Google's smart phone you can talk to
After lacklustre results selling devices made by other companies, Google is giving hardware another try - this time with a smartphone made by a company it owns. On Thursday, Motorola Mobility, the handset maker Google bought last year for $US12.5 billion, introduced the Moto X, the company's first major device since the deal.
The stakes are big for Google, and not only because of the high price it paid for Motorola. Google is hugely profitable, but its growth is slowing because of lagging ad sales. Success with the new phone could lead to a new source of revenue and a way to get more users to view the company's ads. Still, sales could be an uphill climb. The phone, decked out with multiple processors, sensors and voice controls, is landing squarely in the brutally competitive market for high-end smartphones. And Google has a lot to prove before it is taken seriously as a hardware maker.
Motorola's executives think they have something special with the Moto X, to be sold by all the major US phone carriers beginning this month or early in September. It has a 11.9-centimetre touch screen, which puts it right between the iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S4 from Samsung. And it has a sophisticated camera and high-speed connections.
What executives hope makes the Moto X stand out is its voice command capabilities, such as continually listening for a user's voice and quickly reacting to commands. Saying, "OK Google, now find me my way home" will quickly pull up a Google map with directions to a user's house, for example.
The phone learns the voice of its owner and responds only to it. Some might find this creepy, but it is a feature that a user must turn on voluntarily.
Motorola says it plans to offer a broad range of products. One is a lower-cost smartphone, to be introduced later this year.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
The Moto X is a new smartphone introduced by Motorola Mobility, the handset maker Google bought for US$12.5 billion. It's Motorola's first major device since the acquisition and represents Google's second serious push into selling hardware.
The Moto X is important because success could create a new revenue stream for Google and drive more users to view its ads—helpful as ad sales growth has been slowing. The phone is a test of whether Google can be taken seriously as a hardware maker after its big Motorola purchase.
Motorola highlights the Moto X's multiple processors, sensors, sophisticated camera, high‑speed connections and a distinctive voice‑command system that listens for and reacts to a user's voice. It also has an 11.9‑centimetre touchscreen and is positioned as a high‑end device.
The Moto X can continually listen for a user's voice and respond to spoken commands—for example, saying 'OK Google, now find me my way home' brings up Google Maps directions. The phone learns the owner's voice and is designed to respond only to that voice, and the always‑listening feature must be turned on voluntarily.
Motorola said the Moto X will be sold by all the major US phone carriers beginning this month or in early September, according to the article. Availability outside the US was not detailed in the piece.
The Moto X has an 11.9‑centimetre touchscreen, which the article says places it between the iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S4 in terms of display size.
Google faces a brutally competitive market for high‑end smartphones and needs to prove itself as a credible hardware maker. Even with distinctive features, sales could be an uphill climb against established rivals like Apple and Samsung.
Yes. Motorola plans a broad range of products and specifically said it intends to introduce a lower‑cost smartphone later in the year, in addition to the Moto X.
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