The Moto X Gen 2 Phone

I just upgraded to a new phone, the second-generation Moto X from Motorola.

Back in November 2013 I blogged about my experience with Motorola's first-generation Moto X phone. I've used that phone for the last 15 months, and like it a great deal (with one notable exception: the grass cracked just a month after I got the phone which has been a bummer. Then again it was probably my own fault for not being more careful with it.) I've really come to value many things about this phone. I especially like its size and hand feel, and its innovative active notifications feature, which updates just a few pixels of your turned-off screen to give you notifications in a super battery-efficient way.

Active Notifications

Recently, I decided to upgrade to the new second-generation Moto X, which I received one week ago. When I got the previous first-generation phone, Google had purchased Motorola which was one of the attractive features since I'm not a fan of carrier bloatware on Android phones. Motorola was since sold off to Lenovo, but I ultimately decided to stay with the Moto X family since I liked the first generation so much. Fortunately, the customer ordering experience, phone quality, and very-latest-Android aspects of the Moto X have not been impacted.

The ability to custom-design your phone remains a compelling feature of the Moto X. After ordering my new phone at my local AT&T store, I received a voucher card. At home, I connected to  the Moto Maker site at https://www.motorola.com/us/motomaker, entered my upgrade code, and proceeded to design my phone. There are some nice new options available, including several wood and leather back choices (wood or leather costs an additional $25, and you need to be careful where you put your phone to avoid stains). I ultimately chose a white front, bronze accents, and a cognac leather back with my name inscribed.

Lots of choices to customize your phone

Moto Maker online designer

Less than two weeks later, my phone arrived. After following a short online procedure with AT&T, my new phone was linked to my existing number. I did not have to relocate any SIM cards.

Moving to a new device always raises the question of how much work you'll need to do to get your apps and data and configuration replicated. I'm happy to report that not only is that well-addressed by the phone, but three different parties are all looking out for you. Google, Motorola and AT&T all provide software/services to assist in phone upgrade data transfer. My first inclination was to use the Motorola Migrate application, which moves apps/data/configuration from old phone to new over your WiFi network--and that's largely what I did. Since contacts are managed by my carrier, I also utilized AT&T's facility to move my contacts over. While I was doing all this, Android on the new phone automatically prompted me to restore backed up apps and data from my old phone. Motorola Migrate is easy to use: the new phone scans a QR code displayed on the old phone and they communicate over your WiFi network. All in all, it only took about 15 minutes to move everything over and it was painless - everything was done for me automatically.

Motorola Migrate

Hardware-wise, the phone has a powerful processor and a good camera, two areas for which the original Moto X was sometimes criticized. The processor is a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801. The rear main camera is 13 megapixels (previously 10) with a circular dual-LED ring flash (previously single-LED). The front camera is 2 megapixels. There are a lot of nice features in the camera, and they have been thoughtfully engineered.  I don't know about  you, but it usually takes me some time to get acquainted with phone camera features and I often end up not using many of them because they can be cumbersome to get to. That's not the case here: camera features and settings are discoverable and easy to get to. Touch the camera to take a photo, or hold your finger down to capture photos in burst mode so you can select the best shot(s) afterward. You can take Ultra HD video and slow-motion video. You can even quickly summon the camera app with a double shake of the wrist.

Moto X Camera Settings

One concern I had was with the size of the phone. As is common right now, phones are getting larger and the Moto X is no exception: it's gone from 129.3 x 65.3 x 10.4 mm (gen 1) to 140.8 a 72.4 x 9.97 mm (gen 2), and the screen from 4.7 to 5.2 inches with a beautiful AMOLED display. Admittedly, a larger display would be easier on the eyes, but would the larger phone be more difficult to handle? The original Moto X was just perfect for your hand and allowed many things to be done with just one hand. As it turns out, I've had no problem with the larger size phone. It still goes in and out of my pocket easily and has not been cumbersome to use.

My favorite feature is still there, Active Notifications, along with a great new feature that complements it well called Attentive Display. The phone has low power IR sensors on the front and can recognize when you wave your hand or a face is looking at it. This means you can wake up the time and notifications display by simply waving your hand. When looking at the phone (for example reading messages or an e-book), the screen won't time out and go dark on you. It may sound a little spooky that the phone knows when it is being looked at, but this feature is really well-implemented.

Last but not least, there's Android Lollipop. Android prompted me to upgrade to the "L" release (Lollipop) the first day I had the phone, which I proceeded to install. I like the new Android release and its "material design" UI very much. Big UI changes are not always pleasant to adapt to, but this one was.

