Collaborative | Mobiles365

What should the next Moto Mod be?

Posted on December 11, 2016December 12, 2016 by Adam Doud

Lenovo and Moto are doing modular phones right – at least in this editor’s opinion. The Moto Z and Moto Mods are a great concept, and it looks like Lenovo will be expanding the Moto Mods program this coming year. Building a smart phone that is perfect for any situation is not the easiest thing to do. But Moto Mods allow you to add that extra capability that can make your phone into a super-device perfectly tailored for your needs.

So, since Lenovo has so thoroughly embraced Moto Mods and is continuing to release them, we asked our editors here what they would like to see the next Moto Mod offer. The result was a wonderful collection of ideas from some of the finest minds in mobile.

Bday-Hat

Adam Doud

Senior Editor

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Moto Yotaphone!”

I love the concept of Moto Mods, and adding that next level of functionality to the back of your phone is a perfect idea. I think I’d like to see Moto take it to 11, by adding a color, e-ink display to a Mod, making it basically a Yotaphone. You could transfer information to the back of the phone and draw basically no power from the Mod. Make it a touch screen and you could conserve that much more battery life from activities like reading, mapping, playing music, and all sorts of activities that require the screen to be on. I’d love to see that.

adam-l

Adam Lein

Senior Editor

“Make the existing ones better.”

I’m still waiting for a Camera Moto Mod that works well. The Hasselblad True Zoom had a sub-par sensor, sub-par lens quality, software stability problems, the lens didn’t cover the sensor fully, and for the thickness it added there wasn’t even an extended battery built in. Excluding a standard tripod mount was an obvious mistake too.

I’d also like to see a credit card reader extended battery Mod w/ swipe, chip-reader, and NFC mobile payment support. That would be great for small businesses to easily accept payments from anywhere.

Jaime Rivera

Multimedia Manager

“Swiss Army Mods”

Sadly I was only able to test the Moto Z for a brief period of time. My first impression was actually that this device was designed to only be used with Moto Mods given how thin it is. What I don’t like is that each Mod serves only one feature. It’s either just a battery, or just a camera, or just a wooden back. If anything I think I’d love a Mod that would actually serve the phone with more than just one basic. One that would serve with battery power, a headphone jack and an extra slot for more storage would be great. And hey, if we want to get geeky, how about a Mod with a slide-down game controller, or a slide-down keyboard, or an optional e-ink display for reading books on the subway.

Joe Levi

Senior Editor

“…and YOU get a Mod and YOU get a Mod and YOU…”

Why stop at just one idea? There are a ton of useful Mods that could make this an awesome phone!
1. Range extender – think Wilson signal booster here… or the yet-to-be-released BearTooth.
2. Boombox
3. Extended battery, with built-in massive storage (SSD-size?)
4. Computer hub – usb ports, HDMI, cradle, ethernet… think continuum, but on steroids…
5. Computer hub PLUS – add more ram, processors, GPUs, etc… think Surface Book with its performance “dock”
6. Thermal camera
7. FLIR
8. Drone controller
9. Radio/TV antenna
10. car dock

Jules Wang

Contributing Editor

“Floating Mods…”

If I were to up and buy a Moto Z tomorrow, what’s the first big Moto Mod I’d want or, if it exists, buy? Well, forgive my newfound obsession with vanity, but it would probably have to be an attachment to work with those floating Bluetooth speakers and let me watch videos hands-free. I’ve got better things to do than stick my hand up to my face to give myself valuable multimedia content, right?

“My kingdom for a Mod”

There are a ton of Mods that are possible, and despite the fact that we have around two dozen suggestions in just this one article, it seems like we’ve barely scratched the surface. So what do you think? Where should Moto, or a third-party put their R&D. What would you like to see your phone do? The sky is the limit, so jump on down to the comments and let’s get a nice little workshop going.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 7: here’s our wish list

Posted on June 24, 2016June 24, 2016 by Adam Doud

Samsung’s next flagship is due to drop this summer. Last year’s Note was arguably one of the best smartphones we’ve seen yet, this year’s flagships included. Samsung hit a lot of the right notes with the Note 5. Looking forward, how do you improve on that? It’s not an easy question to answer, but sure enough, our editors have some thoughts on the subject. So without further ado, here’s our wish list for the Samsung Note 6, 7, whatever.___________________________________________________________________________Adam DoudSenior Editor“No steps ...

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Our Moto Z Wishlist: Pocketnow editors weigh in

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Juan Carlos Bagnell

We’re eagerly anticipating the next generation of Moto phones, and we’ll have more information to share soon, but before we get the full scoop on Moto Z and the MotoMod backplates, the editorial team here at Pocketnow has weighed in. This is an important release for Lenovo, especially in light of the Moto division under-performing, so here’s our wishlist for a successful Moto phone launch!Adam Lein – Set the standard for modular

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These are the features that every good smartphone needs

Posted on May 12, 2016May 12, 2016 by Adam Doud

Smartphones are made up of a whole bunch of pieces put together like the best Tetris game ever. Sometimes an OEM will cut a corner or two to drive down costs, or make a design element more feasible. Often, that results in a phone that is less-than-perfect in one or more area. But which area? That’s the great question.Since we’re all – reader and editor alike – firmly embedded in mobile, we’re probably a good crowd to ask. The answer is quite subjective, but who better to poll than us? So I asked our editors and then I’ll as you, what are the features ...

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Outside of mobile, where do your tech interests lie?

