Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch spins 'round the Android Wear wheel

Motorola Moto 360 announcement
The Moto 360 looks like a sleek modern watch

Not to be confused with the Xbox of the same name, the Moto 360 is Motorola's new smartwatch, and one of the first to be announced with Android Wear.

Android Wear is Google's just-announced new mobile operating system spin-off, a modified version of Android designed specifically for smartwatches and other wearables.

Google mentioned Motorola alongside HTC, Samsung, Asus and LG as its hardware brand partners for Android Wear smartwatches, and Motorola responded by revealing its own offering in full.

The Moto 360 may look surprisingly like a traditional watch, but with Android Wear built in it's anything but.

'A truly modern timepiece'

In an announcement blog post, Motorola's Corporate Vice President of Product Management Lior Ron called the Moto 360 "a truly modern timepiece."

"It's time for a watch that looks and feels great and gives you the information you need, when you need it," Ron wrote.

He emphasized the convenience and ease of use of getting notifications, checking appointments, perusing social networks, and even just checking the time and date with the Moto 360.

And like other Android Wear smartwatches, the Moto 360 relies heavily on Google Now's voice command capabilities. Saying "Okay Google" will open up a variety of options.

Ron said to expect the Motorola Moto 360 "in a variety of styles globally in summer 2014, starting in the US."

Motorola's announcement of the Moto 360 was preceded by LG's unveiling of the LG G Watch, its own Android Wear device.

  • Before there was Android Wear, Google Glass was Google's favorite wearable
Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.

Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.

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