Moto X and Moto G Android 5.0 Lollipop Update Confirmed by Motorola

Android 5.0 Lollipop is on everyone’s lips now. Lately, Motorola is a company known for bringing fast updates to their devices and the phone maker rushed to announced their plans for the Android 5.0 Lollipop.

According to a recent Motorola blog post, the Android 5.0 Lollipop will be released for Moto X (1st and 2nd gen) and Moto G (1st and 2nd gen). The phone maker also confirmed they will be updating the Moto G LTE to the latest Android version.

As you may know, Motorola’s latest smartphones bring an almost-stock Android experience with very few OEM customizations. Therefore, it shouldn’t take Motorola too long to optimize Android 5.0 Lollipop for their devices. In fact, the same blog post also reveals that all Motorola smartphones launched in 2013 and later will get the new update. Besides the five aforementioned models, the affordable Moto E will also get the Android 5.0 update, along with Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx, and Droid Mini. Unfortunately, Motorola didn’t reveal when the new update will arrive, but promised to return with more information in the near future.

Without a doubt, Android 5.0 Lollipop is the most major update Google’s mobile platform has received since its debut in 2008. The new update brings a whole new design philosophy – Material Design – based on a colorful UI, more animations, and more realistic shadows, Lock Screen notifications, a redesigned Notifications Panel, a new Quick Settings area with new toggles, battery saver mode that promises 90 more minutes of battery life, dynamic status, document-centric multitasking, support for 64-bit processors, ART runtime instead of Dalvik, and more.

As you may know, once your device becomes eligible to get updated to Android 5.0 L, you should be able to see a system update message in the notifications panel. You know the drill: tap on it, choose “Download now,” wait until the download is completed, and select “Install now.” Your smartphone should reboot and install the new firmware. In case the system update notification fails to show up, you would also want to check for software updates under Settings > About phone > Software updates > Check now.

Moto X 2014: 7 Best Features of the 2014 Motorola Flagship

Moto X 2014: 7 Best Features of the 2014 Motorola Flagship

With every new smartphone, there are generally some new features that are announced right alongside it. Even if they aren’t particularly new, each Android smartphone has a list of features that users love and brag about. With the release of Motorola’s latest flagship, we wanted to cover some of the more unique and interesting features for the 2014 Moto X.

Moto X Camera Gesture

With a simple twist of your wrist, you can gesture the 2014 Moto X to activate the camera even without turning it on and unlocking the device. Simply twisting/turning the device from left to right a couple of times will activate the display and launch you right into the camera application. From here, you can quickly take a picture and then lock the display making it very quick and very easy to take a picture.

Moto X Burst Mode

Speaking of cameras, LG advertised their G3 camera to be simple - it allows you to take a picture by just tapping on the display (when the camera application is open). The 2013 Moto X already did this but it also has a Burst Mode. So instead of a single tap on the display, all you have to do is tap and hold the display (while the camera application is open) and it will take multiple pictures back-to-back very quickly. It’s these types of quick features that make the Moto X so simple to use since there’s no need to fumble through any menus.

Moto Voice

You might already know of this feature as Touchless Controls from the 2013 Moto X. Motorola has given it a new name to match the other Moto-named features in the 2014 Moto X. The default activation phrase is ‘OK Moto X’, but you can customize this to just about any phrase you would like. This feature also integrates into other Android applications like WhatsApp, Facebook and even YouTube. You can tell your 2014 Moto X to post a status message to Facebook and it will perform the action without you needing to touch the device at all

Moto Assist

Another one of these new Moto-named features is Moto Assist. You can think of this as a programmable version of Google Now or the LG G3′s Smart Notice feature. Moto Assist will take information like what time it is, where you are and how fast you’re going so that it can give you contextual information based on it. As an example, you can program your 2014 Moto X to go into Silent Mode while you’re sleeping or if you’re in the car and on the way to/from work. You might think this is very similar to what Tasker does, and you’re correct to think that. It does some of the things that Tasker does, but it isn’t quite as powerful. This also means it’s much easier to configure too.

