April Fools Joke? (Wishing it was!)

[cgardnervt]

So I thought April fools came early! Then I found out I was wrong. What a let down! (For me anyways!) So is anyone else considering the X at a $199 price tag?

 

[Scott Kenyon]

Google isn't subsidising it. Not surprising. Moto needs to make money, and the hype machine has been working overtime!

Sent from my HTC One with MoDaCo.SWITCH Beta 8 using Mobile Nations mobile app

 

[cgardnervt]

lot of OT it seems! I was hoping for much much better hardware and software. Maybe the hype was to much.

 

[Paisley]

So is anyone else considering the X at a $199 price tag?

I am. I have been waiting for a good android phone that isn't ginormous for quite a while now. I have a really nice Sprint Sero plan so i've been sticking with my Palm Pre b/c there has been no phone that made me bump my plan up the extra $10, or even one that i would really want period. I'd love the Droid Mini but sprint won't get that, and i looooove the always ready google now on the moto x, perfect for me cuz i've been really wanting a phone personal assistant. Would i prefer it be $150, sure, but at that price it would almost seem like such a good deal, esp since they got a 4.7" screen into the smaller body. And $50 really isn't much since there is no better phone at its size.

So for me, for the only good android that is not humongous, and an increased screen size in that category, and the always ready google now, an extra $50 is very acceptable.

I seriously can't wait for the moto x, can't believe i might have to wait more than a month or whenever sprint gets them in though, arrgh.

(i should mention, i was immune to the hype, i had no idea this phone was coming out because i've stopped following phones for a while now given that nothing ever came out that was anything i would want. Just found out yesterday. . Had i known about the hype, while i might have then been let down by specs, i would have still been quite happy. Yay, finally!)

 

[JHBThree]

lot of OT it seems! I was hoping for much much better hardware and software. Maybe the hype was to much.

If you had paid attention to the actual leaks, then you wouldn't have been hoping for that.

 

[cgardnervt]

If you had paid attention to the actual leaks, then you wouldn't have been hoping for that.

It's a leak and not the official word at that point. Someone can still have wishful thinking. I don't dive into the rumor mills. I was just hoping Moto would have had their gaming face on and competed with Sammy and HTC. But I guess they are not ready yet.

 

[Aquila]

It's a leak and not the official word at that point. Someone can still have wishful thinking. I don't dive into the rumor mills. I was just hoping Moto would have had their gaming face on and competed with Sammy and HTC. But I guess they are not ready yet.

You're right, Moto and Google think they leapfrogged right past the others onto a new branch of the tech tree.

 

[cgardnervt]

You're right, Moto and Google think they leapfrogged right past the others onto a new branch of the tech tree.

Well has it currently shows it doesn't seem to be to popular. I hope they do well either way. But the path they took does not work for me and it seems for many others.

 

[Aquila]

Well has it currently shows it doesn't seem to be to popular. I hope they do well either way. But the path they took does not work for me and it seems for many others.

It has the added benefit of being the first Google influenced device available on Verizon since Dec 2011. My guess is that all of those gnex toro buyers have contacts up in the near term. The One still isn't there, just "soon". That leaves Moto and Sammy and the Moto devices seem to be out performing or performing on par with the S4, so unless you have a use case that demands an S4, the moto x or its cousin the droid maxx could easily be the best of available options.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

 

[cgardnervt]

It has the added benefit of being the first Google influenced device available on Verizon since Dec 2011. My guess is that all of those gnex toro buyers have contacts up in the near term. The One still isn't there, just "soon". That leaves Moto and Sammy and the Moto devices seem to be out performing or performing on par with the S4, so unless you have a use case that demands an S4, the moto x or its cousin the droid maxx could easily be the best of available options.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

Based on a need for a Verizon user sure I could see that. However I'm not with big red and I guess I'm spoiled by more options. The S4 is still more future proofed then the Moto X in terms of hardware. (Im not implying the software here in any shape or form as I don't know how long moto supports a device. I'm guessing they have a good track record here.) I guess for me personally I was hoping for a much better price for a med level device.

 

[Paisley]

I was just hoping Moto would have had their gaming face on and competed with Sammy and HTC. But I guess they are not ready yet.

Smaller phone, *useful* phone assistant (what good is Siri and GN if it's function isn't maximized), and in general as a phone, smarter not brawnier...maybe they're looking to compete with Apple instead of the hardware companies.

