Motorola dives into wearables with Android-powered Moto 360 smartwarch

Motorola Mobility is no stranger to wearables, but it is committing to giving its current Moto X and Moto G smartphones a companion device in the Moto 360. A round smartwatch that looks like a premium watch. Here's a brief description from Moto's blog.

"Moto 360 keeps you on time and up to date without taking you out of the moment or distracting you, telling you what you need to know before you know you need it through subtle alerts and notifications. With just a twist of the wrist you can see who’s emailing or calling, what time your next meeting is or a friend’s latest social post. 

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Lenovo acquires Motorola from Google for US $3 billion

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Lenovo has bought Motorola Mobility from Google for US $3 billion. This latest shocker is the latest chapter in the story of Motorola Mobility, a company that was bought by Google in 2012 and that union produced two smartphone models that diversified the Android smartphone landscape. Google says that it thinks Lenovo has what it takes to scale Motorola to a global company which makes sense since Lenovo is already currently a top-three player in the Chinese and Asian smartphone market. Lenovo recently became the leading PC manufacturer, it will be remembered that it similarly purchased IBM's computer business and built it into multiple product lines.

Lenovo gets the Motorola brand, trademark portfolio and access to 2,000 phone and mobile patents which Google will still own. Can Lenovo propel Motorola to the next level as it did the ThinkPad line of notebooks? Who is the big winner in this transaction and what are the repercussions for Google's own mobile device play? Stay tuned as more news unfolds.

Moto Assist update for Moto X now enables voice response to texts while driving

US models of the Motorola Moto X smartphone that are running the Android 4.4 KitKat upgrade received a notable update in the Moto Assist feature which automates tasks when you are driving, in a meeting or sleeping. The latest update brings the ability to respond to text messages via voice when the Moto X senses you are driving (which it can do with it's motion co-processor). This is good news for all Moto X owners since it will extend the functionality of their device when the update is made available by their respective country carriers. I plan on testing the new Moto Assist feature on my developer Moto X to see just how much of an improvement the update brings. 

Fitbit updates Android app to work with new Nexus and Motorola smartphones

 

Fitbit has just released an update for its Android app to support some of the recent Google Nexus and Motorola handsets. The update comes in the heels of the addition of Bluetooth Low Energy into Android 4.3, meaning Fitbit trackers can now sync with BLE-equipped Android devices. The fitness tracker manufacturer added support for Nexus 4, 5 and 7 (2013 version) as well as the Motorola Moto X, Droid Razr M, HD, Maxx HD, Mini, Maxx and Ultra.