Motorola releases 'fashionable' smartwatch, the Moto 360

The highly anticipated 'stylish' smart watch from Motorola (owned by Google) has been released to the public, meaning if you were waiting- you can now get your hands on one.

The Moto 360 is fully waterproof and runs Google's Android Wear OS. The screen is, as you can see from the picture, circular which clearly differentiates it from Samsung's Gear range. However at 1.5in, the shape of the screen does mean than certain 3rd party apps have to adapt to it- something which has yet to happen.

The smartwatch has a nimber of features. It contains the standard heart rate monitor and step counter as you would expect. It also contains an alarm, though no speaker so this works only by vibration, as well as the ability to show notifications from your phone (including emails, appointments, reminders, messages etc.) However, that is as far as it goes as you aren't able to reply to messages from the watch itself.

This Image was released months ago, during the original announcements

A big focus has been put on voice control, with the Google Now app. This does all the things it does on your phone, however when tested by the BBC it only worked 'half of the time'. This may be because of where the microphone is positioned, the quality of the microphone or even a software problem but, in general, Google's voice recognition works well on phones such as the S5.

It's also worth noting that Motorola's smartwatch also works as a watch, and there are six different watch interfaces to choose from. However, users have already pointed out a problem with battery- it only lasts a day and so will need charging every night. It does come with a wireless charger, though, which should make it easier to make sure it's charged regularly.

The device costs $250.00 (£155, though in the UK it is selling for more at £199) and comes with either a black or grey stripe.

Watch the Moto 360 Promo Video: