Initial impressions

[asdrew]

1. I've been using smartphones since most people did not know they exist.
2. I've had more Motorola phones than any other brand (I have 4 in use right now).
3. I love my new Moto X but am disappointed in several things :-\

• I ordered it at noon Saturday and received it Tuesday AM - good job Motorola!
• I am so very pleased to have a made in USA phone (rather, "assembled" here, but at least some people got new jobs).

• I love OK Google Now, especially "find my phone"

Yet I'm disappointed in the following things, some of which are device-specific, others not. If you have a solution or workaround, please post it
When ordering, I gave my google account, but google sync was not set up :-\
I put in a name to customize it, but that only shows up when booting from total off state - big deal
It was @ Motorola on Monday, but an hour after booting on Tuesday it needed to download and install a critical update?
Love the dimple, but the camera lens is right where my finger goes when I pick it up - nice :-!
I was glad to use the migrate app from my Atrix HD, but annoyed that there was no option to select what data was migrated or not (for instance, my 32G SD card)
The play store needed me to go through my previously download apps one by one to install (I wanted check boxes to do some all at once)
I was excited to have the sleep screen particularly for the time, but have to stare at it on my desk for like 30 seconds to wait for it to pulse again. I want to choose to leave it on.
Moto Assist is a great concept but far too rigid:

• I want to easily TELL it I am driving and behind the wheel, not automatically go in driving mode anytime I am a passenger.
• I only would need meeting mode for SOME of my calendar entries, again I want to EASILY tell it I'm in an important meeting.
• Sleep mode is a great idea and it's good to be able to let favorites bypass it, but this is my only phone at my house and when sleeping I want to silence notifications and allow ALL calls to ring me - again, let ME choose. PS: fyi I don't sleep at the exact same hours every night, sometimes I'm out later or up earlier - duh :-!

Skip dots are a great idea, why not integrate them into certain actions when they are present?

• If it's sitting on my desk, leave the clock on
• If it's sitting in my cupholder, activate driving mode
• If it's on the nightstand activate sleep mode
• etc

 

[BrokenKid]

Skip dots are a great idea, why not integrate them into certain actions when they are present?

• If it's sitting on my desk, leave the clock on
• If it's sitting in my cupholder, activate driving mode
• If it's on the nightstand activate sleep mode
• etc

I like those ideas. Would like to see the options for Skip expanded and configurable. You can do a lot with NFC (and I'm hoping to get some tags and start experimenting), but Motorola could get ahead of the game by building in some greater usability so people don't have to figure it out themselves.

 

[JungleLarry]

When ordering, I gave my google account, but google sync was not set up :-\

Works for some, doesn't for others. The nice thing is that when it doesn't synchronize you're exactly where you would be if you bought any other phone.

I put in a name to customize it, but that only shows up when booting from total off state - big deal

Not sure why you expected anything different. The function of that customization is pretty clear.

It was @ Motorola on Monday, but an hour after booting on Tuesday it needed to download and install a critical update?

I'm assuming you're upset because you believe it should have been updated at the factory. In reality, it's a rolling OTA update.

Love the dimple, but the camera lens is right where my finger goes when I pick it up - nice :-!

Solution: stop that.

I was glad to use the migrate app from my Atrix HD, but annoyed that there was no option to select what data was migrated or not (for instance, my 32G SD card)

Again, the nice thing about this not working completely is that you're no worse off than if you had purchased any other phone.

The play store needed me to go through my previously download apps one by one to install (I wanted check boxes to do some all at once)

Some apps need to be manually updated/installed. This happens all the time on all devices.

I was excited to have the sleep screen particularly for the time, but have to stare at it on my desk for like 30 seconds to wait for it to pulse again. I want to choose to leave it on.

By "30 seconds" I assume you mean "6 seconds." Also, if you nudge your phone at any time your Active Display will illuminate.

Moto Assist is a great concept but far too rigid:

• I want to easily TELL it I am driving and behind the wheel, not automatically go in driving mode anytime I am a passenger.

• I'm sure this is a military technology and currently being worked into the consumer product cycle.
  

  [*]I only would need meeting mode for SOME of my calendar entries, again I want to EASILY tell it I'm in an important meeting.

  Now this is something I can get on board with.

 

[anon(6085464)]

Lot of those items you listed are general on each android phone, some of them are features you will need to work on, like add all of your calendar appointments entries.

Smartphones but still they need to know how you live... So they can take actions on it.

Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk

 

[tk-093]

I want to easily TELL it I am driving and behind the wheel, not automatically go in driving mode anytime I am a passenger.

I'm sure this is a military technology and currently being worked into the consumer product cycle.

I don't think he's saying he wants the phone to tell what seat he is in, but he wants an easy way to tell the phone he's not driving. Like temp disabling driving mode for the current trip.