Moto Connect

This is a Motorola application that debuted on the 2013 Moto X. This app will let you pair your smartphone to your computer so that you can control your Moto X from the browser with the Moto Connect extension/plugin. You can do various things like send or receive texts, read the caller ID and other minor things right from the browser while the device is being charged or in your pocket.

Moto Display

Moto Display also debuted on the 2013 Moto X but was called Active Display back then. Since the Moto X uses an AMOLED display, the only battery power used to light up the display is for the individual pixels. So, you could keep the entire display black and only use a few dozen pixels to display some vital information about the time and your active notifications, all without eating up so much battery from lighting up the entire display (like an LCD panel has to). This type of interface is activated when you get a notification, but it also uses the sensors to know if you’ve picked up or turned over your smartphone.

Trusted Devices

We’ll end this list with a feature that is being incorporated into Android L. It’s called Trusted devices and it debuted on the 2013 Moto X as well. I haven’t seen anyone talking about this for the 2014 Moto X, but I assume that it’s still there. You’ll need to go into Settings and then tap on Security. From there, you should see the Trusted Devices option where it will let you pick a paired Bluetooth device. You can do this with any Bluetooth device so that when it’s paired with your Moto X, it will allow you to bypass any security protection you have on your device. This is great for when you have the Moto X paired with your car (or a smartwatch) so you aren’t required to focus on the smartphone to unlock it.

Moto G Gets Android 4.4.4 OTA Update at Boost Mobile

Moto G Gets Android 4.4.4 OTA Update at Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile officially revealed that the Moto G Android 4.4.4 OTA update is now being pushed to users. Therefore, if you happen to own the Boost Mobile variant of the affordable device you should keep an eye on the notifications panel.

The Moto G Android 4.4.4 update brings security framework, and stability improvements along with other enhancement such as Pause video recording for the Camera app (adds a pause/resume button on the viewfinder), Update Phone dialer (new color scheme to “improve consistency and usability), and Enables Motorola Alert Application download (the app sends periodic alerts with your location to your selected contacts and it can be downloaded from Google Play Store). We are talking about a rather small update, so don’t expect any drastic changes.

As usual, the update is being rolled out in phases which mean that certain users will have to wait a couple more days until it hits their devices. As you may know, once your Boost Mobile Moto G becomes eligible to receive the new Android 4.4.4 OTA update you should be able to see a system update message in the notifications bar. Tap on it, select “Download,” then press “Install now” after the software is downloaded. Your smartphone will reboot and install the update labeled 210.12.57. In case the system update notification failed to appear, you would also be able to check for the 210.12.57 OTA update manually under Settings > About phone > System updates > Check now.

The update file for the Moto G Android 4.4.4 OTA update might exceed 500 MB, therefore it’s recommended to download it using a stable Wi-Fi network. You know, to avoid unwanted data charges.

Moto X+1 Release Date in the US: What to Expect

Moto X+1 Release Date in the US: What to Expect

The Moto X+1 launch date is confirmed for September 4th. And with just a few days left before the new Smartphone is officially announced, we want to make a few predictions and share multiple reports and rumors surrounding the Moto X+1 release date. To be more precise, the Moto X+1 release in the United States.

Way back in February all the rumors started when Motorola tweeted that a new Moto X successor would arrive later this summer, and since then buyers and fans have been waiting patiently to see what they have in store. While the phone didn’t leak nearly as much as the original Moto X in 2013, we’ve received enough details to have a good idea of what to expect regarding the release date, and the device in general.

The past two weeks have been very telling for the manufacturer, as they’ve confirmed the September 4th launch date, and multiple rumors have shed light on specs, features, and potentially when the device will launch for the United States. Prospective buyers and Motorola fans will want to know all the details, and below we’ll rundown everything we know so far.

Earlier this month Motorola sent out a rather telling invite for a September 4th event in Chicago. The teaser image showed a new Moto X, a Moto G successor (rumored as the Moto G2) the Moto 360 smartwatch, and an accessory of some type. Basically confirming two new smartphones and some accessories will all be revealed.

At that point we knew a few new devices were coming soon, but only a few light rumors suggested a Moto G2 was coming as well. We now know they’ll have a few devices on display, and it’s only a matter of a few days before we know all the details.

