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THE FUTURE IS wearables, or at least that what most companies believe as they move into the smartwatch market.
On one hand, you have Apple preparing for the launch of Apple Watch early next year, while Microsoft has entered the market with its health focused device Band.
On the other, Google has focused solely on the software side with Android Wear, allowing other companies to develop the smartwatches. Of the first-generation smartwatches powered by Google’s OS, the Moto 360 has received the most attention thanks to an eye-catching design and better than anticipated specs.
But does it herald the beginning of the smartwatch industry or do we still have a long way to go?
Look and feel
To state the obvious, the Moto 360 feels exactly the way a watch should feel. Lightweight, comfortable, and something you can forget about until you actually need it, exactly the kind of features wearable tech should offer if it’s to be taken seriously.
It also helps that the Moto 360 is rather stylish. It’s the first Android Wear smartwatch with a rounded screen (others went for a square look) and the metal rim and rubber strap helps it pass both the comfort and style test.
There is only one button located on the side, which activates the watch and puts it on standby, or brings settings when you hold it down. For the most part, you won’t actually use it as you can double-tap the screen to activate it and cover it with your palm to put it on standby, but it’s there if needed.
Speaking of activation, it can also be done through gestures. When you bring your wrist up to your face, the screen will sense this movement and switch on automatically. It’s a nice touch although you will likely switch it on accidentally because you moved your wrist too quickly for something.
Hardware
Considering the small size, the power and capabilities of the Moto 360 has been stripped down, but it does pack quite a number of sensors into it. The device comes with a gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, pedometer and a heart-rate monitor built in, which is handy considering the importance it places on fitness and functionality.
The 1.56-inch display is a nice size, although like all touchscreen devices, it’s prone to smudging, except unlike your smartphone, it’s much more noticeable as it’s such a small screen.
The 512MB of RAM used to power it is for the most part, adequate for most tasks you complete on it. It can sometimes end up freezing during the more demanding tasks, as was the case when dealing with Google Fit (a product that’s at best incomplete).
Battery life is decent. In general, it would last roughly 36 hours through normal use and if you’re conservative, you can extend this to 48 hours as your watch automatically goes into standby mode.
It’s not amazing, but it’s not the end of the world if you forget to charge it. Although if you turn on ambient lighting – which shows you the time and the latest notification you received when on standby – it will drain the battery a lot faster.
Charging it is done wirelessly through a charging stand, which can double up as a bedside clock. It charges very quickly – for every minute, the charge goes up by 1% meaning you can reach 100% in under two hours.
While it has an alarm, it’s practically useless when on the stand since it only alerts you through vibrations. Also, the stand is perfectly fine for when you’re at home, but if you’re travelling, it’s not exactly the most convenient item to bring around with you.
Android Wear
While Android Wear is designed towards simplicity, there is a learning curve that while easily overcome, does require a bit of practice to get used to.
While it does show you the basics when starting up, it’s likely that you will need to read up on the gestures so you know what you’re doing. This can take a bit of time as it not only uses swipes and tabs, but double-taps, wrist movement and even covering the screen with your palm to switch it off.
You can tell a lot of thought has been put into the interface, and essentially, it boils down to three main functions: notifications, fitness and quick actions.
The first function is where Android Wear really shines. Basically a miniature version of Google Now cards, both notifications and context-driven information like weather and events are displayed here.
It does feel liberating to be able to just glance at your watch and decide whether a notification is worth acting on or not and to its credit, it makes things as easy as possible.
The other two is where things begin to unravel a little. The software has problems recognising your heartbeat and the pedometer doesn’t always recognise steps per se. The biggest problem, however, is it doesn’t really tie into anything greater. Comparing previous days tells you a bit, but not much, and it would have been nice if it tied into goals that you set before a workout. Granted, it’s only been released this week, but it is lacking in usefulness.
Actions are completed through either taps or voice commands, and while nowhere near as flawed as Google Fit, still requires some care. In the case of text messaging, you’re provided with one or two word responses for easy replies, but if you want to send a more detailed response, you will have to use voice or tap the ‘open in phone’ option (the get-out clause for most watch actions).
For the most part, it’s good at recognising what you say, but the problem is it will send the message automatically, even if it doesn’t pick up what you said properly. You can cancel it during the sending process, but it’s likely many using it for the first time will be caught out by this.
You can’t make phone calls or send voice messages through it, which is probably for the best, but would have been a nice option for whenever you receive a call.
Conclusion
For a first-gen Android Wear device, it’s definitely more impressive than you would expect, but is it something you should purchase?
The answer is not just yet. Despite the positives and the little touches, both the software and (to a lesser extent) hardware feels incomplete.
The battery life isn’t good enough to keep up with the more demanding tasks and while the core of a great interface is there, there are just too many little issues that hinder the entire experience which is a massive shame as there is much to like here.
Probably the biggest problem it faces is there’s nothing there that makes it a must-have. Granted, it’s the closest anyone has come to offering a great smartwatch experience, but rightly or wrongly, its success is shaped by the quality of Android Wear, and currently it just doesn’t do enough to make it, or any smartwatch it powers, a must-have. Also, the price of €264 might be a bit much for the average person.
