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Motorola drops Moto X wood backs to $25

January 17, 2014 By Mary Duncan Leave a Comment

Motorola is not shy of dropping the price for their smartphone and they have just cut the new wood backs by 75%, from $100 to $25. The news comes alongside more wooden backs made available, including ebony, teak or walnut backing.

Ever since Motorola officially announced the wooden backs, they have been on a roll to get them out quicker and to more users. The U.S. only Moto Maker tool will now offer four different options of wood and we may see more in the coming months, as Motorola grabs more inventory.

One of the key factors on the Moto X launch was the fact users could buy the wooden backs, before Motorola decided to drop the bomb and say they would not be available until Q4. It took them a little while to finally get them out and not a lot of people were impressed with the price.

It is rather exciting how much Motorola has dropped down the Moto X price and the move to make more premium models even cheaper shows their commitment. This is on top of CEO Dennis Woodside saying he wanted a cheaper Moto G, pointing at an under $50 next generation low-cost phone.

The question is where the next generation of Moto X will go, we have heard that more customisation, cheaper price and more markets could be the push, on top of a new line of specs and possibly customisable specs in the near future.

Motorola has their modular smartphone project they are working on, which could lead to making the Moto X modular. We love the design of the Moto X, but we do think if we could have a swappable parts phone for a ugly design, we would be interested.

Motorola announces Moto X off contract for $399.99

January 1, 2014 By Micheal Baptiste Leave a Comment

Motorola has announced another price drop for the Moto X and the smartphone will now be available for $399 off contract on all carriers, with Moto X customisations. The flash sales have done the Moto X well and this price-drop may grab Motorola even more sales in the coming months.

Normally flagships don’t go this low after six months, but the Moto X is a special case of being available in North America only and already having less impressive specs than other flagships on the scene, including the HTC One, LG G2 and Galaxy S4.

The Moto X is currently available on AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, T-Mobile and US Cellular in the US and Rogers in Canada, it is also available direct from the Motorola store. Only the US has the ability to use the Moto Maker, the customisation tool for the Moto X.

For the bamboo backing, users will have to pay a little extra and for 32GB of internal storage the price will be bumped up, but the base price is incredible where it is now, at $399 off contract it beats all flagships and even some two year smartphones from Apple and Samsung.

The Moto X has made a few million sales, but nothing compared to the iPhone 5 or Galaxy S4. This was not Motorola’s goal though, we think the idea was to show a cheap flagship could be made in the US and Motorola also wanted to test out customisation.

We are not sure where the future lies for the Moto X, Motorola could decide to just yearly release a new model with higher-specs or we could see more customisation come into play, to the point where the user can change the internals on the Moto X and completely customise the experience.

Motorola teasing Moto X wooden backs for holiday release

December 16, 2013 By David Leave a Comment

The Moto X launch has not been the smoothest and we cannot disagree with analysts who say Motorola may have lost millions of sales in the opening months of the smartphone launch.

In a rush to make sure all carriers were willing to ship the smartphone and have the phone out at an appropriate time, Motorola did not launch the Moto X with wooden backs or personal engravings, two key features on the Moto Maker tool.

Motorola also caved into AT&T’s request for a long period of Moto Maker exclusivity, meaning Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile could not sell the custom version of the Moto X. We believe this bit into the sales really harshly, considering AT&T only grabs about 30% of Android buyers.

All of these problems may be fixed in time for the holiday season, Motorola has ended the exclusivity deal with AT&T and engravings are back on Moto Maker. Now all we are waiting for is the wooden backs, something Motorola has been teasing lately, pointing to a holiday release date.

We still have no firm date and the likelihood of Motorola announcing the wooden backs before Christmas is low. We expect they may announce the backs before New Year and if they cannot meet that date, it is likely they will release them sometime in early January.

When the Moto X was officially announced, Motorola showed off four different types of wood on the back of the smartphone and then disappointed everyone by saying the backs would not be available until sometime in Q4.

The wait might be over, but we wonder how many Moto X fans have actually waited all this time to grab the wooden backs. Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside has said they are making about 500,000 units every week a month ago, but this may have slowed down since November.

Either way, wood is a material we have not really seen on the back of a smartphone and Motorola will be the first. The Moto X is already a nice, well design smartphone and we wonder how big the difference will be with a wooden back aesthetically.

Moto X custom wood backs will be available for holiday season

November 27, 2013 By David Leave a Comment

Motorola has been pumping out a lot of changes to the Moto X in November, dropping AT&T as the only carrier to utilise the Moto Maker and dropping the price of the Moto X both on and off contract across almost all carriers, making it a more affordable device.

One big feature we are still waiting for is the wood backs, something many potential buyers have been waiting for since the launch of the Moto X. Motorola showed off the wood backings at the unveiling but have since kept quite about the backs, saying they would be available sometime in Q4.

The company has stepped out to keep buyers aware they will be coming shortly, saying they will arrive for the holiday season this year. We still do not have a specific time and it could be anywhere between now and the middle of December, the earlier the better.

