14 DAY TRIAL // The Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch finally stirred some controversy last week, when it was reported that, contrary to previous reports, the device would be encased in plastic. Now, it seems that rumor has been debunked, thankfully.
In truth, there never was much weight to the idea that the watch would be made from plastic. But we suppose that after months of promising updates regarding the watch, some “negativity” had to crop up.
The report said not only that the Moto 360 would be made of plastic, but that it would be bulkier than implied previously, more so than the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live.
Now, though, the people at @evleaks have provided a new picture gallery – or at least render gallery – of the watch, and it looks as metallic as ever.
Admittedly, the straps don't seem to be made of the same material, but that's not such a shock, seeing as how it has been known for months that the belts would be swappable.
Maybe there will be some with metallic, segmented straps, but most will likely use the ones here shown (seem to be made of leather, which is always a plus).
The watch frames seem to be made of steel or aluminum. However, the one in the dual-model shot, the black one, seems to lack the sheen of the other one.
Perhaps the truth of metal/plastic construction is somewhere in the middle. Maybe Motorola will make the Moto 360 with a metal case, but also release some versions with plastic package, which would sell for a bit less than the expected €249 / $249.
Or maybe the plastic ones will sell for €249 / $249 and the metallic ones will be a bit more expensive. At this stage, anything is possible. Maybe they will be made form a mix of metal and plastic.
The reason Motorola's invention is getting so much attention and accumulating such hype is multi-fold. Being clad in (presumably) metal is one reason, but not as prominent as the shape: Moto 360 is round. This has never happened before on smartwatches.
Besides the round OLED, the watch benefits from magnetic induction recharging technology, or wireless recharging. As if that was enough, it can ship with a number of different faces, which were settled upon following a design contest open to everyone. Not only that, but the Moto 360 even has an ambient light sensor, which is another first. It will adjust brightness automatically.
Now we just need a launch date. Unfortunately, Motorola hasn't shared much beyond “this summer.”
