Motomods vs. Project ARA -- Developer kits

Some insight about Motorola's MotoMods. Some good stuff about developer kits and encouraging small developers to get involved.

gadgets.ndtv.com

McDonnell is quite dismissive about Ara. "They didn’t really think about the consumer at all," says McDonnell. "Their whole idea was based around technology, what can you do, but not what the customer wants."

"They wanted to do things like change the specs but that doesn’t really change the consumer experience," he adds. "It was exciting for developers, but they got the priority wrong. I think with LG and Friends - they wanted you to switch off your phone to change parts, and it was a whole process, who is going to do that?"

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The way to create and sell a module is straightforward - buy an MDK from Motorola, prototype your idea, and follow the self-certification procedures. Once that's done, Motorola will verify your plans, and then it sells you a license as an official Mod. Motorola can also help developers find partners for manufacturing and distribution of the Mods, and would help with marketing too, McDonnell adds.

But would small developers in India want to commit precious funds to buy an MDK to start with? "As of now we're distributing the MDK to people who register with us," says Sharma. "We will need a project outline to determine how feasible your idea is, and if it looks like it can be done, then we'll give you an MDK." And in a few months, Motorola also plans to launch a Mod Store, to help highlight all these new products - a bit like Apple showcases MFi products.

Interesting MotoMod News.

The 5G got me to pay attention, but there's more.

The Projector MotoMod is used 10 hours per week --- by 20% of Moto Z owners.

I expect the usage numbers to rise when they have a better projector

5G will be huge, because the time required to download content will decline to nearly zero. 

What's interesting about this is that there has to be some 5G infrastructure out there already or this wouldn't even be considered.... so it's out there somewhere.

If you haven't heard about 5G yet... Its potential is enormous. (So, when you think about mobile content -- or mobile computing -- like the Microsoft Surface phone being your PC in your pocket. 5G connectivity will make it possible and huge.)

5G Covered Here


PCMagazine  -- more at the source.

Motorola is stepping up the pace on its "mod" add-ons for the Moto Zline of phones, with e-ink displays, a baby monitor, and even a 5G modem being outside possibilities, John Touvannas, senior director of product management said at a press event today.

Half of Moto Z owners are using mods, with 20 percent of those using the costly projector and camera mods, Touvannas said. Motorola's research shows that mods are the top reason people are buying the phone. "It's the No. 1 driver by quite a bit," he said.

The mods aren't staying in drawers, either. Battery mods are used on average 37 hours a week, and the projector is used 10 hours a week, according to user data.

Another InstaShare Review

The Instashare projector is the first widely distributed phone projector, so paying attention to how it's received is important. As many reviews as can be seen.

So far, people are impressed with this projector that has dismal resolution and requires a very touchy focus wheel... and comparable brightness to the embeddable PicoP engine --that has been out for more than a year.

Good stuff for us.



CGM Online -- 

A projector for your phone? Yeah, you read that right. The Moto Insta-Share Projector was for sure the craziest of the mods I used. This one is definitely for the business folks out there who need to show off a project in a snap, but it’s versatile. It has the ability to shine up to a 70-inch projection with 50 lumens of nominal brightness, so it could come in handy if something were to happen to your main projector. But don’t let its professional design fool you; this is made for projecting on the go. It’s helpful when you want to show off your latest Internet video to a bunch of people and not have them all crowded around a small phone screen, and it comes with integrated kickstand and a focus wheel to make said video look its best. A built-in battery also gives it an extra hour of life, which can be charged separately. As an added bonus, it also comes with a little carrying case.

Again, I think the price is a bit much on this, but it does produce a great picture quality. It should prove helpful for business-on-the-go.

MotoMod Projector Review

Good reception of projectors and phones is good for Microvision. 

The PicoP based projectors currently on the market clearly outclass this projector -- so as there is enthusiasm for this projector, there will be much more for the PicoP enabled version. (However and wherever it appears.)

As I mentioned in the Moto Z and Moto Z Play review, everyone I showed was really interested in the Moto Mods but this one seemed to easily take the cake as far as usage applications were concerned, with comments ranging from “that would be great for watching movies while camping in the trailer on a rainy day” to “this would be awesome for presentations and business meetings.”

I’m not an engineer, but I’d love to see a future version with a 720p or even 1080p resolution.

Jason Bouwmeester

I get up close with the MotoMod Insta-Share Projector

So, last night found me in Seattle. After connecting with friends in Edmonds, I stopped at a Verizon store in the Alderwood Mall hopes of finding a MotoMod InstaShare Projector. They had it in the store and the manager was willing to let me operate it for a while. (Thanks Caitlin)

I managed to get hold of it. They keep it in the back. They have a difficult time keeping them charged up when it's out front.

The picture is pretty good relative to it's specs. It's good enough to enjoy the content, but not nearly as good as that offered by the PicoPro. 

I had to constantly fiddle with the focus wheel to get a focused picture. There was a wide focus range. It was quite difficult to find the place where the picture looked good. 

Most of the heat seemed to come from the phone, and not the projector unit. I'm almost certain the projector has a fan -- the environment was loud, and when I turned the sound all the way down I could still hear a hiss from the back.

The battery life is a very significant issue with this projector. I used it for maybe fifteen minutes at most, and the battery went from 36% down to 3% in that time. This may be because this sample battery has been abused by rapid, frequent and partial charge and re-charge.

I asked what the reaction to it is, (yes, I know that we're dealing with sales people here.) and the report was that it was very popular, and there's been a lot of demand for it.

This is the competition -- and Microvision can outclass this easily. I've been invited to bring the PicoPro back and do a side by side comparison. I'm not sure when I'll get down there again, but hopefully soon.

Surprised by MotoMod

I think this article deserves attention from everyone who follows MicroVision. 

He likes a new phone. He likes storage. (This phone can be upgraded --to hold 1000 hours of video!) But he doesn't know why he would use a projector on a phone.

This is a tech reporter -- and he doesn't know why he'd use a projector on a phone! 

So, this reporter is surprised when he likes the MotoMod projector.

We know how much better PicoP is than the projection engine they have in the MotoMod -- four times the resolution 80,0000:1 resolution vs 400:1, Brighter, focus free....

This reaction is a hurdle to overcome, but think that this guy's reaction will be to the Qualper phone. (Chris, Check this out: MicroVision Intro)

WTHI TV MotoMod Review  (More at the source)

....Last but not least was the sleeper hit for me. The projector.

I popped this open and thought wow..I have no idea what I would use this for. I go to meetings…but don’t need a projector. So i needed a real world use.

The first example of real world uses involved my six-month-old son, Alex. He has this show he loves on Baby First TV…you know, bright colors and the such. One day, I took him into our bedroom and pointed this guy at the ceiling. He LOVED it. Laying on our backs in bed, we were able to look straight up at the ceiling and see his show. That’s when I realized I loved this thing.

We like to have fun in our newsroom…using this projector also led to a couple random singing and dancing sessions as I put a music video up on the wall. It was really fun.

Now, one thing I need to note…it needs to be as dark as you can make it for this to look good. If you have even a little light, it will greatly reduce the quality of the picture.

This one was by far the most fun. Now, like the speaker…it’s bulky. This one is also pretty expensive. It will set you back $300. If you have the money to spend, check this one out. You’ll have a lot of fun with it!