The Moto 360 Will Charge With Some Mysterious “Secret” Method

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So the Moto 360 hangout is over. We came, we saw, and we are still left with a lot of unanswered questions to things we really, really, really want to know the answers to. Like cost, availability,(which is rumored to be more limited than expected due to some of the design components used in the device)and location releases. Is this feeling a little bit like an episode of Lost to anyone else? Despite their somewhat cryptic on air interview of sorts, Motorola did give us some good insight as to the adventure of the Moto 360 and the history of its design, how it came to be, and what inspired them to take the paths they took to reach their ultimate destination, of building a smartwatch with equal parts beautifully crafted design and lasting function.

What caught our attention the most was the answer they gave us about how the watch will charge. This ties somewhat into the design of the device, and builds off of their inspiration to deliver something that came into the smartwatch/waerables market with a focus from a fashion statement point of view. Basically, they wanted to design a smartwatch that strives to look more like a watch than a piece of wearable technology. To do this, they eliminated a charging port on the device. So with no connection port, we’re left with the mystery of how the watches battery will receive power to keep going. There are a couple obvious possibilities, one being that it could support complete wireless charging, and will only need to be placed on a wireless charging base to get juiced up. It’s also a possibility that we could see some sort of kinetic charging, which isn’t an idea that would be too outlandish or hard to believe, since kinetic charging has been around in watches for at least 20 years. The question if it charges kinetically, is if the method of charging kinetically would actually be able to sustain the battery life of the watch.

Motorola told us that the way the Moto 360 charges is a secret for now, but that we would know more on the matter later on in the near future once we get closer to the watches release. If not wireless charging or kinetic charging, what other options could there be? Maybe Motorola has implemented a method of charging the watch in a way we haven’t thought of seen so far. Time will tell.

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A New Android Build Number Surfaces, Likely Points To New Version Of Kit Kat

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Concerning the next version of Android that we might see get pushed out to devices whether that be in the near future or later in the year, the team over Myce uncovered a new build number of the Android OS by way of tinkering around in the Chromium Bug Tracker. The build was reportedly listed as Restricted View, which you could imagine would mean you needed to have a certain level of Googlyness to even access the information. It also serves to instill a great deal of curiosity into whoever might stare that Restricted View tag right in the face. This was the case with Myce and as soon as the restricted view was lifted they began work on poking around and wandering inside looking for anything useful.

The new build discovered is labeled as build number KTU65. There is no real detail about the build and we don’t know for sure just what version of the OS this relates to, however it may not even matter for the end user as there is still a possibility that we may never see it on our devices. Lets go over what we do know though. Typically with Google’s different Android builds, the build number can usually be examined to reveal what version of the OS it is by looking at the letters and numbers. As pointed out by Myce, the first character in the build which is the K, stands for Kit Kat. The first letter in the build number has always related to the release family of the OS version. So fro example, J for Jelly Bean. They had no information to give relating to what the T corresponded to, however they mention that the second letter in the build number is a branch code that allows Google to identify where the build originated. They go on to point out what the U and the number 65 mean in terms of this build number. The U corresponds to the quarter that the build had began testing, in this case the U stands for Q1 of this year, and the 65 corresponds to the day within that Quarter, so 65 being the 65th day.

With this information on a new build number it stands to reason that we’ll likely be seeing more Kit Kat builds come out before Google pushes forward onto the next Android build, and if we see any new versions of the OS at Google I/O this year it most likely won’t be 5.0. It would be a nice thought, but seeing as how this Android build listed here is still in the works, it could be near summer before it gets pushed out if it gets pushed out at all.

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Motorola Talks About The Design Inspiration For The Moto 360

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When it comes to smartwatches and wearables, design is just as important of a factor as the functionality for many people and this is where Motorola has sought to stand out with their newly announced Moto 360 smartwatch to come later this year. Striking visual appeal and unmatched design are evident by yesterdays short little videos that go over some of what the Moto 360 will look like and offer once available. Rumors are suggesting that some of those design details may end up making the Moto 360 smartwatch available in limited supply, but despite that possibility Motorola wanted to share some of the ideas that brought the Moto 360 to where it is now and how it became such a beautiful looking device.