It's only been a week, but so far I'm loving this phone. It's really a pleasure to use, thanks to the features and little refining touches Motorola has added and the careful way they've been engineered for usability.

The Moto X Custom Order Experience

I just ordered a Moto X Android phone for myself, and thought I'd share the experience.The Moto X has a unique custom order experience which is somewhat reminiscent of custom-ordering a new car from a factory: you get to choose every last detail. The Moto X is made in Fort Worth, Texas, and if you're in the U.S. you get your new phone about 5 days after placing your custom order.

Making Arrangements With Your Carrier
You can start your experience online, but if upgrading from a different phone you'll likely begin with a visit to your carrier. In my case, I was having some technical problems with my Nokia Lumina 920 phone and decided it was time to upgrade, so I stopped in at my local AT&T store. After inspecting an actual Moto X to ensure I would be comfortable with the weight and form factor, I decided to go for it.
I was initially told it would be $200 to upgrade to the 16GB Moto X or $300 for the 32GB Moto X, but after some checking the salesperson informed me that due to some specials that were running I could get the 32GB Moto X for under $100. Sweet.
Once you've made arrangements with your carrier, you'll get a voucher card like the one shown below. You can then design your customized phone online and complete your order from home.

Carrier Voucher Card

Online Designer
You design your phone at http://motorola.com/designit, and the design experience is noteworthy for several reasons. First of all, you're able to customize a great deal about your phone, including back color, front color, button color, the display name of your phone, even your wallpaper. Secondly, the experience is done well: it feels immersive and is just plain fun.

Online Designer Start Screen

Phone Back Color
The back of your phone is the part with the greatest selection of colors. The online designer groups the choices under Cool colors (Navy, Turquoise, Olive, Mint, Royal Blue, Spearmint, Neutral colors (Woven Black, Woven White, Cement, Black, Chalk) , and Warm colors (Cherry, Lemon Lime, Violet, Crimson, Blush, Raspberry, Cabernet). As you select this and other options for your phone, you see your custom phone expertly depicted. Moreover, you can rotate and zoom in on the image.

Turquoise Back Color

  

Raspberry Back Color

 

 Royal Blue Back Color

 I ultimately selected a Royal Blue back color for my phone.

Front Color
Compared to the wealth of colors available for the back, the front phone color selection is a tad limited: the only color choices are Black and White.

Black Front Color

White Front Color

 I selected a white front for my phone.

 

Accent Color

You also get to choose the "accent color". This is the color of your side buttons and the ring around your camera. There are 7 choices: Metallic Blue, Metallic Silver, Metallic Yellow, Metallic Red, Metallic Purple, Metallic Black, and Metallic Orange.

 

Blue Accent Color

 

I went with a metallic blue accent color for my phone.

 

Memory

You can select 16GB or 32GB of memory. Depending on what you've earned in terms of upgrades with your carrier, and applying current promotions, your preferred model will likely be attractively priced.

 

Selecting Memory

 

Power On Name or Greeting

Your customization is not limited to physical manufacturing elements: you can also specify some software configuration aspects of your phone. Of course, you can set these up or change them anytime once you have your phone, so these selections are not nearly as binding--but it's still nice that you can tailor even these aspects at order time.

 

Power On is a name or greeting text that will appear when you turn your phone on.

 

Power On set to My Name

 

I set my Power On selection to my name.

 

Wallpaper

Another selection you get to make is your wallpaper. There are about 20 or so wallpaper choices.

 

Wallpaper - Earth

 

Wallpaper - Piano

 

I selected the Piano wallpaper for my phone, but will most likely replace it with a personal photo once I receive the phone.

 

Google Account

You can choose to link your phone to your Google Account, if you wish. If you do, your phone will be aware of your name and username when you first power it on. You'll need to enter your password, however.

 

Linking to Your Google Account

 

Accessories

You also have the choice of choosing accessories during the design/order processing, some of which can also be customized. JAX headphones with mic, for example, are available in 16 different colors.

 

Accessories

 

 JAX Headphones Accessory Color Selection

 

I decided to add JAX headphones/mic in royal blue for an additional $39.99.

 

Carrier Selection

Near the end of the process you'll select your carrier. If you've made previous carrier arrangements, as I had, you can enter your PIN at this point from your voucher card.

 

Selecting Carrier

 

Checkout

At this point you'll make payment arrangements (not shown) and complete your order.

