Telstra Testing New Moto X

According to Google marketing users will be able to design the
smartphone software to suit their needs.

The new smartphone is the first significant launch since Google took over
the US-based company in 2011, analysts are expecting a lot if the device is to
take on the iPhone or the HTC One. 

Earlier today we were told told that a version running Android 4.2.2 is currently being tested by Telstra in Australia and that tyhe device is only weeks away from being released here.

Yesterday Google took out ads in several major newspapers in the United
States claiming the smartphone will be the first to be ‘designed by you.’

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That’s reiterated on the sign-up page, which also boasts the device will
be the first smartphone to be designed, assembled and engineered in the United
States. Perhaps a little dig at Apple’s recent ‘designed by Apple in
California’ ads thrown in for good measure?

“By the end of the summer we expect there to be more than 2000 new
employees in Ft. Worth, TX working to make all of this possible. Imagine what
else you can do when you have the world’s best design, engineering and
manufacturing talent located here in the USA.” the page reads.

ne should note, for a little further context, that tomorrow is July 4
and our American cousins aren’t sly of stoking the fire of patriotism even when
it comes to tech.

The page offers no indication of potential specs, a release date beyond
“Coming soon” or a price for the handset.

According to the Verge, Motorola will let customers select a color for the back of the device and another for the trim. There will also be an option to have the phone engraved, a service Apple made standard long ago with its line of iPods.

 By choosing to produce the device in the USA, Motorola claims they will be able to ship customised versions of the Moto X to customers only days after they order, it is not known if the same service will be made available in Australia.

The Verge said that in addition to color options and engravings, sources say that customers will be able to upload a photo which will be set as the default wallpaper on the device when it ships. The Moto X will be available to order from a website (likely Google Play) as well as directly from carriers.

The head of research and development at Telstra has described the new smartphone as a breakthrough device.

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It’s also been revealed that Motorola will be leveraging expanded voice recognition abilities. ABC News reports that the device can determine when you’re driving, for instance, and it will automatically switch to the speakerphone function. It’s also said that users will also be able to launch applications like the camera by flipping the phone. 

Specifications for the new smartphone have yet to be revealed, but today’s report calls the device a “mid-range phone” – a qualification that seems to contradict Dennis Woodside’s statements that the Moto X would compete directly with both the iPhone and Galaxy S4.