Motorola MOTOACTV

There’s no arguing the kind of wonders our modern smartphones are capable of doing, especially when there are various apps that aid us in our daily lives, but when it comes to getting into shape, we sometimes need more to get us motivated. Enter the MOTOACTV, a specialized device that Motorola hails as being the ultimate fusion of music and fitness, as it aims to whip us into shape by tracking and monitoring our physical activities. Yeah, it might simply be an MP3 player with some fitness functions sprinkled on, but there’s a whole lot more seeing it’s an add-on accessory that might go nice with an Android powered Motorola device.

It’s very easy to attach and whenever you want to start a new Workout, you’ve only to pop your MOTOACTV out and hit the Start button essentially, popping the device back in around your arm where you can dismiss it until you’re done. High quality stuff. with its fascia taken up predominantly by a 1.6” touchscreen that’s very easy to see in all conditions. Fortunately, Motorola doesn't skimp out with its choice of materials as its mostly touch plastic casing is further strengthened by Gorilla Glass up front, and a stainless steel back cover. On top of that, Motorola assures that the entire thing is water resistant, which of course means that it’ll still work after a good run in the rain.

The user interface you’re working with here is a modified look at Android, and I’m pretty sure, though I’m still waiting on an answer, that this is Android 2.3 Gingerbread, this guess based on the fact that the display snaps off when the power button is tapped – signature move by the big G. The interface is tiny, but intuitive, and both swift and well put together. It’s not often that I’ll praise a user interface sitting on top of the basic Android as made by Google, but here Motorola’s done a rather nice job not only fixing up Android to work in a non-traditional way, but in a way that suits this device nicely.

Of all of them, we prefer using the wristband the most, since it emulates the look of a high-tech watch – plus, it’s by far the easiest way to travel with the MOTOACTV. Essentially, it slides into position and stays firmly put. Yes, it’s blatantly large and stands out, but hey, it’s cool looking and will easily catch a few prying eyes on the prowl.