Gadgetory

in mobile technology it's the same thing over and over new device comes out new device gets reviewed new device gets forgotten almost no one follows up no one follows along no one sticks around to see how well a gadget ages over time because there's always something new to drool over so let's do something about it let's take another look at the round SmartWatch that made round smartwatches a thing i'm michael fisher with pocket now this is the motorola moto 360 and this is episode 43 of after the buzz the Moto 360 started out as the only circular Android SmartWatch but it was never gonna stay that way in the nine months since its release it's been joined by the LG G watch R and G watch urbane with the Huawei watch also coming soon add to that non Android wear offerings like the Alcatel OneTouch watch and Samsung's Orbis wearable and you might think the Moto 360s scheen would have faded but it really hasn't part of this is due to its minimal design where other watches feature prominent lugs and other adornments the 360 is as simple and streamlined as it get giving it a sense of timelessness that still turns heads even after nearly a year also the stainless steel and Gorilla Glass have held up very well over that time despite frequent bashes against door jams and table tops the casing bears very few scratches or dings on my unit and those who buy the 360 today have more customization options than they did at first release moto maker now allows for a choice of three different casing colors and a variety of watchbands while I really liked the look and feel of the stone leather band when I first bought my 360 it's definitely aged into something less attractive over time so you may want to spend the extra 50 bucks to snag one of the metal options other aspects of the 360 have grown less impressive over time too the screen is still fine when considered a loan but alongside newer sharper displays it's not aging well and that has nothing to do with the so called flat tire at the bottom the fact that it's an LCD instead of an OLED is just as disappointing today as it wasn't launched considering its impact on battery life in ambient mode the smart charging pedestal and bedside clock function are both excellent additions you really can't find anywhere else but the 360 also gets pretty warm when topping up and it stays warm until you take it off which doesn't bode well for long-term battery health in fact I feel like it's already starting to lose some of its endurance last fall I could sometimes get to the end of the day with 50 percent remaining nowadays it's down to 30 or 40 percent by nighttime on the plus side you can charge it on any Qi compatible charger so if you already have a lot of those for your Qi enabled smartphone you can top up the 360 more easily or more often Android wear has seen a few updates since we first reviewed it last summer and in concert with Motorola's own upgrades and the ever-growing pool of third-party apps and watch faces it's now a much better SmartWatch platform than it was we covered the usability upgrades in our Android wear lollipop video but they include discreet notification modes finer control of the screen brightness in various situations and general UX improvements to make using it less cumbersome sadly the instability that seems inherent to Android lollipop still rears its head the voice control is still quite often hit and miss and the Moto 360s occasional lag in animations and low framerate in general does get annoying at times it's possible the newest version of where the 5.1.1 will smooth out some of these bumps as it brings new features like Wi-Fi and a further revised user interface but keep in mind that the Moto 360s old OMAP processor isn't as spry as the snapdragons and the rest of the lineup so we'll have to wait and see at a base price of $249 the Moto 360 remains one of Android where's pricier options even more so if you go for upgrades like the champagne gold finish or a met banned and given its display and processor compromises we'd recommend seeing what Motorola's coming up with for the 360s sequel which we expect to see announced very soon before pulling the trigger here but Motorola is also huge into discounts as this video was being put together the company was running a promotion on its website that offered the Moto 360 and the new Moto G smartphone for $2.99 combined it was a short sale only four hours long but Motorola does them so often that it's pretty easy to get a good deal if you can snag one of those the Moto 360 is definitely still worth picking up and if you already own one you can rest assured that it's one of the best smartwatches available all things considered but if you're strapped for cash obsessed with the cutting edge or just on the fence wait till the Moto 360 second-generation hits shelves before making your final decision if you're curious about other smartwatches we've covered most of them from Apple to Alcatel OneTouch at pocketnow.com visit us there and be sure to subscribe here on youtube so you don't miss future videos from PocketNow until next time this has been michael fisher captain to phones on twitter reminding you that a flat tire isn't the end of the world but a fat tire at the end of the day is pretty cool see you next time