Moto 360

Motorola finds itself the front-runner in the Android Wear arena with the Moto 360

Moto 360 is Motorola's first entry into the new generation of smartwatches, powered by the new Android Wear platform and designed by the U.S. manufacturer.

At its heart, Moto 360 is a smartwatch. But it also promises to be so much more, linking your entire online world to your wrist through Android Wear. That brings the power of Google Now — with its predictive features such as showing you the day's weather or upcoming events or travel time. Or you'll be able to stay in touch on the go, through e-mails and chats, all without having to pull your phone out of your pocket. And because it's powered by Android Wear, you'll be able to do a lot of this without even touching the Moto 360, all by using your voice.

Moto 360 sports an iconic design, Motorola claims, with a round face and premium materials like stainless steel and leather. Motorola wants it to feel "comfortable and familiar," which has long been a criticism of smartwatches. "It's everything you need, with a look that you want," Motorola said in its announcement. And in our hands-on experience, it lives up to that claim.

After several weeks of waiting and teasing, Motorola finally announced official availability of the Moto 360 on Sept. 5, 2014 for just $249 with a leather band, or $299 with a stainless steel band later in the fall. The Moto 360's initial launch was limited to just an online presence, though BestBuy.com and the Play Store carried it alongside Motorola's own website.

Meanwhile, the Moto 360 has found itself with a little more round competition. LG brought the LG G Watch R to the IFA conference in early September.