Having spent the best part of two years cleaning the Motorola pipeline of products conceived before the takeover, Google finally has a shop with its name on it. And it's not afraid to use it to challenge some of the old habits and experienced players in the smartphone game.
Motorola Moto G official photos
The Moto X was the first to set on a crusade to prove that high-end smartphones go beyond the number of cores and pixels. Now we have the Moto G on a mission to let everyone know that affordability doesn't necessarily imply crippled functionality. The Moto X was unusual enough to be reasonably successful despite its hefty price tag. The Moto G, on the other hand, is priced to move quickly and will be keeping the competition on their toes.
Not that it will get complacent because of it, like most of the smartphones priced at around the same level do. The Motorola Moto G will bend over backwards to serve you properly and its list of features stretches far longer than most in this price range.
Key features
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; quad-band UMTS/HSPA support
720p video recording @ 30fps with HDR, continuous autofocus and stereo sound
1.3 MP front-facing camera
Wi-Fi b/g/n; Wi-Fi Hotspot
GPS with A-GPS; GLONASS
8/16GB of built-in storage; 1GB of RAM
microUSB port with USB host
Bluetooth v4.0 LE
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Ambient light; accelerometer; proximity sensors
Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
50GB of free Google Drive storage
2,070 mAh battery
Excellent speaker loudness
Main disadvantages
Limited non-expandable storage
Non user-removable battery
Questionable camera image quality, limited camera settings
It's abundantly clear that the Motorola Moto G ticks way more boxes than a smartphone of its standing is expected to. Some might argue that it's a luxurious strategy that can only be employed because Google will make profit off software services and not the actual hardware. Well, from a user's perspective (and that's the only one we care about) this point is irrelevant as all that matters is what you are getting for your money. At least on paper, the Moto G is plenty of smartphone for the price.
Some corners needed to be cut of course, but since Motorola could afford to give up immediate profits, the hardware didn't take as bad of a hit as it normally would have. We get a base-level chipset of course, but it's of the latest Qualcomm lineup and it should do just fine paired with a 720p screen. And since it requires less power and there's a smaller screen here, Motorola might easily get away with the smaller battery. The unmatched body customization options of Moto X are gone too, but the (very cheaply) replaceable back covers still let you add your personal touch to the smartphone. A well rounded package indeed.
The Motorola Moto G at ours
Or is it? You see, being able to sell subsidized hardware might sound like a manufacturer's dream, but it's not all roses. Because when you mostly rely on the software to bring in the profits, you have to make sure your services are attractive. So the microSD card slot got the axe in hope that you'll fall back to cloud storage for most of your multimedia needs. The default skinned Android UI (or launcher, as it's technically called) also isn't the most functional around, so you might have to add a feature or two via third party apps.
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Motorola Project Ara modular smartphone: Build your dream phone from blocks
Google-owned Motorola is aiming to do for hardware what Android did for software, by creating an open platform for a modular smartphone where you add and remove options and specifications to suit your own needs. It is a system as easy as adding and removing Lego blocks.
Motorola Project Ara is being lead by the company's Advanced Technology and Projects group and will consist of an endoskeleton to which you can attach modules in order to build your own perfect smartphone. As the platform is open, this can include third-party hardware modules and you could therefore end up with a handset that performs all manner of different functions.
Say you want a BlackBerry-style Qwerty keyboard at the bottom, better camera, or bigger battery - you can just remove one module and add another. The idea is that there will be a module store, much like the Google Play app store, and you buy modules to upgrade your phone as you go.
Motorola isn't the only company with this concept in mind. Dave Hakkens posted a YouTube video andThunderclap support campaign about his similar innovation, Phonebloks. It has had almost one million supporters since the campaign started and his work has been recognised by Motorola, which will be working with him and the Phonebloks community to further the idea and make it a reality.
In the next few months, Motorola will also be inviting developers to start creating modules for the Ara platform. It could seriously shake-up the industry, and certainly the traditional phone upgrade cycle.
Ubisoft’s mobile Assassin’s Creed game, named Assassin’s Creed Pirates, finally has a release date. It will be hitting the iOS App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore on December 5, and will cost £2.99, which roughly translates to Rs 300. The game will feature the popular naval combat system that we first saw in Assassin’s Creed 3, and later in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, and will involve exploration of the Caribbean and treasure hunting.
Though, don't expect graphics this good
In Assassin’s Creed Pirates, players will explore the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy as Alonzo Batilla, a young and ambitious captain. Players will be tasked to manage their crew, upgrade their ship, recruit new crew members and engage in real-time naval battles to become the most feared pirate in the Caribbean and claim La Buse’s renowned treasure. Along the way, players will cross paths with Assassins and Templars, as well as some famous pirates from history, including Blackbeard, Bellamy, and Hornigold.
The game is being developed by Ubisoft Paris in a new engine that hopes to bring at least some of the 3D splendour of the main Assassin’s Creed console and PC games to mobiles. The engine will be capable rendering of moving waters, lush islands and high-end graphics.
The previous game in the series, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag, hit stores last month and is available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. The next-gen PlayStation 4 and Xbox One also have the game as a launch title.
