL! Works better though if your counterpoint partner is a female though. But it will never be as good as the original moment between Akroyd and Curtin. Nice little jawdropper that it was at the time.
My concern about voice-activated smartphone commands is that they encourage drivers to use their phones while driving. Although voice-activated devices can be operated “hands-free”, you still have to look at the screen (in most cases) to see what you’ve asked the phone to display—which makes you a danger to yourself and others.
…which makes you a danger to yourself and others if you are driving a car at the time.
MDN: Please let users edit their comments.
What’s cool about this phone is that you can design hardware aspects to suit your taste. The customization options are just making me giddy. Iam seriously temped to lay down my nexus 4 and get wooden embossed one.
That’s a little creepy. If someone can find a way of tapping into it, they could listen to you. That’s about as creepy as the new, can’t remember if its the new X-Box or PS4 or both I heard about that will constantly have the camera on.
I’m sure that Google is at all times tapping into it anyway, just so they can serve you more targeted advertising.
Paul, it’s the Xbox One that needs and requires the kinect camera to be on 24/7.
Thank the Gods that Sony’s PS4 doesn’t require a always on Camera.
I like the idea of not having to touch your phone, but I don’t like the idea of 9 out of 10 times it will respond to a strangers voice. It seems like a big vulnerability to me. Also how much would it drain the battery to have it always listening.
… another competitor that Apple and its fans at MDN would be wise to take seriously, as many/most of the new Motorola’s capabilities appear to eclipse anything Apple currently offers.
Once again, Cook’s trickled release of new products not only makes Apple look old and slow, but it is continuing to hold down the AAPL share price as well. The iPhone 5S damn well better be worth the wait. If it’s just a warmed-over iPhone 5 pre-loaded with iOS7, then Apple market share and profits will continue to be nibbled away by the increasing competition. Get off your ass Cook!
Yes this is an old story. Every time somebody else release a new smartphone here you are: the iPhone killer!!! I’ve heard talking like yours each time Samsung has released a new model. Really. Every single time. But of course this time is different, right? Like all the other times were. BTW I assume you have already tried it, to be so sure…
and all those iPod killers before that… whatever happened to them?
Ah, but this time is different, to be sure. Different in that the others have largely failed, and this has not. (And it shall not, just you wait.) (And should it fail as well, wait for the Pro version, certain to kick ass.) (And should even that come up short, we will plant some most excellent articles and reviews to discredit sane voices.)
And, pulling out all the stops, we will grant none other than Steven Levy unparallelled access to provide a bulletproof prerelease think piece, grabbing mindshare and proving that we are serious about hardware (even though we can’t get our minds off our basic business model: monetising the consumer. Hey—we’re proud of it)
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/08/inside-story-of-moto-x/
I doubt that he has tried the new Motorola phone. As it has not been released to the consumer yet. Same goes for you and the iPhone 5 S Jack. It hasn’t been released to the consumer yet and we don’t even know what it is going to have as features yet Jack. Perhaps you didn’t read his comments closely Jack. Perhaps you were reading his thoughts with a fanboy attitude Jack. Try being objective. Just once Jack. His point was that you should always pay attention to your competitor. In war you never take your enemy lightly. Only people with their eyes open and an objective mind can learn and improve themselves. Only fanboys dismiss other phones so easily Jack. You can be certain that Apple always pays attention to what its competitors come up with. It’s not like Apple doesn’t know jack shit.
Where did I say I have tried it, GM? And where did I state the superiority of the 5s, GM? My dear, I was just reporting facts. And the comments I’ve been reading for 5 years, GM. Maybe want to read my comment again, GM?
“I assume you have already tried it to be so sure?” You haven’t tried it either Jack. So you, just like him, have no idea how good or bad the new Motorola phone is. Jack.
Yes, my dear. And in fact I did not say one or the other is good or bad, GM, and u did not make any statement on the quality of either devices. Maybe you should read my first post again, GM. In fact I was only making a point in the complete nonsense of judging and comparing anything based in the specifications which is something that has been done constantly in the past, GM.
Still waiting for you to explain how I am a fanboy, while you put words on my mouth that I never wrote. Who’s the fanboy, now, GM?
Jack, if you think Google is just another competitor, you haven’t been paying attention. Not only is the company ruthless, it somehow has the trust (and personal data) of the vast majority of western computer users. And like i said, on paper, the Moto X destroys the iPhone 5. Apple needs to respond, and quickly.
I agree, “on paper”. I have also read that the iPad sucks on paper.
Siri knows where I live and can call a taxi when I’ve had a few too many down at the local watering hole. That is about all the voice I need. 🙂
voice recognition
I have heard—mind you, not from personal experience, but from an acquaintance or two—that Siri knows you even from slurred speech and will offer to call a taxi. Methinks Siri 2.0 will go one better, telling you “Get in the damn car” and drive your sorry ass home.
The taxi idea was much better. And safer. For all.
The iPhone is awesome and I wish Google didn’t mole Apple’s ideas, but the phone looks pretty nice. We will see if it is actually a contender.
As a matter of principle I would never deliberately want purchase a Google product of any description for whatever reason …
Poor HTC… they copy HTc back..
“like continually listening for a user’s voice and quickly reacting to commands”
There goes the battery
I gotta say that innovation at Apple seems to have crawled to a halt. The iPhone seems boringly old fashioned and seems destined to be carried by old folks and folks in retirement homes.
Like you and me, BLN. Like you and me.
Jonny, I hardly knew ye…
i love my iPhone 5 but I just saw a story about this phone on ABC News. This phone is made in the USA. That makes for a great marketing strategy. I wish Apple would make iPhones here at home. More jobs for Americans.
Assembled in the US. Made from Asian parts. Just so we’re clear.
But they are at least assembled here. Right?
Not according to the ABC News report. While they did not say that all of the components were manufactured in the U.S. they showed a circuit board and indicated part by part which state the part was manufactured in. The report cited rising wages in China as making manufacturing the products in the US more affordable. See http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/moto-pricing-release-customization-options-details-motorolas-smartphone/story?id=19840998
“Go go Google gadget…”
The fact that Google’s “Nexus” devices are made by LG, Asus, and Samsung, when Google owns Motorola, says it all. Google does feel confident enough to risk its own brand on Motorola’s devices.
Google should save that money for R&D new products instead of going to smartphones and tablets, it kinds of too little too late, the market is saturated with all of those products.
IMHO, all Google’s Android powered phone should be called “NSA Surveillance Phone” – all your data will be delivered back to the mothership without user involvement.
lol it wont work as well as the demo, it never does.
That distressed wood blank background looks horrible
On second look, there are some other interesting things. The fonts – terrible. Look at the swirrly google in the search box. UGLY. Next to impact bold of the time.
Interestingly, there is not much “flat” about what I see on that home screen. For all the talk about iOS following Android, I sure am not seeing any of that here. The icons are not really flat, but more squarish with fake 3D angles on some of them, like the phone icon. The camera is from 1992.
This design is just straighy up gross.
Sorry, but Apple certainly did not take any design queues from this disaster.
Buying Motorola was a great misstake by Google. But we are happy they made it.