 

Completing Checkout

 

 

Thanks for Your Order

 

You'll receive options at this point to transfer your data and to share your phone customization.

 

Data Transfer

The data transfer option offers to migrate your phone's data over to your new Moto X. This turns out to only be available for users migrating from an iPhone or Android phone. I couldn't take advantage of this since I was upgrading from a Windows Phone.

 

Data Transfer Option - only available for Android and iPhone

 

Tell The World

If you're willing to tell the world about your new customized phone, either through Facebook or Google Plus, you'll earn $10 credit in the Google Play Store. This is a smart way to get new customers involved in evangelizing the brand.

 

Tell the World About Your Phone for Google Play Credit

 

Order Confirmation Email

You'll get an email confirming your order, which gives you a short time window for changes or cancellation (1 hour).

 

Order Confirmation Email

 

The Custom Order Experience: In Summary

Someday all phones will have a similar customization experience, I suspect. Although it remains to be seen what I think of the actual Moto X phone once I get to use it, the level of customization available--and the experience of designing your customized phone--has definite appeal. I think Google and Motorola are on to something here.

Follow-up: Now That I Have the Device...
First off, I want to say the online design and ordering experience set a 5-day expectation. In fact, I received my custom device only 3 days after placing my order. I ordered on a Sunday evening and had the device in-hand Wednesday afternoon.

The online activation process with AT&T only took a few minutes, though they seemed to expect me to crack open my device and confirm serial number and SIM card number--which wasn't obvious how to do with a fresh phone in my hand. I was content to confirm those numbers off the box label. Even though I was upgrading an existing phone and keeping my same phone number, there was no need to transfer my SIM card: the upgrade phone comes with a new SIM card and the online activation process anticipates this. There was a stern warning given during the activation process that it was important not to turn the device on until activation was complete and 15 minutes had gone by... but in fact I turned the device on accidentally several times inadvertently in handling it. None of that caused any trouble, though.

So far, I really like my Moto X. It's fast and speedy and has nice display. And this is coming from someone who also has an HTC One, considered by many to be the leader of the pack. In comparison, the Moto X is in a smaller and lighter package but has the same screen dimensions (though fewer pixels). You can read a side-by-side comparison and performance test here.

Google Pixel XL Phone Review, Part 1: The Long Wait

As the new owner of a Google Pixel XL Android phone, I'll be writing a series of posts to review my experiences with Google's new flagship handset. In this first post, I'll... be talking about the ordering experience, because I don't actually have the phone yet. Mostly I'll be complaining about the incredibly looooooong wait for the phone: I ordered it on February 13th, and am expecting to receive it on April 6th. That's a long 7 weeks of waiting. As I write this, I "only" have 4 weeks to go. Talk about agonizing. What I can do in first this post is discuss why I chose this phone (despite the long wait), and what I've learned about it. 

I won't go into the reasons for the delay, since I don't really know them. Google says it's due to high demand. Others speculate it's due to poor planning and management. Since this isn't Google's first phone, it is hard to explain.

Why the Pixel?

Why this phone? Well, my previous two phones have been the Moto X (first generation) and Moto X (second generation), which are also Android phones. I liked the Moto X a great deal, especially the "Moto actions" and other nice touches: I can just wave my hand above the phone to wake it up; I get battery-efficient notification icons; and the phone knows if I am looking at it and won't go to sleep. I also liked that I could design my own customized phone, choosing front (white), back (leather, engraved), and accent (silver). So why not just stay with Moto? Well, I was thrilled when Google bought Motorola Mobility; unfortunately, they've since sold it off to Lenovo. The current Moto phones all seem to have a camera bump, which is something of a deal-breaker for me: I want my phone to lie flat on the desk.

So, I looked around. For a variety of reasons I'm not a big fan of Samsung and LG given past experiences. I'm also quite weary of all the bloatware carriers tend to install on Android phones, often apps that can't be deleted. When Google announced the Pixel it made a lot of sense: no carrier bloatware, a finely-tuned Android experience, high-end hardware, and the best possible integration with Google services. Yes, it's pricey--but it seems like the best choice given what I value (pure Android experience, good hardware, backed by a company I have some respect for). And so, I placed my order and am now waiting (impatiently). In the meantime, I've read dozens of reviews by others so I have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Having settled on a Pixel, I chose the larger XL model (5.5" screen) - Google's answer to the iPhone Plus. This is a bit of a departure for me, but I'm thinking the larger screen will be easier on the eyes. My wife got an iPhone Plus recently, and it took her about a week to get used to the larger device. I also went with the 128GB storage, because one of my few complaints about the Moto line was that I'm always running low on storage space. As for the color, my first choice would have been silver and after that blue; alas, almost everything was out of stock. When I finally could order something, it was the black. No matter, I'll be putting a skin on it.