To Motorola’s credit, it’s one of the best efforts of creating a smartwatch we’ve seen (sorry Pebble), and it will set the standard for all future devices, but unless you don’t mind charging every second day, or are so overloaded with notifications and need a way to better manage them, it might be better to wait until the next generation of smartwatches are released.
One way or another, wearables are the future, but for now, they’re still a work in progress.
Pros
- Nice design, simple and lightweight.
- Charges quickly.
- Gestures and interactions are useful and intuitive.
- Not needing your phone to check notifications feels liberating.
Cons
- Overall battery life isn’t great.
- Android Wear and Google Fit needs work.
- Can be prone to freezing during the more demanding actions.
- €264 would be seen as pricey for the average person.
The Moto 360 can be pre-ordered from Expansys for €264.
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The list of 5h1te that’s happened under this government is unbelievable. Other governments have been brought down for less! Poor opposition and very poor journalists in this country.
@den: Yet two-thirds of voters want the next Govt to be led by FF and FG? Perhaps full employment, budget surpluses, unprecedented housing delivery, reducing waiting lists, and reducing taxes have something to do with their sensible decision?
@Pat Hazzard: Ahh cmere you’re just a troll or fffg lover. Mickey Martin poster over your bed or Leo?
@Pat Hazzard: Do they ?? Lets see, latest poll has FG on 23% and FF on 18% ..Now I know you shower in FF are bad with numbers, but even your not dumb enough to add them up and think 41% is two thirds of the electorate.. so I can only surmise you’re lying again ‘Pat’.
@Pat Hazzard: Budget surplus?!?! We’re taxed to the hilt and they’re taking in massive VAT/income tax. Still paying austerity taxes. Their spending budget has increased 62% between 2016 to year and there is nothing to show for it. No new infrastructure. Services are creaking, IR issues and staff retention issues everywhere……Unprecedented housing delivery?!!? There was 80k+ delivered per year prior to the crash, these lot have only managed just over 30k!!!……. HSE is a shambles with budget over run every year and massive waiting lists with people having to go abroad for procedures….. What planet are you on peddling this nonsense FFG propaganda!!!!
@den: Accountability of western governments was laid to rest in the 2008-2011 period, all governments formed after this are not accountable to the republic i.e. the peoples democracy, but are obliged by their masters to fulfil ‘international obligations’. In other words, these people are not working for the best interest of you or I or anyone else on this island and will do everything to stay in power to complete the wishes of the owners of Ireland Inc.
@another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec: Him and the 34 bots that gave his comment a thumbs up.
@Tom L: Probably all on the governments payroll
@Pat Hazzard: the money wasted on the new government printer alone would cancel out all that BS you typed.
Yourself, Sean o’dhubhghaill, Noel Lee and brendan O’brien never made one comment on the bike shelter as ye could not defend it!
A hole
@Pat Hazzard: What country are you talking about? I’m in my 9th year waiting to see an eye specialist. Just as well I bit the bullet and paid cash 8 years ago, otherwise I’d be blind now.
Can anyone figure this out ! A person leasing a pub in a rural Village pays his Landlord rent monthly, he has four refugees as Tenants and none of them work and they are fully subsidised. Is this Reality or are we he Irish being taken for a ride as total Gombeen’s ! ? ?
@vxQ6cYzh: If anyone can pat Hazzard can! Tin foil and all..
@vxQ6cYzh: Careful now, you might be called a bigoted racist, spreading dIsInFoRmAtIoN
@Paul Gorry: These accounts are ran by the junior party of FFFG, Ógra FF and Young FG. Moronic history and iNtErNaTiOnAl DeVeLoPmEnT students from uni who are afraid of the stems and their own shadows. Future system pigs
@Tom L: Wear those labels as a badge of honour
Bunch a wasters.
Where’s that charlatan donnelly? Is he coming back or still in hiding?
@Paul Gorry: you must live in a tin foil lined cave as he’s been on numerous media programmes in recent days
@Pat Hazzard: Minister for fail.Appointed in 2020 and jumped on the ff bandwagon. Left all the hard work to tony houlihan. Recent days are just smoking mirrors. A failure for sure. Maybe ask that young child’s family that was taken of the scoliosis list what they think of the charlatan?
@Paul Gorry: or that young girls parents in UHL.
@Willie Marty: sorry paul thats directed to Pat FF Hazzard.Donnellys seat is under fair pressure now Pat.Harris has a high profile running mate in Wicklow.
@Pat Hazzard: keeping quiet on the poor lad taken off urgent list for scoliosis surgery in CHI. Without informing his parents, leaving him Unable to breath and in terrible pain daily, unable to eat, or go to school
Must be having meetings with the CE to how do we get out of this one Ted.
One thing everyone of them politicians does is,talk complete muck and expect the ordinary person put up with it again,I can’t stand them
the list of advantages and things they can claim is unbelievable, even when they are not active anymore.
you want to make changes, start by that.
All the things they’ve made a balls of and now I hear Phil Hogan is coming back. The public does not want you back Phil no matter what voices your hearing in your head
you would not know they were gone .
@Dominic Leleu: wish day never came back give the working man nothing as usual
Sure that’s a grand holiday they all had off for the summer with so many problems that need fixing.
Bonkers dot IE will sort out the comparison among the political parties on who will be able to afford a roast leg of lamb in the next budget
This is a very bad government but have to say the opposition is absolutely terrible no wonder the government will get back in
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