One thing that was pointed out by Motorola’s Jim Wicks, who is the lead on the design team for the watch and is currently engaging in the companies hangout event, was that no one had really approached the smartwatch with the idea to design it to look more like a watch then what they think a smartwatch should look like. Yes, smartwatches are pieces of tech, but lets not forget that watches themselves are also pieces of fashion, which is what most people now a days wear a watch for. A fashion statement. It was this particular idea that helped lead them to design the Moto 360 to look like a watch as opposed to a piece of technology that would be worn on the wrist. As a good example of this, I have a nice watch that I personally have loved for years because of its stainless steel design that provides a nice clean look. The battery in the watch is dead, so it no longer functions as a watch is intended, which is mainly to tell time. When and if I actually wear it, it is only for the purpose of serving as an additional fashion statement to complete a look to an outfit. The same idea can be applied to having different looking watches with different bands made from different materials. Variety in such a manner is all about a fashion statement and complimenting a look.

Now Moto 360 certainly looks stunning, but it’s not all about looks for Motorola. They also have a strong focus for functionality and comfort as well, which they recently talked about in the hangout. The reason for the watch having a round face is geared towards getting the most amount of usable space for the display of the watch face, while still providing a very nice, really comfortable feel compared to a smartwatch with a square face. In the hangout they also mention that charging the device will happen in such a way that allowed them to do away with any sort of charging connector port. This ties a little in to how the design of the watch was important, but also seems to push things forward in how we give power to our devices. Perhaps it’ll charge on a wireless base of some kind? Maybe Motorola will implement kinetics as a way to keep the watch powered up? Jim Wicks also mentions that the watch was designed to be water resistant, so that means you should be able to wear it no matter what the weather is like. There was no mention of price or exact availability timeframe or location as of yet, but they did note that particular information was coming soon.

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Moto 360 to be Compatible with All Android Devices running Android 4.3 and Up

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Here’s some big news coming out of Motorola’s hangout this afternoon where they are talking about the Moto 360. We had been wondering how compatibility would work with the Moto 360, and from what we were told, it’s going to support Android 4.3 and up. And it’ll support every Android device out there. Which is amazing news. So unlike the Gear 2, you don’t need to buy a Moto G, Moto X, DROID Mini, DROID Maxx, or DROID Ultra to use your new Moto 360.

Motorola has not stated the pricing yet, but they said they would announce it as soon as they are able too. Some other questions asked during the hangout include, if the Moto 360 has a camera, which it doesn’t. Motorola stated that they didn’t think it was necessary on the Moto 360. Another user asked about the Moto 360 being shown on left-arms, and if it could be worn on the right arm. Which Motorola stated that the Moto 360 will re-orient itself when you switch. So much like auto-rotation, your Moto 360 will also auto-rotate to work for you. Motorola also stated that they will have user-replaceable bands, much like the Pebble and Pebble Steel, and the Sony Smartwatch 2. Which is great news for Moto 360 fans out there.

So we learned a bit more about the Moto 360 today, but not a whole lot. Many of the questions we were hoping to get answers to today, were not answered. Which is kind of understandable, as questions about release date, availability, pricing, etc., can’t be determined just yet. But as far as we know the Moto 360 will be available in Q2, so we may see it – along with the LG G Watch – make an appearance at Google I/O which is at the end of the second quarter. So that’s going to be rather interesting.

How many of you are excited for the Moto 360 to come out already? Let us know in the comments below.

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MotoACTV Taught Motorola A lot for the Moto X and the Moto 360

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Right now, Motorola is doing a Hangout on Air about the Moto 360, so you may see a lot of Moto 360 content coming out quickly from us. One of the more interesting things that Motorola stated during this “interview” was about the MotoACTV. Obviously the Moto 360 isn’t their first wearable, we all know they made the MotoACTV a few years ago. But what was interesting is that Motorola learned a lot about power consumption from the MotoACTV which they put into the Moto X. Then they also said that they learned a lot about power consumption which they’ve added into the Moto 360.

So basically, what we’re saying here is that you probably won’t need to worry about the battery life on the Moto 360. As we’ve seen from the DROID Razr Maxx, DROID Razr Maxx HD, DROID Maxx and the Moto X, Motorola definitely knows their battery tech which is a great thing.

