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CES 2012: Motorola Goes Athletic

Motorola put a treadmill and an exercise bike in the center of their showcase. I was amazed by the stamina of the two girls who were working out on them. One even had the strength to talk to guests. The point of all this is a demonstration of MOTOACTV – an accessory designed to monitor your health. The device looks like a rather small wrist watch and it keeps track of your sports activities (you don’t need to wear it all the time only when you are working out). There are more gadgets like this one every day and every manufacturer claims to be the pioneer and the first one. And so does Motorola – the reps say it is the first device of this kind and they prove it with the MOTOACTV website that can automatically sync and store your workout readings – the device features a USB port and Bluetooth for syncing with your PC or smartphone.

The software behind this service is quite complicated and is comparable to the miCoach by Adidas and some others. It has all imaginable features including a virtual coach that can help you with your workouts.

The device is available either with 8 or 16GB of storage space so you won’t need to take you smartphone when you go jogging. Another interesting feature is the music player that analyzes your music and suggests tracks with an appropriate tempo (during the demo the music analyzer crashed so the reps skipped this part). The lighter version will cost you $249 and considering that it also includes a GPS tracker I think it is a rather reasonable price for such a device but still a bit too high. Look at the pic of its menu on the touchscreen – simple and clear:

Another feature that makes this device unique is the HD Bluetooth earphones (Motorola SF600) Motorola released exclusively for this gadget – they look sportive and are moist resistant they also measure your pulse (on your ears). Sounds weird but why not?

There is a free app for Android devices that can view all your workouts and save data from new ones. All in all, I think it is an interesting device for those who work out regularly. It is not a regular everyday accessory like an iPod watch that can measure the distance you walk. It is real sports gear with ANT+, GPS and motion sensors and it costs more than similar gadgets because it can do a lot more. It is worth your while if sport is your hobby or profession. Below is a video with a demo of MOTOACTV:

Actions for Android

Before proceeding onward I want to tell you about Actions a feature that has become standard for Motorola Android smartphones. Motorola is almost gone from Europe so people don’t know about the latest Motorola features – Actions is a way to automate your interactions with your smartphone similar to what Sony came up with for NFC tags (more in my report on the Sony showcase).

The Actions app allows you to map actions for various situations. Practically anything can trigger a sequence of actions, for example, you getting somewhere. You get to your office and your phone sends an SMS home saying you are all right (or when your kids get to school). You can create any kinds of sequences of actions that can change your phone modes or enable certain features. It sounds fantastic but it already works – gadgets get smarter every day and receive new incredible features.

Motorola Smart Controler

This accessory allows you to access your phone remotely when it is connected to your TV via its dock station. The top of it is a touchscreen you use to select items. You can answer calls from it too because it includes a Bluetooth headset. This trinket will cost you around $100 but I am sure some people will like it.

Motorola MOTOCAST

This app is also becoming standard for Motorola Androids. It allows you to access your PC from your Android device, download files and even stream audio. It is nice that this app shows you the tracks present on both your devices. It is a rather ordinary piece of software but it is a good one.

Miscellaneous

There was hardly anyone around the few Motorola smartphones. It seems as if Motorola is ashamed of them – the company presented a lot more tablets and accessories than smartphones. I see no point in telling you on more time about these smartphones as they are well known already. I’ll just leave a bunch of pics of miscellaneous accessories from the showcase that do not require any comments.