Things We Should Be Able to Customize: The Motorola X Phone

A few weeks ago I did a blog post covering newly announced tech. Well, it's summer so everything is coming out.  Google Play edition phones are now available (android phones stripped of Sense and TouchWiz), and it seems the Motorola X phone isn't something that is just in our imaginations anymore.

Moto X phone: I'll believe it when I see it.

What is the Motorola X phone? That's a good question because no one but the employees working on it know. That's not to say that there haven't been rumors, but nothing was really substantial, until today.

This advertisement which is set to appear in newspapers tomorrow brings up what many were hoping would set the X Phone apart from other phones--customization.  Now, we are not entirely sure what this means.  What kind of customization exactly? 

Guy Kawasaki made a post on Google Plus back in March asking "Wouldn't it be great if you could personalize your phone like this?" with a link to a Porsche and the phrase "the most personal car."  Android enthusiasts can only hope this means deep customization instead of sacrificing components we want in one phone to get better battery life in another phone. 

What we Should be Able to Customize 

5. Screen Size (?)

I've seen some people hoping for screen size customization, but I think this is just asking for too  much. I think they should use a 4.8 to 5 inch display and be done with it. The people getting this phone are going to want that larger screen size. If they want something larger they can opt for the Note 3 or a tablet.


4. Camera

I have a DSLR camera so I don't need a great camera on my cell phone.  I'll take a 4 megapixel over the 10 megapixel the rumormill is turning out. There are others like me, but then there are also others that want a good camera on their smart phone. Customers should be able to decide what they want to so I don't have to pay for a great phone and a great camera attached that I don't need.


3. Battery

The user should get to decide the size of the battery. Manufacturers are hesitant to include bulkier batteries because it will take away from the sleek design of the phone. I, like many others, throw my phone directly into a case when I get it (I'm a dropper.) so I don't really care how thin it is. I purchased an extended battery for my original HTC EVO 4G, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. If longer battery life could come with my phone outright I would be a very happy girl.


2. External Storage & On Board Memory

Google is all about the cloud, which is fine and a great service they offer; however, this drips into their devices by locking out things like SD card storage. I would love to have 8 gigs of dedicated memory on my device and then slide my 32 gig SD card in with all of my music and movies pre-loaded. It's cheaper for the user this way. I can afford 8 gigabyte devices, but the price jump to 32 gigabyte devices is ridiculous when I already have an SD card with the same amount. I also have a lot of information that accessing on the cloud just wouldn't work for. For one, we have shotty signals where I live, and I don't have access to WiFi as often as I would like. Just give me my expandable SD card storage, please Google!


1. The Processor

One of the things that drives up the prices of smart phones is the processor. Samsung just released a Samsung Mega which is one of the first phones to be large, but also mid-ranged with mid-ranged specs. More consumers might flock to these kinds of phones.  The older users come to mind--those who have trouble seeing and want a big screen but don't need the latest processor for gaming or a large amount of apps. 

In the end the customization could just be what colors the buttons and face plates are.

But let's hope not.