 "Moto 360 2nd Generation smartwatch")
Our fascination with intricate watches goes back to the time when Sean Connery sported a Rolex Submariner in Dr No and started the era of fancy gadgets in Hollywood. Growing up, most of us wanted a watch that could do more than just tell the time. Fast forward to 2015 and there is a new smartwatch to pick from almost every six months. Of course, they would be absolutely useless for espionage. But for the majority of people who enjoy their dull, "non-Bond" life, smartwatches are quite handy.
Big-league players, including Apple, Samsung and Sony, are continuously trying to up the ante with new devices and/or updates. I got my hands on the recently released Moto 360 2nd Generation smartwatch. However, disappointment came even before I could review this watch. Motorola offers the Moto Maker service in several countries except India. With the Moto Maker service, one can customise the appearance of one's smartwatch and choose from different bands and bezels.
The watch I receive for the review comes with a Horween leather band and a silver dial, which gives it a very sleek appearance. It sports a stainless steel body and the button on the side has been slightly moved up, which makes it easier to use. The watch, like its predecessor, comes with a round dial and looks more like a watch than just another gadget attached to the wrist. Though it looks great, the Moto 360 2 has not been able to rid itself of the crescent moon shaped bottom half of the display that doesn't have any pixels. This leads to what is being called as the "flat-tyre" effect. It seems like a small thing to complain about but it makes a big difference.
Moto 360 2, with its Gorilla Glass display and IP67 dust and water resistance, is quite durable. Under the hood, the watch is fitted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz quad processor and this puts it at par with LG's Urbane. It also has 512MB of RAM and 4GB of more-than-enough storage.
As with all smartwatches, the Moto 360 2 connects with the smartphone via bluetooth. Syncing with the smartphone seems like an easy task but once the connection is broken, one has to go through the entire process all over again. The watch is able to connect to Wi-Fi on its own, which means one can use all Internet features on it without using the smartphone. Same goes for music, where the watch has the option of downloading music that can be played when one is out and about without the phone.
The watch runs on Android Wear OS, so the eponymous app needs to be downloaded before one can use the watch. Interestingly, the OS is also compatible with iPhones, though with limited functionality. A bunch of apps are available for download, such as the Moto Body that helps monitor heart rate, the number of steps walked and calories burned. The heart rate monitor works well without needing to tighten the watch around the wrist. However, I find that most of the times, it provides a reading close to 100bpm even when sedentary. The Moto Connect app makes customisation of the watch easier - one can customise the display and choose different watch faces, among other things.
The most impressive feature of the Moto 360 2 is its battery life. It can be charged wirelessly with a dock, which is helpful since charging smartwatches is usually a pain. Even on heavy usage, the watch easily lasts an entire day with a full charge. It sports a 300mAh battery. Essentially, the Moto 360 2 has all the features of LG's Urbane but with a better battery life and a cheaper price tag -it starts from Rs 19,990.
