Motorola has raised the bar for smartwatch aesthetics, convincing many naysayers that despite lukewarm responses thus far, there’s still hope for wearable technology.  With Apple Inc.’s just announced Apple Watch, the Moto 360 already has some company in the exclusive Beauty+Functionality wearable tech category.

Wearable technology is the next big thing. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway. There seems to be a general consensus from technology experts, Wall Street investment firms, and device manufacturers. Gartner predicts that it will be a $10 billion industry by 2016. According to many of those in the know, it’s a forgone conclusion. After all, consumers have shown their penchant for being connected at all times. Is there a better way to stay connected than with a device that’s attached to your body? Surely not.

Why, then, has the wearable tech sector been met with limited success? That’s an easy question to answer. It’s because wearable technology, while functional, is extremely ugly. Until now, that is. With Motorola’s newest Android Wear device, and the imminent launch of Apple’s iWatch, the goal of creating a union between beauty and functionality in wearable technology has finally been realized.

A beautiful timepiece

The Motorola Moto 360 is, first and foremost, a beautiful timepiece. If you were to line up all the smartwatches currently on the market, from Pebble Technology, Corp., LG Corp., Sony Corp. and the Samsung Group to name a few, and strip out all the functionality other than telling time, the Moto 360 is the only watch that the typical, style conscious consumer would still purchase and wear.

Motorola addressed a problem that smartwatch manufacturers have continued to ignore: Even the most useful features aren’t enough to convince people to wear fashion items that they wouldn’t otherwise want to wear. Motorola took a novel approach. Design a watch that consumers would want to wear, then add technology and useful features.

How the Moto 360 is different

The Moto 360 immediately differentiates itself from the competition with its watch band. Rather than the stiff rubber watch bands that seem to be the current smartwatch standard, Motorola decided to go with premium leather. The straps, available in black or dark gray, are supplied by Horween, the esteemed tannery that also provides Motorola with the leather for its highly customizable Moto X smartphone. With this commitment to premium design materials, the Moto X is elevated to a level of elegance not yet seen in this sector.

Looking at the smartwatch models currently available, you might wonder if there’s a secret “Smartwatches must be square” commandment. If that’s the case, Motorola didn’t get the memo. Breaking from smartwatch tradition, they chose the familiar, classical, round face design. The 11.5mm stainless steel shell feels solid, but at only 1.7 ounces, it’s not too heavy. The 1.65 inch Gorilla Glass crystal display rises slightly above the astonishingly thin bezel. The sleek look doesn’t come without a tradeoff, as it made a small black strip at the bottom of the watch face necessary to house sensors. The alternative would have been a completely round race surrounded by a thick bezel. Motorola made the right choice.

The Moto 360 has a 320 x 290 resolution display that’s a departure from the crisp, high definition displays found on smartphones. There’s definitely room for improvement, but by no means does it look bad. It’s as good as you’ll see on any current generation smartwatches.

Superior aesthetics aside, this is an Android Wear device, making it identical to all the other Android Wear watches in functionality and features. When paired to an Android smartphone, it can receive text messages, and send replies. It can display health related data collected by its heart rate monitor and pedometer. It should be able to provide you with notifications and reminders at precisely the right time, thanks to the underlying Google Now platform. The Moto 360 has two microphones, and Motorola is said to have tweaked the voice recognition software, and as a result, the watch seems to decipher voice commands more reliably than other devices.

Motorola claims the watch can last a full day on a single charge. When it starts running low on juice, it’s not necessary to plug it in. The inductive charging feature allows you to simply place the watch in the included display cradle, and the battery will recharge automatically. It’s another nice touch that allows 360 owners to treat it like just another watch.

photos by: 準建築人手札網站 Forgemind ArchiMedia and Stratageme.com via photopin cc