I was actually floored to hear Jerry talk about how he thinks the Moto X is perfect on the Android Central podcast, and that it really doesn't need any improvements over the current model. Well, I'll just overlook the fact that the current model (at least the carrier version) is kind of a PITA to root, and list a few things I'd very much like to see improved, as I think some of the ideas in the Moto X are great, but the execution is less than optimal:
NOTE: I haven't used the Moto X in quite awhile, due to the things I list in this post, so some/all of these may have been fixed with subsequent updates.
DYNAMIC NOTIFICATIONS
The BIGGEST problem I have with dynamic notifications is the clock. I like how it comes on when I take the phone out of my pocket or pick it up, so I can see the time without having to turn it on. But it also comes on every time a mouse farts in my apartment. Well, not really, but if I have it docked on my desk, just the SLIGHTEST nudge of the desk causes it to come on. Even sometimes taking a drink of water and putting the cup back down on the desk causes it to come on. This is an annoyance because I'm constantly catching it out of the corner of my eye, thinking I've missed a notification. Solution: Allow the user to turn the clock off without disabling dynamic notifications completely.
My other major gripe with this feature is that you can't prioritize the order in which dynamic notifications are listed. So, if I get a text message and then a Google+ notification, the Google+ notification appears front and center. I'd like the ability to list the order in which these things should appear.
DO NOT DISTURB MODE
This was the main reason I originally purchased the phone, as I REALLY wanted this built into the ROM, and didn't know at the time that the Galaxy S4 actually had a better version. Some things that could be improved here:
- No way to turn it on manually, like if you wanted to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. I mean, WTF? Even the iPhone can do this.
- No way to set different times on weekdays and weekends
- No way to white list anyone but favorites. So if you want your boss set as a favorite but don't want him/her to bypass the DND mode, well... that's just too bad.
- No way to auto respond with text. (If the driving mode has this feature, why not the DND mode?)
I'm glad to see Android L getting a do not disturb mode, but sadly, it appears to have some of the same limitations as the Moto X does.
DRIVING MODE
I appear to be in the minority here, but I just didn't have very much luck with this at all. The feature that's supposed to start auto playing music NEVER worked, and I couldn't get turn-by-turn voice navigation to work over bluetooth in my car, even though the same feature works perfectly on my Nexus 4.
In short, I just found this phone to be a huge letdown, and FAR from perfect.
NOTE: I haven't used the Moto X in quite awhile, due to the things I list in this post, so some/all of these may have been fixed with subsequent updates.
DYNAMIC NOTIFICATIONS
The BIGGEST problem I have with dynamic notifications is the clock. I like how it comes on when I take the phone out of my pocket or pick it up, so I can see the time without having to turn it on. But it also comes on every time a mouse farts in my apartment. Well, not really, but if I have it docked on my desk, just the SLIGHTEST nudge of the desk causes it to come on. Even sometimes taking a drink of water and putting the cup back down on the desk causes it to come on. This is an annoyance because I'm constantly catching it out of the corner of my eye, thinking I've missed a notification. Solution: Allow the user to turn the clock off without disabling dynamic notifications completely.
My other major gripe with this feature is that you can't prioritize the order in which dynamic notifications are listed. So, if I get a text message and then a Google+ notification, the Google+ notification appears front and center. I'd like the ability to list the order in which these things should appear.
DO NOT DISTURB MODE
This was the main reason I originally purchased the phone, as I REALLY wanted this built into the ROM, and didn't know at the time that the Galaxy S4 actually had a better version. Some things that could be improved here:
- No way to turn it on manually, like if you wanted to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. I mean, WTF? Even the iPhone can do this.
- No way to set different times on weekdays and weekends
- No way to white list anyone but favorites. So if you want your boss set as a favorite but don't want him/her to bypass the DND mode, well... that's just too bad.
- No way to auto respond with text. (If the driving mode has this feature, why not the DND mode?)
I'm glad to see Android L getting a do not disturb mode, but sadly, it appears to have some of the same limitations as the Moto X does.
DRIVING MODE
I appear to be in the minority here, but I just didn't have very much luck with this at all. The feature that's supposed to start auto playing music NEVER worked, and I couldn't get turn-by-turn voice navigation to work over bluetooth in my car, even though the same feature works perfectly on my Nexus 4.
In short, I just found this phone to be a huge letdown, and FAR from perfect.