Moto X Release Date For Canada: Details

The Long Awaited Motorola X Android Phone Appears Set for August 23 Canadian Release

Canadians may well be the first to enjoy the fruits of the acquisition of Motorola Mobility by Google. The announcement of the “marriage made in heaven” between the two tech giants was made in 2011 and finalized a year later.

However, since that time not a single Android phone has been produced by Motorola Mobility.

That is set to change amid reports that the first Android smartphone dubbed “Moto X” is going to be released. Speculation has been heavy as to when the phone will finally reach stores, but if the internal Verizon memo which was recently leaked is accurate, the “Moto X” will be released in Canada on August 23. What things can users expect to find in the phone? Well, for starters it is said to have sensor technology that will be able to preempt moves. For example, based on movements, the phone will know when a user intends to take a picture and will start up the camera. The phone will also know if it is traveling at certain speeds indicative of being in an automobile and adjust its use for safety purposes.

The Motorola Mobility acquisition cost Google $12.5 billion and needs to start earning a return on investment. It is also rumored that the Moto X will be customizable allowing users to select the laser engravings and the colors of the phone prior to purchase. Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt was spotted using the upcoming “Moto X” at the Sun Valley Conference in late July, but photographs of him using the phone did not reveal much about the upcoming phone’s breakthrough features.

Here’s what the tech press has made of it so far:

Engadget: “This is the first Moto product designed from scratch with Google’s direct oversight. And it shows, from the packaging to the messaging to the features aimed at mainstream users. Most importantly of all, there’s Moto X’s standout feature: personalization.”

The Verge: “A $199 phone with mid-range internals is a big bet… But Motorola’s betting that the future of Android isn’t about spec sheets. The company thinks we’ll stop being concerned with cores, and gigabytes, and megapixels, and that we’ll start caring about how our phones feel, how they make our lives easier, and, maybe most importantly, how long they last.”

Techcrunch: “It’s far, far too early to tell if Motorola has a hit on its hands — especially because the X will ultimately compete with Motorola phones with similar feature sets. If nothing else though, Motorola’s X represents a dedication to creating a smarter breed of smartphones, and I doubt that’s something the rest of the industry is going to ignore.”

T3: “Sound too good to be true? Well sadly for UK Android fans it is as the Moto X will only be available in the US for the time being. Motorola have confirmed that there will be higher-specced handsets on the way featuring the new Google ethos so it’s not all bad news.”

Pocket-Lint: “The Moto x has a two-part shell construction that’s curved, so it fits into the palm of your hand nicely, while the back feels cushy, rubberised and durable. Motorola said it thought a lot about the mass market when designing the Moto X and wanted it to appeal to everyone, and it sure does look enticing.”

Moto X Specs

SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (MSM8960Pro) 1.7 GHz
Motorola X8 System (SoC+NLP Processor+Contextual Processor)
Display 4.7-inch AMOLED (RGB) 1280×720
RAM 2GB LPDDR2
WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, BT 4.0
Storage 16 GB standard, 32 GB online, 2 years 50 GB Google Drive
I/O microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone, NFC, Miracast
OS Android 4.2.2
Battery 2200 mAh, 3.8V, 8.36 Whr
Size / Mass 65.3 x 129.3 x 5.6-10.4 mm, 130 grams
Camera 10 MP Clear Pixel (RGBC) with 1.4µm pixels Rear Facing
2 MP 1080p Front Facing
Price $199 (16 GB), $249 (32 GB) on 2 year contract
The Moto X’s headline specs include a 4.7-inch Super AMOLED 1280×720 pixel screen with a glass coating that wraps around the sides.

Moto X Quick Capture video

On The Web:

The Motorola X May Come As Soon As August