The sammies come out with the same phone every what, 6 months? Okay, compete with that, throw every spec you can onto a jumbo phone every time a new piece of hardware comes out. Doesn't sound like what the moto x team wants to do that. Sammy already has that market and htc is competing with them for it. They want the market that wants a great phone that has advantages to it. iPhone customers are not looking for the largest phone with last week's hardware to rebuy every 6 months. Nor do former palm customers (and not just pre customers). Poor iPhone customers though, they don't like the techspec android game so they're stuck with the same ol same ol that comes out once a year. Now they have an option. When people leave iPhone for android they say they'll never turn back. What's going to entice them to leave, another hardware techspech jumbo? Probably not. So sammy is gonna have a hard time competing for that market, googarola on the other hand, can.

To many looking at the what basically amounts to a cellphone arms race, software may not seem like a big deal, Always Ready, so what, notification peeking, so what, but to many the spec war doesn?t offer them anything they want, it offers them new hardware, to me, that's like, so what. iPhone users and others want nothing to do with it. Moto is ready to go after them. And they're not going after people who need cheap phones, they going after a crowd who can put down the extra $50 to get a phone that offers them something no one else does.

I love tech s?t and when the new palm came out with webos I was at the store 20 minutes before they opened, b/c the phone offered true multi-tasking. How many times had I been on a phone and wanted to look something up on the web them type a phone number. It had a function that was not just cool, although it was that too, but it made my life easier and better. I bet at that point Samsung beat it in hardware (with some big-*** phones I might add, so yeah, i did like somthing about the hardware, it fit into the palm of your hand, cute curves too).

Siri was cute, iPhone customers were showing it to me, look what I can do! I thought it was cool too and really wanted it. But it loses a lot of it?s benefit if you have to be all in the phone already. Google didn?t get on that because they thought it was useless, they got on top of it because people wanted it. And the new Always Ready software takes it to a new and more functioning level. And how can you make that feature? You lower the screen resolution so you can have awesome battery life. I'm just quickly gonna add, what does every movie about the future have...you talk into the air and your computer answers you, and now here we are. woot! Samsung can't do it yet. And people actually find need for personal digital assistants, anyone remember PDA's?

And you may not think size matters, but you can't imagine how many people feel the hardware heavy phones are too big. I actually held onto my Palm pre hoping a phone would come out that was a great android that i wanted. (I got so desperate i would have taken any decent android that wasn't huge, i never even thought of enhanced features that improved my cellphone). A handful of days ago i was so desperate for a new phone i looked at the S4 one more time, there was nothing so cool about it i was gonna walk around with that phone, (plus i was gonna have to pay an extra $10 a month, so a phone i didn't like made that even less appealing). I'm not an apple brand kinda girl, and i find the phone a little corney but whatever, otherwise i woulda got that...and while i enjoy tech and can spend hours reading about it, i don't need to buy a new phone every time a new piece of hardware comes out, Google knows not everyone is chasing hardware. But something has something *new* to offer on the other hand, that s--t i will *want*.

Google is not a hardware company, samsung IS. Apple is in the middle, so is Google+Motorola. They are going after a different market and lo and behold here come samsung and htc with their little mini phones (not even yet out) to try to grab the great but normal-sized phone market, and both of them have nothing on the moto x, not in software and not in hardware, they match it in size and nothing else, so now it will be samsung that cannot compete for any of that market either.

 

[cgardnervt]

Smaller phone, *useful* phone assistant (what good is Siri and GN if it's function isn't maximized), and in general as a phone, smarter not brawnier...maybe they're looking to compete with Apple instead of the hardware companies.

The sammies come out with the same phone every what, 6 months? Okay, compete with that, throw every spec you can onto a jumbo phone every time a new piece of hardware comes out. Doesn't sound like what the moto x team wants to do that. Sammy already has that market and htc is competing with them for it. They want the market that wants a great phone that has advantages to it. iPhone customers are not looking for the largest phone with last week's hardware to rebuy every 6 months. Nor do former palm customers (and not just pre customers). Poor iPhone customers though, they don't like the techspec android game so they're stuck with the same ol same ol that comes out once a year. Now they have an option. When people leave iPhone for android they say they'll never turn back. What's going to entice them to leave, another hardware techspech jumbo? Probably not. So sammy is gonna have a hard time competing for that market, googarola on the other hand, can.

