14 DAY TRIAL // We've been following the Motorola Moto 360 ever since the first rumors and pictures of it surfaced, back in March 2014. Just the fact that it has a round display was enough to ensure our close attention.
The borderline surrealism of the round OLED panel has faded though, especially now that the first Motorola Moto 360 official demo is out and the final watch faces have been decided upon.
One of the assets that is now getting attention, and which no one knew before that the Moto 360 would possess, is the automatically adjustable brightness of the screen.
Apparently, the device has an ambient light sensor, whose functionality has been ever so kindly caught on video and spread around by the TechCrunch folks. You can see it embedded below.
With this, the Motorola Moto 360 has yet another advantage over the Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch.
Sure, the Wear Mini launcher brightness slider provided by the Android Wear operating system can give you control over the screen brightness, but it won't avail you much if it's pitch dark and you've forgotten the setting on “off.” Besides, automation is always good.
In the video below, at the 1:50 mark or so, Motorola spokesperson Cathay Bi talks about the small bezel along the bottom, which is called “display driver” and houses the “fabled” ambient light sensor.
All in all, the Moto 360 clearly beats every other smartwatch in terms of hardware. Between that and the Android Wear operating system, it will be in a league of its own. Only the price of €249 / $249 will work against it, but people who can afford a new smartphone probably won't have trouble here either.
And just in case it still seems like too much, all you need to do is remind yourself that the Moto 360 also uses wireless charging technology (magnetic induction) and you can't easily claim that the price isn't justified.
If you're impatient for the arrival of the Motorola Moto 360, feel free to spend your time looking through the watch faces you will be able to choose from. They're the result of a design contest that ended not that long ago.
