Upate. 'Motorola launches two new Moto 360 watches, plus the Moto 360 Sport'

[LowIQ]

Motorola launches two new Moto 360 watches, plus the Moto 360 Sport
As expected, Motorola is updating its smartwatch lineup, and as expected, there are three new models: A Moto 360 with a large display and thick wrist strap, a smaller model, and a Moto 360 Sport.

Pre-orders for the new Moto 360 open today, and the watches should begin shipping later this month. Prices range from $300 to $430, depending on the design.

Motorola says pricing and availability details for the Moto 360 Sport will be available “soon.”

The new Moto 360 models feature larger lugs that make it easier to remove watch bands, allowing you to swap leather and metal bands to suit your needs.

Motorola offers 42mm and 46mm watches in men’s styles, and a 42mm model for women. You can customize colors and patterns of the case, bezel, and band in the Moto Maker utility, and even choose the default watch face that will greet you when you first turn on the watch.

The larger models feature 400 mAh batteries for up to 2 days of battery life, while the smaller Moto 360 watches have 300 mAh batteries for up to 1.5 days of run time.

All of the new Moto 360 smartwatches are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processors and feature 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage, 802.11b/g/ WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0.



The watches have ambient light sensors, optical heart rate monitors, and motion sensors for step counting, among other things.
The Moto 360 Sport will be available with a range of sweat-resistant plastic bands, a display that’s designed to be easy to view indoors and outdoors, and GPS for tracking your runs or bike rides

Motorola launches two new Moto 360 watches, plus the Moto 360 Sport - Liliputing

 

[LowIQ]

The new Moto 360 comes in two sizes, ships later this month for $299

Samsung and LG might have been first to market with Android Wear smartwatches, but the Moto 360 was the first that really got people excited. Now, after innumerable leaks, Motorola's finally ready to talk about the sequel it's been working on behind closed doors. Say hello to the 2015 Moto 360. Prices for these shiny new models start at $299 and they'll hit store shelves later this month, with pre-orders starting today. In the meantime, let's take a closer look at Motorola's handiwork.
Gallery | 13 Photos

Hands-on with the new Moto 360

Engadget | Technology News, Advice and Features
+ See all 13/

First off, yes, you can still customize the dickens out of them -- just look at all the options shown in the above photo. While the original Moto 360 was a one-size-fits-all sort of affair, we've now got two different dial sizes to fit a broader swath of wrists: 42mm and 46mm. The lugs (better known as "those bits the straps snap into") have been moved to the outside of the watch, making it easier to customize it with different bands. Turns out that also made it easier to design a 360 specifically for women. As it happens, Motorola's been puzzling over that problem since before the first 360 hit shelves, and the design team has finally addressed it here by pushing the lugs together, offering smaller 16mm wrist straps and offering different bezel finishes. If you're a fan of rose gold, you'll find plenty to like here.


Of course, different bezel sizes also mean different screen sizes. The smaller version has a 1.37-inch 360 x 325 display, while the surprisingly comfy 46mm model has a 1.56-inch display with a resolution of 360 x 330. And yes, that tiny black occlusion is still there at the bottom of the screen. Motorola design chief Jim Wicks admitted getting rid of it was possible, but the tradeoffs -- namely, a bigger body -- were too big a price to pay for a perfectly circular screen. It takes more than just a clean new design to make a smartwatch worth wearing, though, and indeed Motorola kitted out its new watch with an upgraded 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage for your music and files.

I spent a little time trying on the new 360, and it's already clear to me that it's a serious contender. Each of the various models I handled is effortlessly classy in a way that premium watches like the LG Watch Urbane never were, and each of the size options has their own charm. I'll admit, when that first batch of leaked photos first started making the rounds, I was instantly attracted to the smaller of the pair; it's a little less ostentatious because of its size and you won't be missing anything with a smaller screen. It turns out that's mostly true. The smaller 300mAh battery is only rated for up to 1.5 days of continued use, compared to two days on the 46mm version. Speaking of that bigger model, it's definitely not too big: It felt really natural on my small wrist, though I wish Motorola could've shaved a few millimeters off its casing. I'm also a fan of Motorola's new "Live Dials" watch faces, which let you launch apps or use their features right without digging through your installed software, so Shazaming that new Weeknd track is finally a one-touch process. We'll hold off on our judgments until we've spent time with an actual, retail-ready version of the watch, but you can start scrimping together your pocket change in the meantime.

Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
The new Moto 360 comes in two sizes, ships later this month for $299

 

[Amochi013]

I think if you have a 360 already, there's no need to get the new one. All it is is a new look

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[crxssi]

I think if you have a 360 already, there's no need to get the new one. All it is is a new look

Well, no. It is faster and has more battery capacity. The rest is mostly cosmetic. Here is my comparison of the 360.1 vs 360.2:

Better
* Faster processor
* More cores
* Higher resolution
* Lugs for better looks and easier band changing
* Three sizes: Same men's 46mm dia, new men's smaller 42mm dia version with wide band, and women's 42mm with narrow band.
* Larger battery (in the 46mm version only)
* Moved button
* Sport version with hybrid, transflective, always-on display

Same
* Same storage & memory
* Same light sensor and other sensors
* Same blutooth and WiFi
* Same thickness
* Same wireless charging
* Same lack of speaker
* Same display tech, except sport version :|

Bad
* Stone leather band not available for men
* Lack of always-on version for non-sport

Unknown
* Weight
* Availability of sport version- non-sport preorders now

I am not sure what to do yet. The new features are compelling enough for me, but I was hoping for either an always-on screen or a thinner watch. Since I don't do "sports watches" (plastic/silicone=gross), I would have neither improvement. I could go for the SMALLER men's, which would likely be less stress on my wrist, but smaller = harder to read, and I wouldn't gain the extra battery. Plus they dropped the color band I want. Decisions, decisions. I will probably just wait.

 

[LowIQ]

Is it better than original Moto-360 Yes definitely!... is it worth buying it if you already have the original Moto-360?... No.
as all the software Wear updates will work with the original Moto-360., I already get two days worth of use using the Bits-Watchface and minimal settings.
I guess it comes down to if one has a need for what the version Two has?....
For me there isn't enough to justify it's purchase, maybe version Three will have more attribute to warrant the extra expenditure.

 

[Evilnut]

Is the new watch nice? Yes it sure is! Is it worth an "upgrade" for me, no. It basically comes down to Android Wear software. Until a major change in functionality happens to the software, the watches will basically all have the same functionality that run Android Wear. So for me, unless major changes happen to screen technology or battery life or to the software to increase useful functionality, I don't really see a need to "upgrade".

Posted via Android Central App from a beautiful Ebony backed Original Moto X or the amazing Nexus 10

 

[Summit14]

Just bought a moto 1st gen from Walmart for $150. I honestly love the design way better. I understand that when buying something, you want it to look as natural as possible, and so motorola decided to make it look more like a watch. The thing is, it isn't only a watch. Besides the faster processor, I really wasn't impressed enough to dish out $300 compared to a nice $150.