To many looking at the what basically amounts to a cellphone arms race, software may not seem like a big deal, Always Ready, so what, notification peeking, so what, but to many the spec war doesn?t offer them anything they want, it offers them new hardware, to me, that's like, so what. iPhone users and others want nothing to do with it. Moto is ready to go after them. And they're not going after people who need cheap phones, they going after a crowd who can put down the extra $50 to get a phone that offers them something no one else does.

I love tech s?t and when the new palm came out with webos I was at the store 20 minutes before they opened, b/c the phone offered true multi-tasking. How many times had I been on a phone and wanted to look something up on the web them type a phone number. It had a function that was not just cool, although it was that too, but it made my life easier and better. I bet at that point Samsung beat it in hardware (with some big-*** phones I might add, so yeah, i did like somthing about the hardware, it fit into the palm of your hand, cute curves too).

Siri was cute, iPhone customers were showing it to me, look what I can do! I thought it was cool too and really wanted it. But it loses a lot of it?s benefit if you have to be all in the phone already. Google didn?t get on that because they thought it was useless, they got on top of it because people wanted it. And the new Always Ready software takes it to a new and more functioning level. And how can you make that feature? You lower the screen resolution so you can have awesome battery life. I'm just quickly gonna add, what does every movie about the future have...you talk into the air and your computer answers you, and now here we are. woot! Samsung can't do it yet. And people actually find need for personal digital assistants, anyone remember PDA's?

And you may not think size matters, but you can't imagine how many people feel the hardware heavy phones are too big. I actually held onto my Palm pre hoping a phone would come out that was a great android that i wanted. (I got so desperate i would have taken any decent android that wasn't huge, i never even thought of enhanced features that improved my cellphone). A handful of days ago i was so desperate for a new phone i looked at the S4 one more time, there was nothing so cool about it i was gonna walk around with that phone, (plus i was gonna have to pay an extra $10 a month, so a phone i didn't like made that even less appealing). I'm not an apple brand kinda girl, and i find the phone a little corney but whatever, otherwise i woulda got that...and while i enjoy tech and can spend hours reading about it, i don't need to buy a new phone every time a new piece of hardware comes out, Google knows not everyone is chasing hardware. But something has something *new* to offer on the other hand, that s--t i will *want*.

Google is not a hardware company, samsung IS. Apple is in the middle, so is Google+Motorola. They are going after a different market and lo and behold here come samsung and htc with their little mini phones (not even yet out) to try to grab the great but normal-sized phone market, and both of them have nothing on the moto x, not in software and not in hardware, they match it in size and nothing else, so now it will be samsung that cannot compete for any of that market either.

Some key points I would like to point out here.

1) Software features? Yes the Moto X has a few but not enough features to make it worth $200 even on contract. So my work around? I will root my HTC One or S4 and wait for a custom ROM to come out with the features. Simple fix and I can still have the best hardware.

2) Phone size and their mini counter parts? Both HTC and Samsung have always offered smaller versions of their phones. (HTC One S/S3 mini even last year.) Currently the HTC One is still only a 4.7 inch screen. So its a perfect size IMO. I'm open to bigger screen but its not a must have in my book.

3) Upgrading whenever a new phone comes out? Again its not for everyone and I can understand that. I upgrade every 12 months or so but I never end up paying much after I sell my older device. So I would likely pass on the HTC One+/Maxx and any other version until next year. Are there some crazy people who buy 2-3 phones a year? Sure there are.

4) The Palm Pre and being like Apple? Sadly Palm also was like Apple. Devices all looked the same but I LOVED the Pre line of devices. But I switched back over to HTC instead of the S4. I agree with you the S4 was rather boring and the features like all other OEMs where pretty lacking anyways. Nothing I need IMO currently. sadly Moto is in the same boat. They offer some cool features but it lacks in the horse power to just its price IMO. Not saying you should agree with me but we all have different needs and Android has a ton of options thankfully!

Over all your post has many good points and we even agree on most of them! You bring up some good points. Thank you for your reply!

 

[JungleLarry]

Just curious, what would make the Moto X worth $200 on contract to you? Without trying to be too much of a brat, I don't want the answer in the form of a spec sheet.

Better question: if the HTC One was available to customize and contained all the new software/assistance features the Moto X does, would you consider paying more for it?

 

[Paisley]

Some key points I would like to point out here.

1) Software features? Yes the Moto X has a few but not enough features to make it worth $200 even on contract. So my work around? I will root my HTC One or S4 and wait for a custom ROM to come out with the features. Simple fix and I can still have the best hardware.

But few people want to go root their phones. I did it on my Palm, again, pure desperation, lol. I loved the phone but dear lord! Masses aren't going to do that.

