Moto 360

Moto 360 Stainless with Stone Leather Band

Is the Moto 360 the best "Android Wear" yet?

After the announcement of "Android Wear" and the Moto 360 to the smart watch community I knew I had to have one.  Unfortunately also announced was the fact that the Moto 360 would not be released until Late Summer.  I then set out to get the first available Android Wear Watch, the LG G Watch at the local Verizon Store.  I was excited to get it but was soon left with the feeling of "Wow this thing is Ugly", but decided to give it a try.  The G Watch seemed to have some of the better specifications for the battery, processor, and memory so it seemed like a logical first Watch.  The Charging Cradle for the G Watch was user friendly, and the watch was actually comfortable.  I just could not get past the ugly phone on my wrist look.  I quickly returned it and moved on.  

My next experience was with a watch produced by a manufacturer that had several generations in the smart watch category already.  I went to Best Buy and purchased the Samsung Gear Live.  The Gear Live immediately felt like an upgrade over the G Watch.  The Live had a more refined looking metal case, and a contour that made it more comfortable than the G Watch.  While not as ugly as the G Watch the Gear Live was still basically a block on my wrist.  The battery was significantly smaller than the G Watch battery, but to my surprise it seemed to last just as long.  This may have had something to do with the display, and some of the settings I was using.  When I was faced with charging the Gear Live I was very disappointed.  I had heard negative comments about the snap on charger breaking, or being difficult to mount to the watch.  While it was frustrating to attach, if I took my time and was gentle it seemed to snap securely in place.  

I began wearing the Gear Live on a daily basis, and found it was very comfortable.  I also found the Android Wear experience was becoming more and more useful in my day to day activities.  With moderate use viewing incoming emails, and text messages I found I was easily getting through a full day with over 40% battery remaining on average.  I did find the Gear live was not getting caught in my dress shirt sleeve like the G Watch; however I had a couple of near drops when reaching into my pants pocket and the clasp popped open.  The clasp became the only physical downfall I was having with the Gear live.  I did have a few times that the watch would randomly disconnect from my phone, but it appeared to reconnect quickly and was not a major problem.  The major problem I had was when I began seeing the Moto 360 in person, and began to regret not waiting for it to become available.  I was fortunate to run into an understanding Manager at Best Buy who was gracious enough to allow me to return my Gear Live after a couple months of use.  

After leaving the return counter at Best Buy I was able to find the last Moto 360 Stainless with the Stone Leather band in stock.  I quickly purchased it and was off to begin enjoying the watch I originally wanted.  When I opened the beautiful circular themed packaging I found a very premium looking timepiece.  I put it on and found it to be not only very light weight, but it's round design and Horween leather band made it very comfortable.  I then found it was completely discharged.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it charged quickly on the wireless charging dock included with the watch.  With built up anticipation I powered up my 360, and found the same easy set up steps as the previous two Android Wear watches.  The stock faces included with the watch also look more premium than the LG, and the Samsung basic faces.  The Moto 360 ambient screen appeared very dim but when the screen is on it is both bright and crisp.  The Moto 360 PPI resolution is not as high as the other Android Wear watches, but when looking at such a small screen it is hardly noticeable.

The first day of wearing the Moto 360 was interesting.  The response of co-workers was that of both interest, and compliments on it's looks.  Response previously with the G Watch, or Gear Live were mainly sarcastic relating them to Inspector Gadget, and Night Rider.  I started my day around 7:30 a.m. but by noon I was very concerned as my battery was less than 50% and I had not had the time to really try any of the watches features.  The watch was completely dead by 4:30 and I was beginning to question my purchase.  When I arrived home I placed the watch on the charger and left it on all night.  The long charge must have done the trick because by the end of day two I still had 40% plus remaining after 14 hours of use.  The days after have had similar positive results with between 30 and 50% remaining after moderate use.  During my average days I find I am frequently checking emails, text messages, using the pedometer, heart rate monitor, and occasionally using the voice search feature.  I am sure usage will increase with functionality of Android Wear.

The processor in the Moto 360 is made by Texas Instruments and has been another topic of conversation in online forums.  Through my personal experience the combination of the processor, memory and the Android Wear operating system make the Moto 360 a very capable smart watch.  I do not find any noticeable performance issues.  The heart rate monitor works at times but may be impaired by a combination of the small holes for the LED, and arm hair.  As a side note I would say my arms have an average amount of hair for a guy.  The pedometer seems reasonably accurate in measuring average steps, keeping in mind I have never worn any other type of pedometer to compare performance.  I have not had the guts to submerge the watch in water to test the IP67 water resistance rating, and have no desire to wet the leather wrist band.  I do find the Moto 360 to be much more responsive than the G Watch, or the Gear Live in illuminating the display when I turn my wrist to check the time or incoming notifications with a glance.

So far in my experience with the Moto 360 I am very happy with it's appearance, comfort, performance, and overall build quality.  I feel STRONGLY that of all of the Android Wear experiences I have had this far, the Moto 360 is the best Android Wear watch to date.  I look forward to the evolution of the Android Wear operating system, and feel that the Moto 360 will be not only an accessory to my wardrobe, but a great tool in staying productive in my day to day activities.  I also look forward to reporting back over the coming months on some of the updates coming to Android Wear, and the Moto 360's functionality with those updates.
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