Google unveiled its first serious foray into the smartphone market when it announced the Moto X from Motorola last week. In order to be taken seriously as a real competitor on the market, it will need to be appealing enough to draw users away from Apple and Samsung's most popular smartphones. So, the question is, can it hold up?
Not quite, but it's still a contender. At least that seems to be the consensus amongst tech reviews for Google's newest device. The phone is a midrange device that won't make hard-core Android fans stand up and clap. However, it does have some appeal to the masses, similar to Apple devices. The product is simple, elegant and offers easy-to-use features right out of the box. No hidden features or specs that people can't quite notice unless comparing their phone side by side with another. The phone can be customized with two front colors, 18 back colors with seven accents. Users will be able to make their Moto X device look personalized to them. The device will be perfect for those who want to try out a new type of smartphone or are disgruntled with Samsung or Apple for whatever reason.
In essence, the Moto X will be an experiment for smartphone users who want to get away from the major players. Recently T-Mobile started a wave of frequent and easy upgrade plans that rippled through Verizon Wireless and AT&T. If the Moto X is put on one of those plans, users might be able to try out Google's new device just out of curiosity and only lose six months with the phone before they can swap it out for a new one.
One thing to draw people's curiosity, the touchless voice controls. The Moto X has a microphone that is always on waiting for commands form the user, who's voice it will recognize and only respond to over time. The real appeal that the Moto X has over most smart phones is its artificial intelligence that can understand context and everything about you before giving the user instructions just by asking.
According to CNET, if nothing else, the advancement of the Google Brain AI will be the biggest part of the phone's unveiling.
