Android 5.0 Lollipop is Google's biggest mobile
update in years.
There's
something magical about the idea that, in the space of a few minutes, your
smartphone or tablet can look dramatically different and do some cool new
things, to boot. That's why operating system updates can be oddly exciting, and
Android's latest upgrade, version 5.0 or Lollipop is the firmware equivalent of
opening presents on your birthday. The upcoming release, which is now available
for selected Motorola devices heading to dozens of mobile devices in the coming
months, brings a fresh design and no shortage of new features.
If you've been using Android over the past few months, you
may have noticed that several Google apps have been updated with a fresh design
and they all look the same. This is no coincidence: Google's putting its
three-year-old "Hollow" design language out to move toward a look
known as "Material Design." This new aesthetic is featured distinctly
in Android 5.0 Lollipop.
This consistency between apps and OS is a good thing,
especially since Material Design is cleaner and more colorful than Hollow.
Google says this kind of cohesiveness appeals visual harmony, and yu have to
agree, whether you're using Google apps and services or a third-party option, a
universal design language can ease your frustration of not knowing where functions
really are. Since most apps look similar to each other and the rest of
Lollipop, it should be less difficult for people to understand what to look for
and how to find what they need.
Image Credit : Google Images
And now, the new Android build arrives on Moto
G devices in India, and a tad over two weeks after the initial soak test.
The software version of the Android 5.0 update is 220.21.16.en.03. Android 5.0 Lollipop
brings a host of improvements to the budget friendly smartphone, headed by
fresh material design for the UI, as well as brand new ART runtime. The latter
will almost certainly make last year’s Moto G feel a lot snappier.
LG's G Watch was one of the first
Android Wear devices to hit the market, but it didn't quite capture the fancy
of the buying public the way the beautiful, round Moto 360 did. So LG
went back to work, and came up with a beautiful, round smartwatch of
its own. Meet the G Watch R.
LG has finally verified that round displays on
smartwatches are real. They're "a thing." The Moto 360isn't a one-off; the industry has officially figured out how to
deliver round wearables, and it's going to do so on a measurable scale. But there
is still an issue.
The G Watch R's key feature is its display, a
1.3-inch Plastic OLED panel that takes up 100 percent of the watch's round
face. LG promises that it's viewable in sunlight and clear from any angle, and
the plastic also comes with some durability benefits — the G Watch R works in
up to a meter of water for up to 30 minutes. The screen rests in a stainless
steel frame, and comes with an interchangeable calf skin leather strap. This
device looks perhaps more like a normal analog watch than any other we've seen
before, including the Moto 360.
Of
course, it's not an analog watch. It's poweredby Android Wear, meaning it offers the same Google Now-based
experience we've seen on a couple of devices so far. You'll get notifications,
easy access to notes and calendar and directions, and more. It's powered by a
1.2GHz Snapdragon processor and 512MB of RAM, plus 4GB of internal storage. It
has a heart-rate monitor, unlike the G Watch, plus a handful of health and
fitness apps that should make the G Watch R a little more useful as a fitness
tracker. Still, from a functionality standpoint the devices don't differ much.
It's all about the hardware — and the hardware makes all the difference.
Where
the G Watch is bland and square — not badly designed so much as simply not
designed at all — the G Watch R has a lovely sense of sophistication to
it. Part of that is also due to the retro-analog watchfaces, which show
sweeping second hands and a set of internal dials that look right at home in a
classic watch. There's even a crown on the side, which is likely the power
button in disguise. (The G Watch's mysteriously missing power button appears to
have been rectified.)
Count
on this being a trend this year: smartwatch makers will churn these devices out
as fast as they can, attempting to satisfy as many tastes as possible and to
learn as quickly as possible what works for consumers. Things will change
quickly, but right now, it's hip to be round.
However, there is still a big question in
consumers´ mind. And that is;
SMART WATCHES STILL DON´T LOOK THAT GREAT
I
can't overstate how important that is. Smartwatch adoption is held back
primarily by two things: one, it's hard to convince people that they need
notifications on their wrist. That's an ongoing challenge, and the ball now lies in Apple's courtto see if the industry is
ready and able to turn that corner. But secondly, smartwatchesstill just don't look
that great. It's a complaint I've been lodging since before the launch of
Samsung's original Galaxy Gear last year. Even the best-looking ones are
compromised.
FASHION FIRST
That's not to say a wrist-worn device must
have a round face to look good, of course, but it can't look like a physical
manifestation of high technology — it has to put fashion first, because it's
always visible. You can hide a smartphone in your pocket or purse when it's not
in use, but wearables have to ascribe to the same rules of design as a shirt,
shoe, or hat. (Imagine how many more Google Glass would be sold if they were
indistinguishable from regular sunglasses or eyeglasses.) The round face, an
iconic element of the classic wristwatch, is a huge leap in that direction.
ANALOG WATCH HANDS ARN´T DEAD
But it's only a leap, not the finish line.
Multiple industry sources have indicated to me that manufacturers are
aggressively pursuing display technologies that would make smartwatches
virtually indistinguishable from a 30-year-old Timex or Tag Heuer without
sacrificing functionality. Analog watch hands aren't dead: consider a round,
full-color display with hands above, or a transparent OLED
with hands underneath, for instance. The
technology is close, and designers are fully aware that they need to get there.
And for smartwatches, that's the dream: once
engineers figure out how to seamlessly walk us back to analog, they'll be able
to replicate the full spectrum of designs found in traditional wristwatches.
Obviously analog hands aren't for everyone, but then you'll be able to choose
something more akin to a Moto 360 or G Watch R, or even a rectangular display
if that's more your style. That variety is a wonderful thing. It's a
celebration of form factor diversity that we've lost with smartphones in the
age of the glass rectangle — but thankfully we won't have to lose it with the
wearable.
The American telecommunication
major, Motorola has finally launched the much awaited feature mid-range
Moto G in India.
The device was launched exclusively on a
leading online store in India. The 16GB model of Moto G went out of stock
within 15 minutes after its release. Moto G's launch is certainly going to
affect the popular local mid-range phones of brands like Micromax, Karbonn
& Lava.
Display and Design:
Image Courtesy: Google Images
Motorola Moto G has got soft finish
matte on the back and has innumerable interchangeable colorful cases. It
features 4.5-inch HD (1280x720p) screen with a pixel density of 329 ppi (pixel per inch), best among the smartphones in mid-range segment.
Processor, RAM and Storage:
Moto G powers a 1.2 GHz quad-core
processor. Motorola's phone houses a processor made from the industry leader
Qualcomm. In terms of storage, Motorola loses points as it fails to plant a
microSD card slot in the Moto G limiting its memory capacity.
It is also packed with 1GB RAM.
Camera:
Motorola Moto G, ships with
5.0-megapixel camera and according to few hands on reviews, it is one of the
best camera among the smartphones in its class.
Mobile Operating System:
It is to be noted that the Motorola's
Moto G is running on the latest Jelly Bean version 4.3 and is also slated to
receive the new v4.4.2 KitKat in few days time.
Price:
In India, Moto G (8GB) is priced at Rs.
12,499, whereas 16GB is available for Rs. 13,999.
Pros: affordable, immediate availability of
KitKat update Cons: no microSD card slots Here's an Unboxing Video for our readers.
