Motorola has officially released its Moto 360 smartwatch, following its announcement back in March.
The Moto 360 stood out from competitors such as the LG G Watch because of its circular, more classic design, and Motorola hopes the watch will be an integral part of its portfolio which is helping the firm increase market share worldwide.
Motorola’s UK market share has risen to 5.2% this July from just 0.3% in the same month in 2012.
The watch can carry its on-screen watch designs, and features a 1.56-inch face. The watch is IP67 waterproof and boasts a built-in heart rate monitor as well as a pedometer.
It will be released in the UK in October. The watch is initially released with either black or grey leather straps, and will cost £200 in the UK. There is also a stainless-steel strap version planned for later in Autumn, but will cost $50 more in the US so expect to see a price increase in the UK as well.
The watch has 4GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM and an OMAP 3 processor. The battery clocks in at 320mAh.
The Moto 360 is only compatible with Android phones running Android 4.3 or higher. Connection to phones is provided by Bluetooth 4.0 LE.
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As for the size, the watch is 11.5mm high, with a diameter of 46mm. The leather strap model weighs 49g.
The Moto 360 has an organic LED (OLED) screen. This means the watch face will always be on but not at the expense of massive battery usage. However, Motorola has said that the battery will only last ‘all day’.
The screen is constructed of sapphire glass, which is stronger and more scratch-proof than Gorilla glass. Apple recently invested heavily into Sapphire glass, and it is expected to feature on the iPhone 6.
With no buttons or Micro USB ports on the watch, the Moto 360 is charged wirelessly. Using Qi technology, which is currently available for Google’s Nexus phones.
Motorola said: "Moto 360 is a classically-designed, modern timepiece powered by Android Wear. Comfortable, familiar, and crafted with the finest materials, Moto 360 keeps you up to date without taking you away from the moment.
"Glance at your wrist to see updates or just speak to get the info you need. Keep track of your steps and know your heart rate thanks to a built-in pedometer and heart rate monitor. Enjoy battery life that lasts all day, then just place Moto 360 on its wireless charging dock at night."
Motorola said: "When paired with your Moto X, you can ask questions like "What’s today’s forecast?" or get turn by turn navigation directions, all without touching or even looking at your phone."
The now Lenovo-owned firm has also released a new Moto X smartphone, which features multiple upgrades from the original which was released last year.
The fresh model has a 5.2-inch AMOLED Gorilla Glass screen, featuring a 1080p full HD display rather than last year’s 720p.
Inside, the new Moto X has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor – 2.5GHz quadcore CPU. There’s 2GB of RAM and a 2,300 mAh battery. Whilst not IP67 water and dustproof rated, Motorola says that the new Moto X comes with ‘spash guard’ water repellent coating. It’s available in 16GB and 32GB versions.
There is also a leather-backed iteration, alongside the wood-backed option, which comes in natural, cognac, black, and navy colours.
Camera-wise, the new Moto X has a 13MP camera with 4x zoom. It can record in 4K quality.