Posted on May 11, 2016May 11, 2016 by Adam Doud

There is more to tech than just mobile. There is a ton of technology out there that has nothing to do with mobile, or is only tangentially related that interests us. We write and create content for Pocketnow, but it’s not like we don’t have interests outside of mobile. There are some really cool gadgets out there and darn it, we like ’em. So for the space of an editorial, we’re gonna let our editors cut loose and talk about some of the stuff they dig that you won’t necessarily read about there. Then, we invite you to chat in the comments about the non-mobile ...

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What apps are absolutely vital for an operating system to taken seriously?

Posted on May 4, 2016May 4, 2016 by Adam Doud

Ask any platform, you know, if it could talk, and it would tell you that ecosystem is key to survival. Having the apps that people need in order to function is vital to the ability of a platform to sustain itself. After all, if a phone, tablet, or even a computer can’t do what people need it to do, people will go elsewhere. This is a bit of a no-brainer – not new information at all. Which led to the question – what vital apps are actually required for an ecosystem to be viable? What apps are needed in order for a customer to plant her flag and claim it as her own?We asked our ...

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How important is smartphone audio output (and how important are the accessories you use with it)?

Posted on April 13, 2016April 13, 2016 by Adam Doud

One of the least talked about things on a smartphone is its audio output. Don’t get me wrong, people do talk about it. But compared to camera, battery life, and other considerations, audio output is one of those “nice-to-haves” rather than a necessity. Sure, we love our front-firing speakers, but at the same time, we’ll happily accept a rear or bottom firing speaker if the rest of the hardware is up to snuff. We might ding it in the review with a sentence or two, but that’s about the extent of it.OEMs have started to push superior audio in some of their ...

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What is the least important smartphone feature?

Posted on February 14, 2016February 14, 2016 by Adam Doud

One of the things we do here at Pocketnow is talk about our favorite parts about phones and tablets. I will talk about the camera, all day. Other editors have other preferences – operating system, skin, processor, etc. It almost starts to become a debate of sorts. Of course our reviews cover every facets of a mobile experience, but that’s because we have to. We have to talk about every little piece of a device, even though it frankly doesn’t excite us.But one of the best parts is, if you really dig down and read between the lines or follow us on social media, maybe you ...

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How do you customize your phone?

Posted on August 29, 2015August 29, 2015 by Adam Doud

Moving into a new phone is a fun experience. Being the first to peel off the plastic cover, being the first to power it up, and really taking in that “new phone” smell. All great things. But it can also be a somewhat daunting experience – having to download all new apps, set up Facebook, and Twitter, and Snapchat, and everything else. There’s a lot to do.Here at Pocketnow, a lot of us, if not all of us, switch phones on a somewhat regular basis. Either we’re reviewing the latest and greatest or some hot midrange action. But even if that’s not the case, ...

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What is the future of Windows Holographic?

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Adam Doud

Microsoft made me excited about a Microsoft product again. Cortana was really the last time that happened, and I’m happy to report that my excitement was well-founded in that case. But this year, Microsoft introduced Windows Holographic, an augmented reality self contained headset that has a ton of potential in many market segments. This is what investors like to see – multiple applications in multiple verticals, or something like that. I lost my English to Business BS dictionary.So we decided to do a quick roundup from some of our editors on what we saw for the future ...

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What is the best smartphone for a first time user?

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Adam Doud

IntroIt’s a question that a lot of us need to answer, because of who we are. What phone should I buy? So often, the answer to this question really depends on the user’s history. Are you tied into an ecosystem? What smartphones have you had in the past? What are you used to?But every now and then, you get a blank slate. You get a field of freshly fallen snow. No footprints to disturb the unbroken landscape. So you get to help them decide where the snow angel is going to go. You have a virtual blank slate, with no preconceptions. So what do you tell those people?Well, we at Pocketnow are ...

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What phone would be considered a classic smartphone?

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Adam Doud

There are a few things in the world that can be called a “classic”. Some TV show episodes are “classic” examples of what the show was about. Some cars are iconic enough to be called “classic”. So why can’t a smartphone be a classic as well? A user on Facebook asked us that very question. And it got the hamsters running.So what would go into a “classic” smartphone? A classic smartphone would be one that defined the era in which it came up. It would be an instant reminder of all that was right about the smartphone as we remember them. So I took it to the team – what in ...

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What is your favorite Android skin?

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Adam Doud

Android is everywhere, but sometimes it’s a little hard to tell. Samsung’s Android is not the same as HTC’s which is not the same as Alcatel’s. Every OEM pours a little of their own flavor into its version of Android. Some for the better, others…well, not so much. But in a world where 80% of the market is using the same platform and you have no less than two dozen competitors all touting the same OS, what can you do to make your product stand out and shine? Skin it of course!Which leaves us, the consumer, in an odd and sometimes confusing place. Android is ...

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Pocketnow: iPad Air 2 or Nexus 9?

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Adam Doud

It’s not often that two really compelling tablets debut in the same week. Actually, if you ask me, I’d be hard pressed to think of two compelling tablets, but anyway. But just a week ago, we found ourselves with a rather difficult choice – The Nexus 9 or the iPad Air 2. So, we decided to ask our editors, “If you had to spend your own money on one of these two tablets, which would it be?” Our answers were just as varied as our editorial staff. Some were predictable, others not so much. We’re keeping score here, so let’s see what the team ...

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This is the best smartphone money can buy right now

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Joe Levi

One of the primary reasons sites like Pocketnow exist is to review and evaluate the vast array of smartphones on the market at any given time, compile our findings, and report our thoughts and observations back to you. We do the hard work and heavy lifting so you can make the most informed decision when you go to by a smartphone for yourself. If this were a static, unchanging list, the task would be fairly easy, but it’s not. The smartphones available t0 buy at any given time can easily rise into the dozens for mainstream devices, and into the hundreds when looking at everything ...

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