2) Phone size and their mini counter parts? Both HTC and Samsung have always offered smaller versions of their phones. (HTC One S/S3 mini even last year.) Currently the HTC One is still only a 4.7 inch screen. So its a perfect size IMO. I'm open to bigger screen but its not a must have in my book.

Those mini phones are nowhere near the X, all they are is small. They are slower, no Always Ready, no notification peaking, smaller screen,1gb ram, lesser GPU, etc. I would loathe carrying that thing. lol. If you combine their lesser GPU and Ram that 1.4mhz processer is going to be even uglier than a 1.4mhz processor in another phone. And those will be $99. Which means one at very most could expect the X to be $149 as more reasonable than 199 just in terms of hardware, but it still means no other phone is like the X, and people will pay for those features just as they pay extra for hardware.

3) Upgrading whenever a new phone comes out? Again its not for everyone and I can understand that. I upgrade every 12 months or so but I never end up paying much after I sell my older device. So I would likely pass on the HTC One+/Maxx and any other version until next year. Are there some crazy people who buy 2-3 phones a year? Sure there are.

Ah, true, re: selling devices. I did forget about that. But next year what will sammy offer? still won't offer anything differnt for the crowd they are marketing/going after, so it still won't compete for the non-faster-bigger-better enthusiast. Okay, 15MP camera, which is gonna be awesome. But vast majority of ppl aren't after the .3mhz. BUT if you're a spec guy (i mean, actually, i care a great deal about specs, when i buy my laptops i buy the 2nd to fastest processor, anything lesser than that i might as well not even buy a new laptop, but the highest processor isn't worth the extra premium. In the case of the X however, they still offer something in exchange for that increase in processor.

4) The Palm Pre and being like Apple? Sadly Palm also was like Apple. Devices all looked the same but I LOVED the Pre line of devices. But I switched back over to HTC instead of the S4. I agree with you the S4 was rather boring and the features like all other OEMs where pretty lacking anyways. Nothing I need IMO currently. sadly Moto is in the same boat. They offer some cool features but it lacks in the horse power to just its price IMO. Not saying you should agree with me but we all have different needs and Android has a ton of options thankfully!

They may have looked bland, but people *wanted* them for a reason and millions upon millions were buying those. You want to go after that market, you're not looking to make sexy, you're looking to make what will draw people to your phone, and that is better for the millions of customers like myself.although to be fair, i would have liked a sexier phone, and colors aren't my thing. As for horse power, c'mon, speed according to every X reviewer is fractions of a second behind the fastest phone on the market. But i also agree, lots of options means there's something for everyone, and right now for many, there's not an "X" to buy. No one has this size phone with that size screen and some kickass time-saving features or the evolution of the personal phone assistant. So really, it's not that motorola is not ready to compete, they don't want to compete with the 2 mani's that are in a spec war, those are almost purely hardware phones. Sammy to HTC: Mine's faster, oh yeah, now i have .3mz more, oh yeah, i have a 5" screen, oh yeah, LG2: Oh yeah?! my phone is a phablet. . Motorola and google are ready to compete, they are competing for who want other things in a phone. The hardware companies have tons of benefits obviously, boom sound, awesome pics, but for soooo many the X features outweigh those things for people who want other for features and benefits. It's a dif. crowd, and that crowd right now, is hanging on to iPhone or lamenting the loss of Palm Pre type innovative smart products that go with features over specs. That palm was the bomb, it's hardware specs however... Do you remember how much that cost? . Hint. 199. And I still paid for that phone because I used the multi tasking more than the pics, I liked having qwerty and the size. Price is a matter of value and opportunity. Well, worth is, and that is how we choose how much we are willing to spend. So when the phone specs alone next to the HTC one, it could look like they don't have equal value, but the usuability effects value quite a bit. And price is a function of value and opportunity. (Although technically speaking, not one single phone has managed to get a 4.7" screen in smaller body. and not one has managed to make a phone that people can use in their cars without fumbling for their phone. Those are both technology, there are costs and premiums associated with those, the $199 price isn't terrible out of wack, you are paying for the function and development.)

i think the off contract price isnt going to work, ppl can wait for it. Oops, gotta run, i forgot to do something at work. DOH.

 

[roadkizzle]

Some key points I would like to point out here.

1) Software features? Yes the Moto X has a few but not enough features to make it worth $200 even on contract. So my work around? I will root my HTC One or S4 and wait for a custom ROM to come out with the features. Simple fix and I can still have the best hardware.

