Moto 360 Smartwatch: 7 ChallengesMoto 360 Smartwatch: 7 Challenges

In conjunction with Google's introduction of Android Wear, the company's version of Android for wearable devices, Motorola on Tuesday announced its Android Wear-based smartwatch, Moto 360. Motorola was recently sold by Google to Lenovo.

The most striking feature about the watch, slated to ship this summer, is that its display isn't rectangular.

"When we started to think about what we should do in terms of the design of the watch, we really went back in time," said Jim Wicks, Motorola's corporate VP of consumer design experience, in a video. "This is all about the invention of the modern-day timepiece. We decided if we're going to do Moto 360, we must do it round."

That decision may win points as a nod to timepiece tradition and as bold design choice, but it's likely to vex developers as they try to make sure content and UI elements created for rectangular display screens will work in a circular window.

[Hardware is important, but Software Is Key For Wearables In The Enterprise.]

The Android Wear SDK, when it's released later this year, can be expected to handle details like scaling and wrapping text to fit a circular screen. But the diversity of rectangular Android phones already presents interface design challenges. Adding a round form factor to the mix could complicate matters if Google's engineers haven't anticipated potential issues.

The Moto 360 video recalls Apple's recent "Designed by Apple in California" ads, which present design and engineering with a reverence that echoes religious passion. There's even British-born design expert to serve as a counterpart to Apple's Jony Ive: Dickon Isaacs, Motorola's head of wearables design.

Figure 1: (Image: Motorola)

The similarity may be coincidental, but Motorola does appear to be trying to bring its smartwatch to market before Apple can deliver its long-anticipated iWatch. So too is LG, which is planning to ship its G Watch, running Android Wear, later this year.

So far, the market for smartwatches looks rather grim: Samsung claimed last November that it had shipped 800,000 of its Gear smartwatches since the device's September launch. Reuters initially characterized that figure as units sold, but The Verge said it represents units shipped to retailers. A report published by Business Korea claims actual Gear sales were only about 50,000 during this period. Presently, Samsung's Gear is selling for half of its original $299 launch price, a discount that would not be necessary if the device were in demand.

Two successor models, the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, are planned for release in April. But they will be running the open-source Tizen operating system rather than Android Wear.

Despite all the hype surrounding smartwatches and the inevitability of a growing wearable-device market, the Moto 360 will have to confront the same issues as other wearable pioneers.

1. Purpose
The foremost issue facing smartwatches is the lack of a unique killer app, something that would make the device a must-have item. The problem is simple: There's nothing current smartwatches can do that smartphones can't do. That may change once smartwatches gain wrist-specific health-monitoring sensors. But at the moment, smartwatches come across as costly, unnecessary smartphone accessories.

Smartwatches do have an advantage in terms of weight. And once the Android Wear SDK ships, they should gain an edge in terms of hands-free use, at least when not in a car.

There are other problems to be overcome as well.

2. Price
As noted above, the $300 price tag for Samsung's Galaxy Gear appears to be more than the market will bear for a redundant communications device. The Pebble smartwatch lists for $249. And then there's the issue of mobile

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data subscription fees. How much will users really pay to receive even more notifications than they already get?

3. Battery life
The first iteration of the Samsung Gear was criticized for inadequate battery life. The next version is said to be able to last for 2-3 days before a recharge. The Moto 360 will need to match that, but that may depend on whether the device is used heavily -- location updates and frequent messaging on a color screen could put a strain on available power. The Pebble, which can go for about a week between recharges (by ditching the power drain of a color screen and camera), suggests less may be more for smartwatches.

4. Screen visibility
Motorola's video depiction of Moto 360 is a triumph of video effects. But it doesn't reveal how the device's screen will actually look in bright daylight. At present, there isn't really a display technology that looks great, provides high visibility both indoors and outdoors, and can be refreshed rapidly.

5. Size
The Moto 360 looks like it's about the size of an Oreo, which may be a bit too thick to be worn comfortably, depending on the device's actual weight. And comfort matters. It will be interesting to see whether any of Google's fashion partners sign off on smartwatches that sacrifice thinness to accommodate necessary electronics. It may be that smartwatches won't really take off until we have another decade of miniaturization to shrink the necessary electronics into the form factor of a modern, ultra-slim wristwatch.

6. Charging
Moto 360 will be judged not only on battery life but also on recharge time and on recharge mode -- it should really support inductive charging, so there's no need to attach a power cord. Ideally, you'd never need to remove it from your wrist; it would be recharged passively by arm motion.

7. Audio quality
Will the Moto 360 play alert sounds or turn text into spoken sounds? Will it sound good to its wearer? Will it annoy those nearby? At least Motorola won't have to worry about "Moto 360" being turned into an epithet along the lines of "Glasshole."

Smartwatches and wearables are coming. Maybe Motorola will deliver. But it's more likely that we will have to wait until Apple reveals what it has up its sleeve before it's clear whether smartwatches represent a smart purchase this year.

Too many companies treat digital and mobile strategies as pet projects. Here are four ideas to shake up your company. Also in the Digital Disruption issue of information: Six enduring truths about selecting enterprise software. (Free registration required.)