The Ordering Experience

The ordering experience was simple enough. Since I'm not going through Verizon (poor coverage where I live, plus refusal to put up with any more carrier bloatware), and since the Pixel isn't available through any other carriers, that means I'm getting it directly from Google. The Google Store ordering experience is what you'd expect from Google: it's simple, and easy to use. Except...

Except that I couldn't actually order one. What's odd about the ordering experience is the backlog, and how that's being handled. When I first visited the Google Store in January, they were sold out, at least in the configurations I was interested in. And, you couldn't pre-order the phone. All you could do is get added to a waitlist (an email would come your way when a phone was available for order). After a few weeks, now in February, I still could not order the phone I wanted. Tired of this, I decided to cave on color, and ordered what was available: a black 128GB Pixel XL.

The Google Store shows you a Pixel and lets you change the base unit (Pixel or Pixel XL), color, and storage. As you change the configuration, you can see the phone from front, side, and back perspectives.

Google Store - Pixel

Here's the unit I ended up ordering: a Black Pixel XL 128GB.

Google Store - Pixel XL

Finally, my phone was ordered--but I was still in for a looong wait. A 7 week wait.

What I'll Like about the Pixel XL

👍 Free Unlimited Cloud Backup of Photos and Videos

The Pixel gives you unlimited storage of images and videos in Google Photos (cloud storage). Android users normally get this feature anyway, but not at full quality. For Pixel owners, they are archived at full quality.

👍 Great Battery Life

The battery life is reportedly very good. There's also fast charging: you're supposed to be able to get 7 hours of battery life from 15 minutes of charging.

👍 Speed

The Pixel's speed is reported as fantastic by reviewers - even after the honeymoon period. This is due to a fast processor plus a really well-tuned edition of Android. This is the whole point of the Pixel line: with Google in control of both the hardware and software, the phone really sings.

👍 Great Android Experience

Reviewers are also in agreement that the Android experience is first-rate. There are all sorts of improvements and refinements to be found, some important and some just to be more Apple-like. Given that the rest of my household is on Apple phones, being more Apple-like won't be a bad thing. 

• New Pixel Launcher.
• Round icons. 
• Long-press to get application shortcuts. 
• Swipe gestures, such as swiping up to get the app tray. Swipe down on the rear fingerprint sensor to see notifications, swipe back up to dismiss.

Gestures

👍 Camera

Google is advertising the best camera available for a smartphone. Reviews either agree or call it a close second to the iPhone 7. Either way, I'm sure to be happy with this camera.

What I Probably Won't Like About the Pixel XL

👎 Don't Get It Wet

One ding against the Pixel is it isn't waterproof. That's mostly a big deal just because its becoming a standard on high-end phones. For the high price, the Pixel should also be waterproof.

👎 Unique Features that No Longer Are

The features that are supposed to be unique to the Pixel are rapidly become available anywhere. You can install the Pixel launcher on other Android phones. As of this week, the Google Assistant is no longer exclusive to just the Pixel.

👎 Pixel 2 Rumors Already Circulating

Each week, more details are coming to light about the Pixel 2, which will apparently be released near the end of 2017. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for my first-gen Pixel.

👎 Avoiding Damage

Although the Pixel is reportedly well-made, it also seems prone to picking up scratches, especially on the rear glass panel. I'll admit it, I'm one of those people who prefer to use their phone without a case. This of course has bitten me in the past: my first Moto X cracked when I dropped it just a month in; with my Moto X second gen I was ultra-careful and avoided any mishaps. 

Given the expense of the Pixel, I'm going to give in and get some protection. I've decided to go with a skin from ColorWare, which I recently ordered and will receive in a couple of weeks. It's Techno Blue, and looks like this. Of course, I'm told these skins can also get scratched so I'll still need to be careful.

Pixel XL skin by ColorWare

Well, I think that's all I can say for now. I'll share more when I actually get the thing. In the meantime, I'll be practicing how to be more patient. I hear it's a virtue.

Next: Pixel XL Phone Review, Part 2: Google Messes Up Fulfillment

Review: Moto Z4

This is my review of the Moto Z4 phone from Motorola.

