Motorola Moto G (GSM, 3rd gen.)
Cricket Partners with Aaron's to Attract Lease-to-Own Shoppers
Cricket Wireless today announced a new retail partnership with Aaron's that will make Cricket's SIM card starter kit available at about 2,000 Aaron's locations around the country. Aaron's offers goods on a lease-to-own basis. Consumers who lease a smartphone from Aaron's can now activate that phone on Cricket's network right at the Aaron's retail store. Aaron's online lineup of devices includes the Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3, LG G3, and Motorola Moto G. Lease prices are expensive. For example, Aaron's lists the Galaxy S5 retail price at $840. (The Galaxy S5 is available new from retailers such as Amazon.com for $360, unlocked.) Monthly lease costs from Aaron's run $90 per month for 18 months, which totals about $1,620. Finance charges are about $780 in this example. These prices don't include Cricket's service fees, which start at $40 per month.
Motorola Commits to Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Motorola today voiced its support for Android 6.0 Marshmallow in a blog post and outlined some of the changes headed to its devices. First and foremost, Motorola will update the following handsets to Android 6.0 Marshmallow: 2015 Moto X Pure Edition, Style, and Play; 2014 Moto X Pure Edition in US, Latin America, and Europe: Moto G 3rd edition, 2nd edition, and 2nd edition with LTE; Droid Turbo, Moto Maxx, and Moto Turbo; and the Google Nexus 6. Motorola said it is in no hurry to deliver Android 6.0, however, and will do so only when everything is fully prepared. When Marshmallow does arrive, it will drop several Motorola-specific features. For example, the "Do Not Disturb" most in Android 6.0 is similar in functionality to Motorola's Moto Assist app. As such, Motorola will remove Moto Assist from handsets being updated to Marshmallow. Similarly, Android 6.0 adds new backup, reset, and data-transfer functions, so Motorola will pull Motorola Migrate and Moto Connect from its Marshmallow phones. "Both of these products were valuable in their time but the world has moved on and they no longer add enough value to justify taking up space in your device," said Motorola. The company said it will have more news to share in the weeks ahead.
Motorola Updates Camera, Gallery Apps
Motorola has in recent days updated its camera and gallery applications. The camera app brings QR and barcode scanning to some of Motorola's older handsets, such as the Moto X (2nd Gen.), Moto X Pro, DROID Turbo, and Moto Maxx/Turbo. The gallery app's primary new feature is the ability to move photo albums to microSD memory cards, which the newest Moto X and Moto G smartphones support. Both apps are free to download from the Google Play Store.
Lenovo to Slash 3,200 Jobs After Motorola Sales Slide
Lenovo today said it plans to reduce its headcount by as many as 3,200, or about 10%, as it looks to reduce expenses. The company reported earnings and said sales across its various business units dropped by 9% during the quarter. Lenovo's Motorola unit saw a significant drop in shipments, which plunged 31% to 5.9 million phones during the quarter. The company blamed the poor performance on competition in emerging markets. Even though Motorola's sales sank, Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing expressed confidence in the division "I still believe mobile is a new business we must win. I still believe this acquisition was the right decision. Except Apple and Samsung, there is no third strong player. I believe that will be Lenovo." Motorola recently released the Moto G in the U.S., and plans to release the Moto X next month. Lenovo acquired Motorola from Google last year for about $2.9 billion.
Hands On with the Moto G
Motorola's mid-range wonder boasts a significant number of upgrades over last year's handset, making it a compelling option. Here are our first impression of this welterweight device.
Moto G Is Waterproof and Can Be Customized Via Moto Maker
Motorola today announced the Moto G, its mid-range powerhouse. The phone has a 5-inch HD screen, 13-megapixel main camera, and 5-megapixel user-facing camera. The Moto G is water resistant and can sit in a meter of water for up to 30 minutes. The handset features a quad-core Qualcomm 410 processor and comes in several memory/storage configurations. Importantly, the Moto G has been upgraded with support for LTE 4G. The Moto G comes in black or white with a metallic frame. A variety of Motorola shells are available online, but it can also be customized via Moto Maker to be completely personalized. The 2015 Moto G goes on sale in select markets, including the US, beginning today. It costs $179 for the 8 GB model.
Liveblog of Motorola 2015 Event
We're live from Motorola's big phone event today in NYC. We're expecting at least one new phone, if not two or three. A new Moto X and/or Moto G seems likely. Tune in for live updates as the happen on stage!
