If there is one thing that the Motorola Moto 360 has proven since it was launched in the summer of last year, it’s the fact that functionality can actually go well with fashionability when it comes to smart wearables.
It may not be as elegant-looking as the other stylish designer wristwatches but the Moto 360 with its circular watch face is still a cut-above the rest from its computerized-looking counterparts like the Pebble Steel, the Samsung Gear Live and the LG G Watch.
Of course, with the entry of the Apple Watch in March this year, it certainly changed the complexion of the competition in the smart wearables. The good thing for Moto 360 is its still enjoying a good advantage when it comes to Android wear.
Motorola would like to build on this advantage by setting the stage for the launching of the Motorola Moto 360 2 or Motorola Moto 360 2nd Generation sometime this year but the American tech company has yet to disclose a specific release date and additional details.
Price cut
Indicative that its successor is about to be unveiled soon, the price of the Motorola Moto 360 was slashed by 40% since May. The company did not want to make it appear as if it was a sort of give-away price so it just said that it is in time for Father’s Day this June. So from $250, it went down for only $149. It is still not clear whether Motorola will sustain the price cut after Father’s Day or just maintain it and camouflaged it with another promo.
Moto 360 was the first ever Android Wear when it was launched, well-ahead of the Apple Watch and it can support any devices running on Android 4.4 KitKat or higher.
With a 1.56” LCD touch screen and a 320 x 290-pixel screen resolution, the Moto 360 is also water resistant and has an activity tracker that automatically monitors your heart rate and tracks your steps.
The big price drop could be seen as a special transition for the Moto 360 since it is nearing its one-year mark so people are expecting a new version of the Android Wear to come out soon.
The new pricing could also be an effect of the newly introduced Moto Maker which allows the owner of the Moto 360 to customize the smartwatch.
Last February, Motorola confirmed that the Moto Maker will be incorporated into the smartwatch. It does not have as many options as the Moto X but it will still be able to customize the watch case, the watch band, and the watch face.
The band can also be customized and there are three color options for the leather band (22 mm): grey, black and maroon. There are two variations on the metal – one is 23 millimeters and the other is 18 millimeters.
The watch face offers two basic themes: light and dark. The light theme has six options while the dark theme only has five.
The light theme comes in six designs including Roman Face, Classic Face, Dials II Gold Face, Retrograde Face, Dials II Silver Face and the Blossoms Face.
The dark theme has five designs including Minimal Face, Pascual Face, Digital Face, Dials Face and Rotate Face. The good news for users is that changing the design of the face does not add to the total price of the Android Wear.