Wood is a very odd choice of backing and it has drawn attention from many wanting a change from plastic and aluminium. There are already wood covers for iPhone’s and Android smartphones, but this would be the first wood back without a cover.

Motorola showed four different types of wood that may be available on the Moto X, although we may see one or two make it to the Moto Maker tool. The wood backs will only be available on Moto Maker, we doubt Motorola will let any of the carriers grab exclusives.

The Moto X is currently off contract at the price of $449 and all US carriers have dropped the price of a two-year deal between $29 – 149. It seems the demand is still there, with Motorola’s CEO Dennis Woodside announcing 500,000 units shipped every week from Fort Worth, Texas.

Wood is obviously a nice touch but we are waiting for the true customisation coming sometime in the future from Motorola.

Motorola offering 8GB Moto G for $179 off contract, 16GB for $199

November 26, 2013 By Brandi McCants Leave a Comment

Motorola has finally announced dates and prices for the Moto G, their mid-range Android device for the budget end of the worldwide market. Motorola will not just be shipping this out to Europe, Asia and Latin America, but it will also be available at home in the US.

The Moto G comes with a 4.5-inch 720p display, quad-core processor, 5MP camera and Android 4.3 with Motorola’s light skin. This is all fitted in a package that looks almost identical to the Moto X, Motorola’s US only flagship device they are selling custom unlocked on their Moto Maker store.

Some differences externally between the two devices are the removable back on the Moto G, allowing users to change the back color of the smartphone whenever they please – Motorola has sadly not added microSD storage or a removable battery despite the removable back.

The Moto G will be on sale in the US for $179 (8GB) or $199 (16GB), sadly Motorola has not opted for a higher storage option, even though many would love 32GB if they are planning on adding a lot of music to their smartphone, Google does have cloud storage on Drive for those needing extra space.

This is a big push by Motorola for the budget end smartphone market, currently held by Nokia, BlackBerry and Samsung. The Moto G is a pretty impressive performer and Motorola has already got it out in South America and Europe, with Asia and Latin America next on the list.

What we find rather impressive is Motorola’s insistence that the Moto X cannot be shipped to Europe and Asia, despite the product not really being the most loved in the US and possibly losing the company profits on how many staff are being paid in the Fort Worth, Texas facility.

That being said, the Moto X and Moto G seem on a journey with Motorola into the custom era of smartphones, where processors and RAM can be replaced at the twist of a screw, check out Motorola’s Project Ara if you want to find out more about that idea.

The Moto G will be available to order on December 3 and will come to 60 other countries in the coming year.

Moto G announced for $199 off contract, Motorola’s bid to take on low-end market

November 14, 2013 By Lori David Leave a Comment

Motorola has announced the Moto G, the cheaper international version of the Moto X for low-end markets. The news was broke at Motorola’s event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where the phone will be shipping out first, alongside a few other large consumer markets for cheap devices.

The Moto G is essentially a cheaper version of the Moto X without some of the key hardware and software features. Instead of having a custom back built on the Moto Maker store, Motorola has issued out a selection of removable backs with different colors.

Removable back does not mean removable battery or external storage, Motorola has added this purely to give Moto G users a different color if they aren’t happy with their stock option. Motorola has not added any of the custom software features onto the Moto G and the phone is running Android 4.3 with an update to Android 4.4 in the coming weeks.

Inside the Moto G runs a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8/16GB of internal storage and runs on a 1,950mAh battery. Motorola has added a 720p LCD panel instead of AMOLED to the Moto G and reduced the size to 4.5-inches.

The biggest announcement on the device was the price, starting at an impressive $199 (£130) off contract for 8GB. This is an aggressive move into the low-end market, currently dominated by Samsung, HTC and Nokia, but is not the cheapest smartphone out there running Android.

Motorola also said the Moto X will be getting updated to Android 4.4 in the coming weeks and we may see a few new software features. The Moto X has sold 500,000 units so far, but Motorola will be hoping for more sales with the Moto G in various low-cost markets.

The Moto G will be available in the US around the start of 2014 and will come on Verizon Wireless and some other unnamed carriers.

Moto Maker now available on all carriers after AT&T exclusivity deal wares off

November 11, 2013 By Brandi McCants Leave a Comment

Motorola has finally made their Moto Maker tool available to all four major carriers in the US, following a two month exclusivity deal with AT&T. We are not sure how many units AT&T have been able to sell the in the first two months, but we can see the bulk of Moto X users probably picking the phone up on AT&T, instead of getting the boring white/black version from the other carriers.

This now means Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile have access to the Moto Maker tool and their customers can now use the tool and get custom editions sent to them from Motorola’s US factory in Fort Worth, Texas.

Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside did say 100,000 Moto X units were being made every week, pointing at around one million sold so far. The number is nothing compared to Apple’s nine million sales in three days, but Motorola are only focusing in the US and only had one main carrier until today.

At two months old, the Moto X is still a viable candidate for the next device, despite being a little underpowered internally. The real big features are Motorola’s new software package and the custom design, two features no other company can match at the moment.

