I've got the Moto X, you've got questions ? fire away!

[Phil Nickinson]

Do you think Motorola will continue to support this phone with software updates or will it be abandoned as other higher end Motorola phones have been abandoned? I'm obviously thinking about the Motorola Atrix which was scheduled to get an update to 4.0 then suddenly pulled at literally the last day of their projected upgrade window. Motorola has a very poor track record when it comes to software updates and supporting their phones that they once called the "flagship" device.

I think Motorola greatly improved where it stands on getting updates out the door and that folks have been giving them short shrift for months.

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Any word if the regional carrier C Spire will have this phone. They have been quit on there end!

No announcement that I've seen.

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and US Cellular.

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Will the ok google now work when your phone is password protected? If so you mentioned that other people will set off your phone - will that mean that they can get by the password protection by saying ok google now?

Looking at the settings, you can choose to make calls and check voicemail without having to unlock first.

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Thanks for the info Phil. Two things:

1) Do you know if bootloaders are going to be locked on the X, specifically on AT&T, since they are notorious?

2) After using it a bit do you feel that the X can go toe to toe with the Galaxy S4, HTC One, and iPhone 5 priced the same? I won't call Moto X "mid-range", but the S4 and One do clearly out-spec the X, and iPhone of course has the Apple heritage and can always command a price premium. Key question for me is, does the X have enough stuff beyond the customization to directly compete at the $199 on contract level against those three heavy hitters?

1. Of course. These are carrier phones.

2. Probably. I'm pretty impressed with it so far.

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Do you notice the phone hitching or being effected by its lower specs? Also, are you bothered by the screen?

Every now and then I'm pretty sure I hear it sigh and say "If only they'd given me higher specs. Then I'd be a real phone."

No.

 

[lostaggie]

Another question... Does the screen shape (curved?) lend itself to easy application of dry screen protection? What is the glass material?

Also still really want camera impression vs S4 and iPhone 5. Did you snap some pics at our daughters recital?

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

Do you miss all the cores?

 

[Phil Nickinson]

This was asked earlier in the thread but I didn't see an answer (you were in a plane at the time) - have you had a chance to see what the display is like in direct sunlight?

Not as bad as I would have thought, I think.

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Seems as though, once the sticker shock has worn off, people are starting to warm up to this device.

Same as it ever was.

 

[Phil Nickinson]

I am interested in seeing more software features. How are the widgets? Standard android widgets or MOTO blurish?

Again, this is stock(ish) Android. With stock widgets.

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Do you miss all the cores?

STFU, Jerry.

 

[Infinity]

I realize 32gb is limited to at&t, but is this just because at&t is the only carrier to have motomaker at launch, or will the 32gb still be exclusive to at&t after other carriers get motomaker?

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Another question... Does the screen shape (curved?) lend itself to easy application of dry screen protection? What is the glass material?

Also still really want camera impression vs S4 and iPhone 5. Did you snap some pics at our daughters recital?

The glass is made out of Glass. Flat glass. (No, I don't know which version of Gorilla Glass. Don't really care, either. Try not to scratch it.)

 

[Pollster]

People keep saying this. Where's the evidence? The carriers inflated prices? And you don't think they do that to make their contracts attractive?

If you look, LG has an equivalent phone to the Nexus 4. It sure isn't at a Nexus price.
This is priced to compete with iPhone 5. If they later want to compete with the 5C, the price will drop. Why should it drop now when it's only cheaper direct competition is the Nexus 4

 

[cvanlone]

I don't understand this...if it's cheaper to make, it should cost less. Also, I think you get spoiled =) having access to all these phones, but for the rest of us, it is way nicer/cheaper being off contract. I will never go back on contract and having a phone like the nexus 4 has been amazing for 350. I desperately hope it's not an abberation.

Phil posted this link last week... Understanding Google | strat

The article is about comparing Google to Apple, but I think this applies all phone companies like Motorola and HTC too. Google is not trying to make money on the Nexus because they don't want to be a manufacturer, they want to focus on ad revenue. More phones expand their reach, which will increase their ad revenue possibilities.

Moto doesn't get these recurring ad revenues, they make a one-time profit on the sale. It is more efficient for them to mass produce and sell to carriers then to individual people, and selling at lower margin means lower earnings and less investors.

 

[chasenyc]

1) I know this is not exactly about the phone itself per say but what do you make of the discrepancy between the price of the moto x and dennis woodside's D11 comment: "One of the areas we think is really open for Motorola is building a low-cost, high quality market. Feature phones sell for $30; high-end smartphones cost $650. That gap won?t persist."
2) any clue why wood was not included in the moto maker video?

 

[Phil Nickinson]

There have been plenty of other phones with multiple storage SKUs. Moto Maker can't be the deciding factor here, I reckon.

 

[Andrew Martonik]

1) I know this is not exactly about the phone itself per say but what do you make of the discrepancy between the price of the moto x and dennis woodside's D11 comment: "One of the areas we think is really open for Motorola is building a low-cost, high quality market. Feature phones sell for $30; high-end smartphones cost $650. That gap won?t persist."
2) any clue why wood was not included in the moto maker video?

I think we can safely say that Motorola will make more than 1 phone. There's plenty of room for them to make other devices in those lower price points to fill out gaps.

Wood is still in prototype stage, they haven't quite figured it out yet.

 

[moosc]

So is it true I can't buy it from T-Mobile but only from Motorola.com for a T-Mobile version?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2

 

[ultravisitor]

I think we can safely say that Motorola will make more than 1 phone. There's plenty of room for them to make other devices in those lower price points to fill out gaps.

And, indeed, I believe they've already stated they will be making other phones at lower price points. I read about it somewhere yesterday. Perhaps CNet or The Verge or Gizmodo.