The spy in your pocket - Google’s Moto X

The success of Google Now has motivated the search giant to take the next step and launch a phone in head-to-head competition with Apple that will take predictive technology to a whole new and possibly creepy level.

If you remember Google bought Motorola and the new Moto X, slated to launch later this fall, is the first big product to come out of that marriage. Motorola head Dennis Woodside teased the crowd at D11 by announcing he had the phone in his pocket but wasn’t ready to show it off. 

The phone, which will be made in Texas, will be loaded with a sophisticated array of sensors that will keep tabs on what the user is doing 24 hours a day. The Moto X will know if you’re in the car, walking, biking or out for a run and adapt itself to your activities. 

The phone will also use contextual information to anticipate why you’re taking the device out and adapt itself to the situation. If you’re near a picturesque setting you might pull out your phone and discover the camera already activated. If it’s near mealtime you might find maps listing nearby restaurants specializing in your favorite foods and whether you’ve been there before. 

Imagine a phone custom made to provide Google with a wealth of new data about your every move and that’s a glimpse into Moto X. What will be interesting is finding out if users want any company knowing that much about them. Any phone these days can be used to monitor your location and movements but an array of sophisticated new sensors sending a constant data stream combined with everything Google already knows about you is definitely some next level tech. 

Sales figures after the phone is launched will tell us whether consumers are willing to trade privacy for convenience or if Google has ventured into territory their customers are unwilling to explore.