Preview: Moto 360 Android Wear device is inspired by the modern wristwatch

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The most awaited Android Wear product, the Moto 360 is finally here. Designed by Motorola not to be a piece of technology but to be a natural extension of the wristwatch, touting unique features and a premium design that aims to extend the functionality of compatible smartphones.

 

As  Motorola explains, the Moto 360 keeps you up to date without taking you away from the moment. Glance at your wrist to see updates or just speak to get the info you need. Moto 360 is coming to Canada this fall at initial launch partners Telus, Best Buy and Future Shop for $279 MSRP. Learn more about Moto 360 here.

The Moto 360 looks and feels like a premium device, it is robust yet surprisingly light. Motorola took inspiration from the best luxury watches and chose a round semicircle as the canvas for this device.  The company's designers felt that a circular face was ideal and natural for users since it was already identifiable as a classic clock or watch face design.

Available in black or silver and with a selection of quality leather straps and bracelets, it feels very much like a large-ish analog watch  but it can do so much more. Connected to an Android Wear capable smartphone, the Moto 360 can be used to search Google Now, push reminders and alerts and when paired with the new Moto X, can even control various third party apps such as Facebook or WhatsApp. 

It's a health tracker, too. It has a built in pedometer that can work on its own or paired to various tracking apps, it also has a hear rate monitor which seems pretty accurate. A simple tap on the Moto 360s screen brings up a voice search function or you can use the "Ok, Google" command to enable a search

 

The orientation free 1.8-inch circular display is bright, responsive to touch and movement, and ideal for at-a-glance scenarios where you don't want to interact with your smartphones. During my demo, I found the voice control capability that triggers Google Now, to be accurate. The built in pedometer feature and heart rate monitor increase the device's appeal to user looking at health related wearable solutions. I tested both these feature ealier today and was impressed at the accuracy and ease of use. 

We'll have more about the Moto 360 in the coming days as we get a beter look at what it can do. Moto 360 is coming to Canada this fall at initial launch partners Telus, Best Buy and Future Shop for $279 MSRP. Learn more about Moto 360.