Additionally, what Motorola has stated as far as compatibility goes, we’re looking at Moto 360 being compatible with all Android devices running Android 4.3 and up. I’d venture to guess that this is due to the Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy that is in Android 4.3 and up. So that basically tells us that it’s connecting to your device using Bluetooth, which we’re fine with. Much better than needing a separate data plan for your watch.

We’re learning more and more about the Moto 360 right now, so we’ll post more and more as we learn more. Right now the Moto 360 is definitely a popular topic, not just because it’s using Android Wear, but because it’s a round watch that looks amazing. How many of you are throwing your money at Motorola right now for the Moto 360? Let us know in the comments down below.

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Sony and Airline Vueling to Bring Boarding Passes to the SmartWatch 2

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Yesterday, Google made a pretty big announcement on the wearable technology front. Android Wear has a whole bunch of partners on the books to bring Android to our wrist, but two companies were not so curiously left out; Sony and Samsung. That’s more than likely because Sony and Samsung have their own Smartwatches on the market, and have done for quite some time. We reviewed Sony’s SmartWatch 2 a while ago and found it to be a decent device, with some serious gaps in need of filling to fix the overall experience. It’s a shame that Sony has yet to work on them, although a big update is said to be on its way.

Today though, Sony has made the announcement that they’ve partnered with Spanish Airline, Vueling, to deliver boarder passes to their SmartWatch 2. Sony is calling this the first boarding pass you can wear, which we suppose is accurate, but all this really does is put a generated QR code onto your wrist for quick scanning at the gate. No matter though, as that’s perhaps good enough for most people. It’s disappointing to see this only announced for one Airline, but what we need to remember here is that it’s up to them to adopt new technologies like wearable computing. Yesterday’s announcement of Android Wear treated us to a video of a woman hurrying through the gate and quickly scanning her boarding pass, soon Sony SmartWatch 2 owners will be able to do the same.

With Sony not being listed as one of the many partners on board to create an Android Wear device, it leads us to ask the question of where Sony is going to be headed next with their SmartWatch line. After all, it’s going to be hard to go up against Google’s integration with their own operating system. Still, there are a lot of fine things on the horizon for smartwatches in general, and we can’t wait.

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Qualcomm Confirms Android Wear Smartwatches will Utilize Snapdragon Processors

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By this time, you probably already know that Android Wear has been unleashed on the world. Along with the announcement comes the promise of Android-powered smartwatches from a whole range of manufacturers. These include companies like Samsung, HTC, and Intel, with the likes of Motorola and LG showing off their Android Wear smartwatches today. Qualcomm is also on that list, revealing today that will (unsurprisingly) be providing the processors that power some of them.

In an announcement posted to Qualcomm’s website, the company said that it’s working with a number of its OEM partners and Google to put Snapdragon processors inside Android Wear watches. Unfortunately, it didn’t name any names, so we’ll have to wait a while longer before we find out which watches will feature Snapdragon processors.

Instead of delving into specifics, Qualcomm decided to regale us all with a recounting of the early days of Android, pointing out that a Snapdragon processor was featured in the HTC Dream (or T-Mobile G1 if you’re in the US), a phone that has the distinction of being the first commercially available Android phone. Qualcomm reminded us that the Nexus One utilized a Snapdragon processor as well, stating its “collaboration with Google has a long history.” It looks like Qualcomm is all in with this next big step for Android, which is certainly something a lot of fans will be happy to hear.

Qualcomm isn’t any stranger to the realm of smartwatches, either. The company launched its Toq smartwatch last year and was able to garner some positive reviews from critics. Perhaps Qualcomm will decide to make an Android Wear smartwatch of its own in addition to supplying chips for some of them? That remains to be seen, but given the fact that it has already entered the space through the Toq smartwatch, it’s possible. For what it’s worth, we’d certainly like to see Qualcomm try its hand at Android Wear, rather that just providing components for the devices. Speculation aside, there are plenty of cold, hard facts left to discover about Android Wear and the devices it will offer, so keep it tuned here to Android Headlines for more.

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