I think you'll be waiting a long time then. The HTC One and S4 really don't have the hardware necessary to allow for the actual software features that make the Moto X capable of changing the way people use their phones.

The camera and Moto Assist should be portable to other phones, but as we've seen, the camera software doesn't seem to be the best and Moto Assist will be much less helpful without the Touchless Controls.

The only reason why the Touchless Controls and Active Display are able to operate and still allow for the phone to outlast the S4 with its 15% smaller battery is that it has the DSPs able to handle these functions without waking up the energy guzzling CPU. Your phones will already have less battery life than my Moto X. You won't want to burden your "superior", "high end" devices with these features that'll kill them while i can use my "mid-range" phone that out performs your powerhouse S4 with features to actually make my life easier.

 

[mech1164]

i think the off contract price isnt going to work, ppl can wait for it. Oops, gotta run, i forgot to do something at work. DOH.

And that is one of the things killing me on this phone. I'm on Tmo 30 prepaid. No way in heck was I going back on contract. At the supposed 575-640 pricing off contract is just too darn high for me. At that price i'll get an HTC One off swappa or Ebay. Price it at 400 for the 32gb one and i'd have been on this like white on rice.

I'm still not wholly sold on chip used but will see when its out. Moto may have a hit but the intro was badly fumbled.

 

[JHBThree]

And that is one of the things killing me on this phone. I'm on Tmo 30 prepaid. No way in heck was I going back on contract. At the supposed 575-640 pricing off contract is just too darn high for me. At that price i'll get an HTC One off swappa or Ebay. Price it at 400 for the 32gb one and i'd have been on this like white on rice.

I'm still not wholly sold on chip used but will see when its out. Moto may have a hit but the intro was badly fumbled.

It certainly was not. This phone and its intro are not meant for you. It's meant for the average consumer.

 

[Paisley]

And that is one of the things killing me on this phone. I'm on Tmo 30 prepaid. No way in heck was I going back on contract. At the supposed 575-640 pricing off contract is just too darn high for me. At that price i'll get an HTC One off swappa or Ebay. Price it at 400 for the 32gb one and i'd have been on this like white on rice.

I'm still not wholly sold on chip used but will see when its out. Moto may have a hit but the intro was badly fumbled.

All revies have been really good, so the phone itself is not a fumble. Not offering color to everyone? that may be a fumble. PC just reviewed it and it got "excellent", only a 1/2 point under htc one and s4. $400 is insane, phone pricing doesn't work like that for a phone like this. You are adding up hardware and subtracting perhaps something else to price it at $400. The reason $650 won't work because people who already like the latest large souped up androids value it the way a person prices a spec'd out laptop. Laptops prices are a function of chips and hardware, all they need to do apart from that is open and close and not break, they do not need to have any other features other than specs. they don't need comfort or other types of functions. So those who want souped up phones, tally specs and say it's got the most expensive and new chip/screen hardware therefore it's worth the highest price. And that's why people out of contract who buy phones at full price aren't going to go for it. People who are out of contract are paying a decent price for a great phone are going to make a preference choice. Which phone has the most benefit to me, for $200 you are choosing btwn about 4 phones on the market, millions of ppl will choose this one b/c it has more value than a phone with most upgraded hardware. You value something very specific, so you are looking for this phone to fit that category and eanything less to you means overpriced, this phone is not trying to be in that category. It does not want to be an htc one, nor it is a lesser expensive htc one, for that you can buy the mini for $350/$450. That phone is far below this phone.

 

[mech1164]

It certainly was not. This phone and its intro are not meant for you. It's meant for the average consumer.

Gee, I guess you are right, I HAVE A BRAIN AND THINK. I'm nor an Apple lemming willing to to take everything at face value. I will call out a company when I think they messed up. I like android for what it is. I'm not a fanatic of any platform. But go ahead and embarrass yourself. The comedy is worth it.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

 

[Paisley]

Gee, I guess you are right, I HAVE A BRAIN AND THINK. I'm nor an Apple lemming willing to to take everything at face value. I will call out a company when I think they messed up. I like android for what it is. I'm not a fanatic of any platform. But go ahead and embarrass yourself. The comedy is worth it.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

I have a brain and i think and i don't want a ginormo phone when the X is just as fast and has more things that i will use than the things the htc offers. It's called a cost benefit analysis. Only a moron would choose a phone that has less to offer them over a phone that more to offer them.