Motorola debuts new Moto Mod that comes with a 360-degree camera

Seemingly stealing the thunder from Andy Rubin’s Essential smartphone and its upcoming 360-degree camera, Motorola just unveiled its own 360-degree camera Moto Mod in Ghana. Evan Blass (@evleaks) shared a high-resolution photo of the Moto Mod. It shows the camera placed on top off a plastic back plate that’s usually used to attach these Mods to the back of Moto Z devices. Aside from the image though, not much is known about the Mod and whether it’ll make its way out of Ghana. It’ll be a wasted opportunity we say if it doesn’t, though.

Source: The Verge

This Moto Z Mod turns your phone into a walkie-talkie

Motorola has been encouraging hardware makers to create their own Mods for the Moto line. This new Indiegogo project definitely adds more functionality to the device. Called the Linc, the Mod from Fantom Dynamics is a walkie-talkie that lets you keep in touch for up to six miles without cellular service. It can work in busy areas since it operates on consumer-level frequencies (GMRS/FRS) with 121 private channels. You can even send SMS, transmit voice, or send out your GPS location without cell service. It can communicate with other conventional two-way radios. And it can act as a NOAA weather radio and emergency beacon, too.

The Mod itself is sturdy as it is water- and dust-resistant. It has its own 1,500mAh battery that promises 20 hours of standby time. But aside from working with the Moto Z, it can actually support any smartphone via Bluetooth. It’s just supposedly more seamless with the aforementioned smartphone. To get it for US$99, it’s best you pledge now. Delivery of the Linc Mod is expected around December of this year.

Source: Engadget

Moto Z get another Nougat update, but it’s not 7.1 build

If you’ve gotten an update on your Moto Z device and think it’s a push to Android 7.1, unfortunately that isn’t the case. It’s a big 540MB update (with build number NPL25.86-17-3) but the build still remains at 7.0. What’s only listed in the update prompt is it has fixed a low volume notification sound issue experienced by users in the past month. But we can’t say what else has been changed specifically to warrant that big of a file. We’re assuming there are a lot of other bug fixes and performance improvements added to it. If you got this update, have you noticed any changes to it? Don’t forget to leave a comment below.

Source: Android Authority

Moto Z and Z Force get Nougat update & Daydream VR support

You should keep your eyes peeled and glued on your screen (okay, not really) but important updates for Moto Z and Moto Z Force users are coming soon. First, Android 7.0 Nougat is coming to both devices. Verizon users will be the first one to get the updated but it should head this way soon. Aside from that, both smartphones will be certified Daydream-compatible, making them the first non-Pixel devices to have the support for Google’s Daydream View VR headset.