We still do not know what the future is for the Moto Maker, does it simply die at the end of the Moto X life or will it be revive when the new edition comes out. Motorola may do an iterative design, changing the Moto Maker tool every few months with added features for new buyers, more customisation, to the point where the buyer can choose the processor, RAM, screen-size and all sorts of other options.

No news on when the wood Moto X options will be available, Motorola is still sticking to their Q4 2013 announcement. In another piece of news on the Moto Maker, Motorola has added engravings back, after taking them away for lacklustre quality.

Motorola teases Moto G announcement on November 13

November 4, 2013 By Nicholas Anderton Leave a Comment

Motorola has openly said they are making a cheaper international edition of the Moto X soon, but have failed to release details on the what, when and where. A new teaser on the Motorola website shows the Moto X boot up animation with the Moto G headline, pointing at the cheaper smartphone.

For a while we have debated what the Moto G could be, some say it is a smartwatch or perhaps the Moto X tablet. The vast amount of rumors point to the cheaper international smartphone, set to be one of the cheapest devices available.

The Moto G is set to come with a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 8/16/32GB of internal storage, different back colors and the same 720p display. This may be the perfect phone to show off Android KitKat 4.4 capabilities on a cheaper and less powerful device.

Price wise, the Moto G is expected to come for £135 ($210) and be available across Asia, Europe, North America, South America and even Africa. Motorola will not be manufacturing this in the US, making it cheaper for them to assemble and ship worldwide.

We will be impressed if Motorola offers the smartphone out for that cheap, we remember the vast amount of rumors pointing at the Moto X $350 off contract price, only to be disappointed when the official announcement priced the Moto X at $199 on contract.

Motorola may have an event planned for November 13 but if it is a non-flagship device we may just see it get released on the store and by various carriers around the world. It does seem a little weird that Motorola would make a budget end smartphone right after the Nexus 5 releases, but for $140 less we can see the value.

Moto G appears on the Motorola website beside Moto X

October 30, 2013 By David Leave a Comment

The Moto G is still a mysterious device and Motorola looks almost ready to announce the new smartphone/tablet/smartwatch. The Moto G name cropped up on the Motorola website beside the Moto X, pointing at some type of brother to the flagship smartphone.

We have heard of the Moto X budget edition and Motorola has talked in length about making a custom and cheaper model for European markets. The Moto G could be this device and may be available via the Motorola store, possibly implying the Moto Maker will be compatible with the new device.

There are question marks on this theory, especially why Motorola would offer the Moto Maker tool out to Europe and other countries and not the Moto X. The Fort Worth, Texas factory where the Moto X is produced cannot harbour sales in other territories beside North America or so we have been told.

A budget end smartphone is not the only possibility, when the Moto X was first leaked it came with a rumor about the Moto X Tablet. The tablet has went dark since the Moto X got announced but some still believe Motorola is building the device for launch before the end of 2013.

The Motorola tablet would be an awesome device to pair with the Moto X and could be built using the Moto Maker tool. Imagine having almost stock Android on a ten-inch bright-yellow tablet, sounds fantastic in a world of grey and black back covers.

One of the most questionable possibilities is the Moto G being Motorola’s smartwatch, developed in co with Google. We know Google wants to make Motorola their hardware division, even though they seem to be separate for the time being.

The Moto G smartwatch is an odd and clever opportunity for Motorola to make a customisable smartwatch. The smartwatch may have different watch faces and colors to design to the users taste.

Whatever the case, the Moto G is likely to be announced soon – the web developers for Motorola’s website wouldn’t just be teasing us with ideas, now would they.

Motorola jumps on the Phonebloks concept with Project Ara

October 29, 2013 By Lori David Leave a Comment

Motorola may be in a spot of bother with their financial income, but with Google’s backing the hardware division may be onto a new stage in smartphones: customisation.

The Moto X is one of the most customisable smartphones on the market, users can pick a range of different colors and design the phone to look the way they want it when it comes out of the box, but it is still a long way from what people can do with a PC.

Motorola wants to develop a modular phone similar to the Phonebloks idea and sell it to consumers. Where many were quick to denounce the Phonebloks idea as a dream and unlikely to ever happen, they now have backup from one of the oldest mobile providers.

The company has said they will make it out of endoskeleton modules and we believe this will be the next generation of Moto X. Instead of just having the color customisable, what if the user could pick what processor, battery, camera and storage they wanted and then in two years, swap it out for enhanced components.

Motorola will develop an open hardware platform for third parties to develop components on and offer on the smartphone. This is without a doubt the biggest leap forward Phonebloks needs to actually gain recognition from big companies like Qualcomm, Sony and other manufacturers who make the displays, processors, memory and cameras for smartphones.

Not everything looks great, Motorola has still not discussed a time frame and we do not know how bigger batteries will fit on the current concept design. The current design allows parts designed to a certain dimension, Phonebloks offered a board with no closed boxes.

Whatever happens, Motorola’s involvement in modular smartphones with Google’s backing can only mean exciting things in the future. We are sure Samsung, HTC and others will either belittle or hop on board this idea, perhaps some day the biggest brand manufacturer will be the one with the most exclusive components.