Moto X+1 Launch Date

The image above is the teaser sent over by Motorola, confirming four devices will be announced on September 4th. We’re not sure what the earpiece will be, but it may offer some automatic location-aware pairing to unlock the new Moto X+1, or even add to the hands-free voice controls that made the original Moto X so popular last year.

You can clearly see the other three devices in which we outlined above in the teaser. All but confirming they’ll be announcing all three come early next month. With the launch date set, now all we need is the final details, and the official release date.

That aside, below is everything we think we now regarding the Moto X+1 (or Moto X2) release date in the United States.

Moto X+1 Release Date in the U.S.

All the rumors we’ve heard thus far are pointing to a rather fast release for the new Moto X+1. In fact, last year it was announced in August and released the same month just a few weeks later, and we’re hearing the same strategy will hold true in 2014.

Reports earlier this month “confirmed from Motorola sources” a global rollout for the new Moto X+1 and Moto G2 will begin on September 10th. That would be much faster than years prior, but we’ve seen similar launch times from HTC and Apple. AT&T had a short exclusive last year, before it arrived on the rest, and the same could hold true again this year. Another report suggest the Verizon Moto X+1 won’t arrive until September 25th. This could mean AT&T will be up first again, followed by the rest, but we’ll have to wait and see.

The image above is our first actual press photo of the new Moto X+1, thanks to@evleaks. It confirms the designs we’ve seen from other leaks, as well as at least one carrier for the US. Note that while the rumor above said September 25th for Verizon, this press image shows September 17th. One week later than the 10th date floating around.

Last year the Moto X launched in the US first, and eventually other regions around the globe, but many are expecting a global launch of the new Moto X+1 in the US, UK, and more all inside of September.

U.S. Carriers

The original Moto X is still available today from an array of carriers in the United States, and that includes small regional operators as well. At this point we’ve yet to hear from any carriers, as the device isn’t official. That being said, the image above clearly confirms Verizon, and earlier today the Moto X+1 cleared the FCC for AT&T.

Buyers can expect the new Moto X+1 to launch on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, and most likely many other small region carriers. MetroPCS, Cricket, and others all eventually offered the phone. However, only the main carriers will get the customization features from MotoMaker.com.

Specs

So what will make the Moto X+1 impressive and worth buying over the Galaxy S5, LG G3, or any other smartphones available in 2014? For one, customization. And for two, it has some pretty good specs too. At least if all the leaks we’ve seen are accurate.

Along with custom colors, engravings, accent colors, wood backs, and even leather in 2014, the phone will have pretty impressive specs to make it a quality device that should last for years to come. Here’s what we’ve heard thus far.

Moto X+1 Specs

• 5.2-inch 1920 x 1080p Full HD Display
• 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core with 2GB of RAM
• 16/32GB storage with micro-SD expansion included
• Android 4.4.4 KitKat
• 12 Megapixel rear and 2.1 front cameras
• Dual front-facing speakers (aimed at the HTC One M8)
• 2,900 mAh battery
• Tons of customization options

Note the processor isn’t the latest 801 or rumored 805 like the Galaxy Note 4 will employ, but the Moto X+1 should still house a powerful quad-core processor, nearly stock Android, 2GB of RAM, and have an improved camera. The other major problem last year was battery life. In 2014 the Moto X+1 will have a 2,900 mAh battery (rumored) which is bigger than both the Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 offerings, respectively.

Last but not least (pictured above) the Motorola logo on back will be a button. We’re not sure what it’s for yet, but we could see additional functions, shortcuts to launch the camera, or even a camera shutter button for selfies. The possibilities are endless.

Price

Another major factor when it comes to buying a Smartphone is the price. The Moto X was priced nearly as high as the competition, yet wasn’t as powerful of a Smartphone. Motorola eventually realized this after poor sales and lowered it to $399, which made it a pretty great price/performance purchase, especially considering all the free customization.

Currently the Moto X is $399 off-contract, and less if you sign a 2-year agreement with carriers. There has been no solid leaks revealing a price point for the Moto X+1, but a few small reports suggest it may replace the current X at the same $399 price point. If Motorola can do that while delivering a bigger, better, faster device with front facing speakers and all the options mentioned above, it should sell quite well.