 

[davidnc]

I have used driving assist some, but not all the time.
I thought I saw in the pulldown bar you had the option to click on "Im not driving" and it would turn off driving assist just for that use.
The option is shown on the pulldown bar.

 

[tk-093]

I have used driving assist some, but not all the time.
I thought I saw in the pulldown bar you had the option to click on "Im not driving" and it would turn off driving assist just for that use.
The option is shown on the pulldown bar.

Sweet. Will have to check that out. That's a good enough solution for me.

 

[Camilo]

1. • I want to easily TELL it I am driving and behind the wheel, not automatically go in driving mode anytime I am a passenger.
   • I only would need meeting mode for SOME of my calendar entries, again I want to EASILY tell it I'm in an important meeting.
   • Sleep mode is a great idea and it's good to be able to let favorites bypass it, but this is my only phone at my house and when sleeping I want to silence notifications and allow ALL calls to ring me - again, let ME choose. PS: fyi I don't sleep at the exact same hours every night, sometimes I'm out later or up earlier - duh :-!
   Skip dots are a great idea, why not integrate them into certain actions when they are present?
   • If it's sitting on my desk, leave the clock on
   • If it's sitting in my cupholder, activate driving mode
   • If it's on the nightstand activate sleep mode
   • etc

1. 
   
   The only ones I can really speak to based on my experience Assist issues. Yes, you cannot tell it when to activate - they're all designed to activate passively, when the designated time rolls around (meeting and sleeping) or you're moving. So, it does activate when you're a passenger and will activate for every meeting.
   
   But, the flip side of what you want, is the fact that you can easily tell it you're not driving, sleeping or in a meeting. On the notification, when you pull the screen down, the driving mode will turn off with a simple touch on the "I'm not driving" line. Same with meeting and sleeping.
   
   To me, that's what I'd prefer rather than what you're looking for. A passive activation and an easy one touch over ride. I'd rather not have to think of enabling it every time since it's so easy (and far less frequent) to disable.
   
   I love the Assist. The skip dots I haven't found so much use for.
   
   Since this is my first smart phone, I have nothing to compare it to except my wife's IPhone 5. In addition to the Assist, I love the swype keyboard that comes stock and the "always listening" feature. I have no idea if there's other features that are better or worse between the two phones (for example battery- we both plug in the chargers at bed time and never have a problem with that).
   
   She's not an apple sycophant, but got it because "that's what you get - it's the simplest, it's the standard, etc". I'll have to say that at first, and even now, it is very handy for her to have a million friends and co-workers who can help her with any little question being that the IPhone is such a specifically popular phone. On the other hand, now that she's used it for a while as have I used my Moto X, I can tell she is overtly jealous of those particular features of the Moto X and is kind of surprised that the supposedly "better/simpler/leading edge" IPhone has no apps that simply duplicate those handy features. Now that I've used both for a couple of months, told her that I didn't think she'd have any more "difficulty" setting up and using a Moto X than an IPhone (but I didn't know that at the time since neither of us knew anything except what we'd read and been told).

 

[JungleLarry]

I don't think he's saying he wants the phone to tell what seat he is in, but he wants an easy way to tell the phone he's not driving. Like temp disabling driving mode for the current trip.

I misread "tell it I am driving" as "it to tell if I am driving." Thought he wanted some extra-sensory, XBOX One style always watching feature.

 

[TechTinker]

I put in a name to customize it, but that only shows up when booting from total off state - big deal

PS: fyi I don't sleep at the exact same hours every night

That's the point of it... Did you think it shows the planet and the message every time you screen-on? That's just a nice on your part. Though if you want, you can have a message on your lockscreen . Settings > privacy/security > owners info.

I don't think anyone actually does, unless their really trained to. But its just meant as default. Find the main hours your asleep. Say one night you sleep from 10 to 6. But the next night you sleep 11 to 5:30. So set it 11:30 to 5.

 

[Camilo]

....I don't think anyone actually does, unless their really trained to. But its just meant as default. Find the main hours your asleep. Say one night you sleep from 10 to 6. But the next night you sleep 11 to 5:30. So set it 11:30 to 5.

That's what I do - I just set it from 11pm - 8 am. I don't sleep those hours (normally) but never mind if I get a call as late as 11 or as early as 8. I'm almost always awake at 11, but usually get up 6:30-7.... BUT, if I get to sleep in until 8, I want to be protected! When I get up before 8, I take my phone off the charger and just touch "I'm not sleeping" on the notification pull down. Not a big deal.

 

[davidnc]

I set mine from 420am to 1030 pm M-F Although my clock radio alarm goes off at 345am and I crash around 11pm.
However I change it for Saturday and Sunday Not a big deal

sent from Moto X