In a Google Hangout today, Motorola’s Jim Wicks, the lead designer for the Moto 360, gave us more information about the upcoming smartwatch.
Wicks first quickly talked about the inspiration that eventually led to the Moto 360. Motorola has been working on a smartwatch for two or three years now and a square design was initially considered. With some 80% of watches sold today being round, Motorola did not want to “defy gravity” and chose instead to present a familiar design to customers. According to Wicks, it hits “a wow mark” that square designs don’t.
The choice of materials, including genuine leather for the straps, was another way that Motorola looked to help distinguish the Moto 360 from its competition. Motorola will also offer a degree of customizability with interchangeable bands.
In terms of functionality, Wicks revealed little that we have not already seen especially from yesterday’s Android Wear videos. Much as a normal watch, the Moto 360 will usually display the time. It will switch to contextual information presented via Google Now cards. It will also support voice commands with “Ok Google” through Android Wear and the Google Now services. As with a growing number of mobile devices, it will be water resistant.
Wicks touched upon battery life quickly. Claiming that Motorola has learned a lot from past projects such as the ill-fated MOTOACTV project, he indicated that Motorola has learned to do some “really fantastic power management.” In fact, much was already incorporated into the Moto X (such as Active Display), leading to further understanding and innovation in this area. Beyond that, Motorola would only say that “battery life has been made a priority” but would not provide specific numbers.
On the topic of charging, the Moto 360 does not come with a microUSB port or any other port for that matter. Charging is “a secret of this watch” and part of the “special sauce” that it will reveal later on.
Compatibility with the Moto 360 will not be limited only to Motorola smartphones. It will work with other Android smartphones with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean or higher and a Bluetooth 4.0 connection.
In terms of availability and pricing, Motorola is hoping to offer it globally at some point but it does appear that a staggered rollout will be used with the U.S. leading off much as we saw with the Moto X. Pricing was not revealed but should be revealed “soon.”
You can watch the entire Google Hangouts session below: