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Motorola has announced that the new Moto X handset will have a feature allowing it to “always listen” for the owner’s voice commands. The... Motorola’s Moto X Will Always Listen to You

Motorola has announced that the new Moto X handset will have a feature allowing it to “always listen” for the owner’s voice commands.

The user of the phone can activate the Moto X’s Touchless Control System by saying “Ok Google Now”, and the handset will be ready to listen for instructions.

Moto X

Industry experts think the new handset could cause disruption in the Android market, especially since other manufacturers that use Google’s operating system are finding it difficult to make a profit.

The company has said that the Moto X hardware will be manufactured at the new plant in Texas. It will allow users to change the customisation options, whilst multiple colourings and personalised engravings will be available. They have said that there will be over 2,000 possible combinations for users to get creative with.

Changing How A Phone Is Controlled

Francisco Jeronimo, a mobile phone analyst at IDC, said that Google had targeted the basics with this phone, changing how a phone is controlled.

“The interaction with the phone, the way we speak, the way we activate the functions – it can be done in a different way,” he said.

“Users have large screens, they have voice control – so at the end of the day what may attract users to replace their current smartphone is a completely new experience. In my opinion, it’s one of the biggest trends of the next year.”

“If I have a device that just gets activated with one command, then that will be a lot easier,” said Mr Jeronimo. “It’s not a question of hardware, it’s a question of user interface.”

Keeping Samsung Close

Obviously Google will want sales of this phone to be a success but this may be tempered by the fact that they want to keep good relations with Samsung.

“Samsung represents 60% of total Android shipments across the world,” said Mr Jeronimo. “They are basically dependent on each other.”

“What prevents Samsung from launching their own operating system using Android?” Mr Jeronimo added.

“A completely different ecosystem could be built overnight. Google needs to keep Samsung very close. What made Android popular was not the just the operating system itself – it was the money Samsung put into their devices.”

Last week Samsung announced that it would holding its first developers conference, and although it has not said out and out that is considering developing its own operating system, it could be that Google is preparing itself for Samsung no longer being an industy partner.

“For Google, it’s a question of not letting Motorola die, making it profitable as soon as possible.

“Before Motorola they had no strong experience with building hardware, but now they are learning how to develop a high-end smartphone.

“This will give them the skills they need, and tools they need, in the future in case they see a strong movement towards a different operation system.”

[Image via allthingsd]

SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23536936