A promotional video from Canadian carrier Rogers Wireless has found its way to Google + showing the upcoming Motorola Moto X in action. The clip shows off what so far seems to be the main feature for the device: always-on voice commands.
Since being acquired by Google last year, cellphone pioneer Motorola has been under pressure to wow consumers with a new flagship device ASAP.
Its Moto X has been the subject of speculation for weeks, and the latest leak highlights several features users can expect from the device when it's finally released.
Hands-free voice commands
The Moto X will apparently be all ears, all the time. Users need only to say ‘OK Google Now’ to activate voice commands, meaning ‘hands free’ will be a legitimately hands-free experience from start to finish.
Reportedly, the device will learn to recognize its owners voice. Users can also supposedly customize the activation commands, so if you're someone who likes to name their devices, saying 'OK Eunice' (or whichever moniker you prefer) will be enough to prompt your phone into action.
Other manufacturers haven't always had stellar results when incorporating voice recognition (as most smartphone users who have tried Siri or S-Voice can confirm). If the 'always-on' voice commands are implemented successfully, the Moto X could have the best hands-free features seen on an Android device so far.
One aspect that the leaked video doesn't address is how the Moto X's battery life will be affected by constantly switched-on voice commands.
We can only assume that the voice control won't be too much of a drain on the Moto X's battery, or at least can be switched off altogether if it's sucking too much power.
Other features
Motorola will also be changing the way notifications are received; instead of a coloured LED, the Moto X will show what it calls ‘active updates’ - a faint, flashing image on the device’s homescreen.
The video also showcased new camera features, including the ability to open the camera app by simply twisting your hand back and forth twice. A motion-activated camera should make accessing the app a fast and efficient process (although we'd be wary that the twisting motion could see the device fly out of a user's hand).
Instead of an on-screen camera button, users will be able to tap anywhere on the screen to take a picture. A burst mode of multiple shots can be activated by holding your finger down on the screen in the one place. Both these features mean that tap-to-focus probably won’t be included, so it will be interesting to see how Motorola will get around this.
Overall, what we’re seeing so far is that Motorola is focusing on user experience and features that will actually make the phone simpler to use, rather than just upping the Moto X’s specs.
The video indicates an August release date for the phone in Canada, exclusively through Rogers Wireless. US users can expect a similar time frame in seeing the Moto X go on sale in the States.
You can view the video at Ausdroid.
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