When it first launched in 2014, the Moto 360 showed all the other smartwatches how to be round. Until then, smartwatches were clunky, geeky and square, sticking out like a sore thumb. If that’s what smartwatches were going to look like, all those who like watches in general, were going to stay away. Motorola’s Moto 360 however was specially designed to look like a regular watch while still being 100% smartwatch. It gets its 360 name from its circularity, of course.
Like the real thing: In its second generation, the Moto 360 still has its minimalistic, flat, round design. Leather and steel straps continue the conventional watch look. The 360 comes in black and steel and in a new colour – rose gold, colour of the season for gadgets.
Earlier in just one size, this time it’s in both 42 and 44 milimeters. The straps are black, steel, brown leather and beige leather. The beige particularly goes with the rose gold version. You can change straps if and when they become available. In the US, you can actually customise the bezel and the strap but the option isn’t yet available in India and you’ll have to pick one version or the other. There is a Moto 360 Sport, but that too isn’t yet in India.
The Moto 360 2nd Gen is more like real watches because its screen is able to stay always on but dimmed. That way, you don’t have a wristwatch with an all-black blank face. To save battery, you can of course set the screen to stay off until you press the switch to turn it back on. With the number of classic watch faces available with Android Wear, you can just go about as with the 360 looking very much like a conventional watch. The part that is not like a regular watch is the black band at the bottom of the lit up screen.
Everyone refers to it as a flat tyre. People objected to its presence in the first version but Motorola hasn’t got rid of it in the second version. But it’s funny how quickly you just stop noticing that band, which is a deliberate design choice from Motorola.
Fashionable Comfort: The 360 is raised off the wrist a bit and has a lot more thickness than a regular watch. Well, its got to put its Snapdragon 400 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB storage and 300mAh battery somewhere. It houses all that in a good, solid build, but happily it’s very comfortable to wear and nowhere ner weighs down your wrist. As you lift it to glance at the time or other information, it lights up a bit more only to go dim again when you lower your wrist to resting position. It’s firm on the wrist, big enough to see, and the strap is comfortable. The one thing to be careful about though is not to knock against the sides of narrow doors as you whiz past. The watch also looks very cool while managing to stay classic. The 42mm version looks good on a woman’s wrist though it is still a large, noticeable gadget.
An all-Google Watch: It was the Moto 360 that first showcased Google’s operating system for wearables, Android Wear. It’s in its newest version on the second gen 360 but the former generation will also upgrade. What makes it even more of a Google Watch is that Google Now is front and center on this device and one of the most useful features it has is to surface information relevant to you in context and at the right time. Time to leave for a meeting, time to look out for a package arriving, time to wish someone a happy birthday and so on, will appear on the watch. As you get notifications from email, messengers and other apps, you will be able to see what they are with a quick glance. A flick of the wrist lets you scroll through text.
Over time, you will find you have less of a need to pull out your phone for everything and can make better decisions on what to tackle now and what to put off for later. Google’s other services, such as maps are also usable on the 360 – and other Android Wear watches of course. You can also use Google Fit or Moto Body or a number of other fitness apps including RunKeeper and keep track of your exercise, activity, calories and heart rate, all with detailed stats.
Little Difference: Though specs have been bumped up over the first generation 360, those who already own that version shouldn’t really think of upgrading unless there’s a deal that swaps the older watch for a new one. The differences on the new 360 are evolutionary or iterations and not necessarily a compelling upgrade. For those who don’t have a smartwatch and want to go beyond the fitness trackers that have no interactive interface plus use special Android Wear apps, the second generation Moto 360 is a great watch to buy. In India, the watch costs between Rs 19,999 and Rs 23,999 depending on the version you chose. It’s available on Flipkart.
BW Reporters
Mala Bhargava has been writing on technology well before the advent of internet in Indians and before CDs made their way into computers. Mala writes on technology, social media, startups and fitness. A trained psychologist, she claims that her understanding of psychology helps her understand the human side of technology.
