I hope this review will help someone in a similar situation.
I have been psyched about the Moto 360 for months now, and was so glad I was able to put my order in before they sell out. When the Apple Watch announcement happened, I was amazed I couldn't care less and still thought that the Moto 360 was actually a better looking watch. The problem was my doubts I had when I received it. Don't get me wrong. I think this is still the best Android Wear watch out there right now. But the problem is that being the best now doesn't say much...
Here are my doubts:
1. Size - although big may be better, for my small wrist, this was just a bit TOO big. it took up the entire width of my wrist and just didn't feel right, considering it was always off (ambient mode off). I know this will get better with future Moto 360 iterations, but maybe that's why I thought it was not time yet.
2. Pixels - I know this doesn't bother some, but it bothered me a lot. I mean, a lot. And it could be the biggest reason why I am letting it go. I just felt like I had a watch on from the stone ages because you could clearly make out that the screen wasn't great. The watch details and the moving hour and minut arms don't help either when they are not straight and are at an angle. I know this will get better with future iterations, but that's exactly why I felt like this was just not the time yet.
3. Inconsistencies - my Moto 360 would disconnect without me realizing, and I would miss email, call, and text notifications.
4. Apps (too little) - there are literally no useful apps available right now. I think Runtastic would have been interesting given I run a lot, but didn't try it. I know it's only supposed to be used for notifications and when it worked, it was great. But I thought there was just a dearth of apps that made me really feel what it means to be an early adopter.
5. Watch Faces - the Moto 360 faces look great when I saw pictures of them, but actually seeing it was a bit disappointing. It looked like I was staring at a drawing on some faces, and didn't look crisp enough. And since the watch was so darn big, it felt awkward that the watch face was so flat. Maybe there will be future faces on the Play Store that makes the watch look better, but for now there was nothing that was worth installing or that looked better than the standard Moto 360 face.
6. Hesitation with reviews - The biggest setback for me was their decision to use such an antiquated processor. I know that people are saying it doesn't matter much, but I just felt like I was being cheated by Motorola. Maybe it's not too bad of an issue, but there definitely is lags, and the watch sometimes does not pick up my swipes. It's not frustrating, but knowing that they decided to go with an old processor makes me feel like I am cheated, despite dropping a good amount of money.
I'm sure some of the problems with software and Android Wear will be fixed with future updates. Maybe some of the concerns of design and fucntionality will be solved in future iterations of the model. But in the end, that was the problem. I felt like both Moto 360 and Android Wear was too much in their infancy stage that it wasn't worth it for me.
It's still a beautiful watch, but I realized this isn't the watch for me at this moment. If you're an early adopter and have the money to drop $250 on a watch every year or so, then this is definitely the watch to get, hands down. But as someone who doesn't even regularly wear a watch, I realized there's no point dropping that much money now when I know I'll want another one come a year or maybe two. I made an impulse buy on the Surface Pro 1, and ended up trading it in for a Surface Pro 3. That was to some extent justifiable for me because I use the computer for about 10 to 15 hours a day. But for someone who doesn't wear I watch, I decided that rather than dropping $250 now, I should wait and see how Moto 360 and Android Wear evolves with time. I mean, you can buy a really nice watch for $500...
In the end, I may just end up buying it in a few months when there is future software updates and more bands. We'll see. I really wanted the silver model with a light brown leather strap. But for now, as much as I want to keep it on my wrist, I think I have to hold back on my instinctive desire to buy and have and let it go... Just as Apple went with two sizes, I'm hoping that Motorola will also consider two sizes.
Good luck and enjoy your 360s! I'm sure I'll be rejoining this community again soon.
I have been psyched about the Moto 360 for months now, and was so glad I was able to put my order in before they sell out. When the Apple Watch announcement happened, I was amazed I couldn't care less and still thought that the Moto 360 was actually a better looking watch. The problem was my doubts I had when I received it. Don't get me wrong. I think this is still the best Android Wear watch out there right now. But the problem is that being the best now doesn't say much...
Here are my doubts:
1. Size - although big may be better, for my small wrist, this was just a bit TOO big. it took up the entire width of my wrist and just didn't feel right, considering it was always off (ambient mode off). I know this will get better with future Moto 360 iterations, but maybe that's why I thought it was not time yet.
2. Pixels - I know this doesn't bother some, but it bothered me a lot. I mean, a lot. And it could be the biggest reason why I am letting it go. I just felt like I had a watch on from the stone ages because you could clearly make out that the screen wasn't great. The watch details and the moving hour and minut arms don't help either when they are not straight and are at an angle. I know this will get better with future iterations, but that's exactly why I felt like this was just not the time yet.
3. Inconsistencies - my Moto 360 would disconnect without me realizing, and I would miss email, call, and text notifications.
4. Apps (too little) - there are literally no useful apps available right now. I think Runtastic would have been interesting given I run a lot, but didn't try it. I know it's only supposed to be used for notifications and when it worked, it was great. But I thought there was just a dearth of apps that made me really feel what it means to be an early adopter.
5. Watch Faces - the Moto 360 faces look great when I saw pictures of them, but actually seeing it was a bit disappointing. It looked like I was staring at a drawing on some faces, and didn't look crisp enough. And since the watch was so darn big, it felt awkward that the watch face was so flat. Maybe there will be future faces on the Play Store that makes the watch look better, but for now there was nothing that was worth installing or that looked better than the standard Moto 360 face.
6. Hesitation with reviews - The biggest setback for me was their decision to use such an antiquated processor. I know that people are saying it doesn't matter much, but I just felt like I was being cheated by Motorola. Maybe it's not too bad of an issue, but there definitely is lags, and the watch sometimes does not pick up my swipes. It's not frustrating, but knowing that they decided to go with an old processor makes me feel like I am cheated, despite dropping a good amount of money.
I'm sure some of the problems with software and Android Wear will be fixed with future updates. Maybe some of the concerns of design and fucntionality will be solved in future iterations of the model. But in the end, that was the problem. I felt like both Moto 360 and Android Wear was too much in their infancy stage that it wasn't worth it for me.
It's still a beautiful watch, but I realized this isn't the watch for me at this moment. If you're an early adopter and have the money to drop $250 on a watch every year or so, then this is definitely the watch to get, hands down. But as someone who doesn't even regularly wear a watch, I realized there's no point dropping that much money now when I know I'll want another one come a year or maybe two. I made an impulse buy on the Surface Pro 1, and ended up trading it in for a Surface Pro 3. That was to some extent justifiable for me because I use the computer for about 10 to 15 hours a day. But for someone who doesn't wear I watch, I decided that rather than dropping $250 now, I should wait and see how Moto 360 and Android Wear evolves with time. I mean, you can buy a really nice watch for $500...
In the end, I may just end up buying it in a few months when there is future software updates and more bands. We'll see. I really wanted the silver model with a light brown leather strap. But for now, as much as I want to keep it on my wrist, I think I have to hold back on my instinctive desire to buy and have and let it go... Just as Apple went with two sizes, I'm hoping that Motorola will also consider two sizes.
Good luck and enjoy your 360s! I'm sure I'll be rejoining this community again soon.