REVIEW
Anyone who has played even 10 minutes of Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise before Black Flag will feel completely at home with the new game. The series, which took players to the American Revolution in the last installment, now gets you to sail the Caribbean in the year 1715 as a swashbuckling pirate, Edward Kenway.
Before looking at the game, we can’t help but compare the new installment with the earlier one, Assassin’s Creed III. While the earlier one was tortuously slow, the best part was undoubtedly the naval combat. Unfortunately, we did not get much time in AC III to explore the high seas, and were instead relegated to traverse level after level of tutorial-like missions that sometimes tested our patience.
Black Flag, though, ensures that we get our fill and more of sailing. Ubisoft, this time around, has managed to hit naval warfare and seafaring right on the nail. Controlling a ship, sailing the sea, firing broadside cannons was, well, an absolute blast. The new installment focuses a lot on that space, and has done wonders with it.
Shiver me timbers!
Black Flag comes packed to the gills with pirates, looting, shooting, sailing and a whole lot more. You can traverse desert islands, explore ramshackle towns, sail through calm waters or battle against stormy weather. As a pirate captain, you can find buried treasure, locate maps on corpses and attack other ships for their loot. As a side mission, players can even jump across rooftops to literally catch songs to teach their crew.
Unlike Brotherhood, we see a completely new protagonist calling the shots. Players now see through the eyes of Kenway, the grandfather of Conner from the Assassin’s Creed III. While earlier characters like Altair, Ezio and even Conner came across as serious, ‘must save the world’ individuals, Kenway’s character plays out as a cheerful one who is only out to make as much gold as he can get his hands on. From the moment you start playing, one thing is clear: Edward is no saint, and his personality stands in direct contrast from earlier AC protagonists.
Murder all the fishes!
Unlike AC III, which had a slow start, Black Flag doesn’t waste time with build up, instead tossing you straight into the thick of things. In the first few minutes of the game, the player finds himself in the midst of a heated battle on board a ship, with cannons and explosives tossing you all over the seven seas. Kenway, a normal crewman right in the beginning, finds himself washed onto an island. What surprised us was the fact that Black Flag did not let the pace slacken, with the plot movement holding from the first scene through pretty much all the game. Yes there were times when the plot slowed down, but we welcomed the breathing space. The world itself opens up for the player surprisingly quickly. In fact, once you get your hands on a ship, you can pretty much travel where you like.
The game, however, does warn you when you head into “dangerous territories”, but unlike earlier installments, much of the game is accessible. A major plus point is the characters you deal with, many of whom play an interesting role in your gameplay. Some of the auxiliary characters do come and go a bit quickly, but the urge to explore the game keeps you hooked, so we aren’t complaining too much. The pace extends to the modern part of the game as well, although we could have done without the flash forwards altogether, as it takes time away from looting and pillaging. Apart from highly customisable ships, Black Flag gives the player the option of tricking out their very own secret pirate coves, a welcome change from Monteriggioni in our books.
Ahoy, Matey!
Gameplay-wise, Black Flag comes with most of the mechanics that you are used to from AC III, but does them a bit better. Controls are almost identical; you can still free run, shoot, use your hidden blades, climb and fight in almost the same way as before. The developer, however, has managed to fine tune the combat system quite a bit in this installment. While Kenway still has the ability to take out soldiers and bandits with ease, the fights flow much better and has also become a bit more challenging, making it a lot more fun to fight your way out of a scrap.
While enemies still do stand around waiting their turn, getting ganged up on by multiple opponents at the same time has increased a bit more than before. The varied use of muskets as the preferred long range weapon also increases the difficulty with which you can tackle each situation. Sword fights, on the whole, feel a whole lot better, and the combat mechanics fit in well with the overall theme of Black Flag. Hunting, trading and crafting have all seen some improvements, and this time around, you can get add quite a few sea creatures to your list of species to drive to extinction. An interesting addition this time around is dual-wielding. Players can now dual wield swords in a satisfying manner while mixing things up with smoke bombs and flintlock pistols.
Blow the man down!
Being an Assassin Creed game, it would be remiss for us not to talk about stealth. Black Flag, surprisingly, brings a healthy dose of that for players. Despite being a game focusing on piracy, there are a lot more options and missions for players to sneak around in. The added use of bushes and overhanging branches also add a lot more options to carry out a mission. Overall, stealth missions feel seamless and make the gameplay a lot more fun. Players can now surreptitiously weave their way through entire assassination contracts if they want to, and the resultant gameplay is a lot more rewarding. And there are additional stealth mechanics integrated into swimming and sailing as well, making naval combat an interesting if somewhat frustrating affair.
Overall, Black Flag is easily the most enjoyable Assassin’s Creed title so far. While the game is still far from being perfect, it brings a delightfully refreshing look at a franchise that has in the past been offering almost the same kind of gaming experience. Apart from the slightly repetitive combat, there doesn’t seem to be much you can fault in the game. Stealth has improved, the side-missions have become more fun, the serious overtones have been dampened and the back drop of the Caribbean is gorgeous to look at. If you’re in the mood for a good game from a solid franchise, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is definitely a recommendation we can give.
What do Google has to say its latest baby, Moto X? Well an extraordinary voice interface is all to raise the charms, and running on the latest flavor of android os, it is sure a shot. Here some of its technical specs altogether..