Buying Decision

About 3 months ago when my 2016 original Pixel XL phone starting losing its battery life, I initially compensated by bringing my phone charger to work. After a few weeks, though, even that wasn't sufficient to keep my phone charged all day and I knew it was time to replace it.

Whenever you have to replace a phone, the first thing that goes through your mind is how good or bad the experience with your last phone was. I had pretty mixed feelings about the Pixel: while it had worked fine for the last three years, it was a pricey phone at $1000—made all the worse when Google botched my fulfillment, charging me full-out for the phone even though I had arranged Financing.

Price

Price was going to be a key factor. Although I have always purchased top-of-the-line premium phones for myself, nowadays I'm on a campaign to reduce my living costs without heavily compromising lifestyle. I vowed to find a phone I could live with that cost no more than $500.

Like most tech professionals, I use my phone frequently and it's essential to have one you can count on. There are some very low cost phones out there, but I wasn't quite ready to move from top-of-the-line to the bottom and was hoping to find an affordable mid-range phone. I also wanted a new phone: while we've bought refurbished or last-year's-model phones for our children at times, an Android phone tends to only get updates for a few years, not perpetually.

Display Size

In addition to my cost objective, I had two others: display size and bloatware-free-Android. My older eyes need a larger-size phone I can see clearly, which is why my last phone was a Pixel XL. Of course, larger-size phones cost more which comes up against the lower-cost objective.

Stock Android

Avoiding Android bloatware is difficult, as any phone obtained through a carrier is sure to have altered and non-removable vendor apps including Contacts; so no carrier-sold phone for me. Even with an unlocked phone, many vendors may customize Android far more than you'd like: would you rather use Google Assistant or Samsung's Bixby? Although Samsung is the dominant phone manufacturer for Android with a ton of models for every budget, their non-stock Android is a deal-breaker. The two best phone brands for stock Android are Google (of course) and Motorola.

Design

Perhaps one final objective has to do with recent trends in phones that give me pause: the display notch and the camera bump. I don't have direct experience with either because I've avoided them. Taking away part of the display for a camera offends my design sensibilities, yet so many phones are doing it now. What if that notch hides a critical part of an app? Even it it doesn't, it seems to me it would be a constant irritant. The camera bump equally offends me: it suggests my phone won't lie flat which I'd hate.

Given my other objectives, I suspected I might have to give in on the notch or the bump. I decided to have an open mind and to handle any prospective phone in-person at a Best Buy before making a decision.

Pixel 3a XL vs. Moto Z4

With these parameters established, I soon narrowed the field to two possibilities: the Google Pixel 3a XL or the Motorola Moto Z4, both costing just under $500 for an unlocked phone.

The Pixel 3a XL is nearly half the price of the Pixel 3 XL, but what are you giving up? Both have the same award-winning rear camera, memory, design, and Android version. The 3a has a polycarbonite unibody instead of glass-and-metal, so it feels like a cheaper phone. It also has a lesser processor and a lesser front camera.

The Moto Z4 seemed to have a lot of what I was looking for. Thinking back, one of the best phones I ever owned was a Moto X, with an attractive design and stock Android. When Google bought Motorola, I was jubilant about the future; but after extracting what they wanted from the company and selling it off to Lenovo, I was less so. Still, perhaps another look was warranted. The Moto Z4 reviews mostly agreed the Z4 was a decent mid-range phone with the features I care about; but most of them also recommended passing on this phone because the Z4 didn't offer anything especially new or exciting. The Z4 has a lesser camera than the Pixel, but would likely give me an acceptable overall experience.

The Moto Z4 also supports Moto Mods, which are accessories that clip on as second backs to the phone. There are mods for 360 camera, video projection, photo printing, and longer battery life. But, most reviews describe Moto Mods as an idea that didn't catch on.

If you research the Moto Z4, some of the review headlines will certainly give you pause: The cheapest 5G phone you can buy but shouldn't; It’s Time to Move On; The Moto Z4 is tragically boring and behind the times. For my criteria, however, the Moto Z4 topped the list and it's what I picked.

Experience

I bought my black Moto Z4 from Best Buy and it came with the 360 camera Moto Mod included. I added a Metalllic Slate case from Tudia. I haven't really done anything with the Moto Mods, but I'm very happy with the phone.

Now that I'm a few months in I have no regrets about the Moto Z4: it does everything I want in a phone. I haven't minded the camera notch after all. The battery lasts a really long time and is typically at 80% when I get home from work.  It looks and feels great and is a pleasure to use. This is a phone I recommend.