Coming Together to Combat Bullying: Q&A with Senator Mark Kirk

We believe mobile technology can change the world. That’s why our Motorola Mobility Foundation created the Apps4Good program, where employee volunteers partner with nonprofit and civic organizations to create mobile apps that improve lives and communities.

Apps4Good projects have spanned a wide range. We developed, for instance, an app for the Chicago Bar Foundation that increases access to justice by providing information about free or low-cost legal resources. The Foundation also teamed up with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater on an interesting cultural experiment. They created an app that led audience members through various places in Chicago as part of an interactive and mobile performance experience.

The most recent project is a partnership with U.S. Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois and his Student Leadership Advisory Board to raise awareness of cyberbullying. Too many children suffer from cyberbullying without the tools and resources to respond to it. Motorola employees, student leaders, and anti-bullying experts from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) worked together to develop a mobile game called Back Off, Bullies. The app uses a series of questions and animations to help kids understand the dangers and impact of cyberbullying.

We sat down with Senator Kirk to hear first-hand about the initiative and his student advisory board’s efforts against cyberbullying.

Q: What is the Student Leadership Advisory Board?
Each year, I ask the junior class presidents from a region of Illinois to become active members of the Student Leadership Advisory Board (SLAB) to help me better understand the unique issues that students face in Illinois. This particular SLAB is made up of nearly 30 junior class presidents from high schools in Lake, McHenry, and Northern Cook counties. I hope that by participating in SLAB, these young students develop a passion for civic engagement and recognize their potential to effect change as future leaders and contributors to society.

Q: Why did you and the students decide to dedicate your time to the issue of cyberbullying?
I ask each advisory board to choose a topic they’re passionate about and want to spend the year working on. The students voted to address cyberbullying because it is a pervasive issue within their schools and for their peers. It’s an issue I’m also working hard in Congress to combat because every child deserves a safe environment, free of harassment, in which they can learn.

Q: Why did you want to develop a mobile app to tackle this issue?
We wanted to make the biggest impact, so it was important for us to address this issue in the environment where kids are most likely to engage. Since students are increasingly relying on mobile devices for school and play, it made the most sense to develop a fun and captivating app to get them interested in the topic.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish with this initiative?
Nearly half of the kids in Illinois have been bullied online. That’s unacceptable. By educating elementary school kids about cyberbullying before they experience or perpetuate it, we hope to prevent bullying before it starts.

Posted by Stephanie Anthony, Team4Good, & Andria Winters, Public Policy and Team4Good

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Style Speaks: An Interior Designer on Why Black is the New Black

Welcome to the Style Speaks Series—a moment in which we talk with experts and thinkers about what style and color really mean and what it conveys in our lives. Color is integral to how we feel, how we choose to communicate, how we choose express ourselves—and even how we choose to customize our phones! This is what these people think about color. What about you? What do you choose?

When it comes to color, Sabreen Madden is obsessed. As an interior designer and teaching assistant at Harrington College of Design, color is integral to how she creates spaces. During her day-to-day she is always thinking about color theory, color relationships, and design elements. “Everywhere I go, everything I do, every package I look at—even a box of cookies—I’m thinking about the color and design,” she said.

Black is one of Sabreen’s favorite colors. She took us around the house in Chicago she beautifully designed and shared how she thinks about what black conveys.

While she was decorating her home on Chicago’s North Side she took inspiration from raw, concrete, industrial modern spaces she saw during a trip to New York in 2009. “I realized it’s not scary. You can do one wall that’s black and pair it with white and really have an open and airy space that has these dark, dramatic moments,” she said. “I decided to just go for it.”

Sabreen said that the color black is often associated with a “gothic” stigma, but that was not her intention when she chose the paint for her industrial modern loft on Chicago’s North Side. She used black to create depth in her home.

“In my space I’m using black for design purposes,” Madden said.

 

Sabreen Madden’s husband, Terrence, built the fireplace in their industrial modern loft on Chicago’s North Side. She said the black paint around it is used intentionally as camouflage, so when a fire is burning it’s “kind of it’s own element,” she said, adding that the black paint also camouflages the television. Their dog Winnie can often be found sleeping on the fireplace’s steel hearth.

“I think black is a very sophisticated color or non-color,” Sabreen says. “I hope that when someone sees the black in my house they see it as an intentional element to enhance what’s within the space.”

Sabreen said color choice in a home is very subjective and contingent on what feeling the homeowner is attempting to convey. In her North Side home, where she used black and white as her base colors, Sabreen said she was attempting to be bold, dramatic and sophisticated, while also keeping her space personal.

“Usually when we go through the design process, we have a series of interview-type exercises to determine what a client wants in a space,” she said. “First and foremost, you want to have a functional space, and then you can talk about what kind of feeling you want. In that way, I try to get examples. If you want a light and airy feeling, what are some examples of a space that gave you a light and airy feeling? What about that space made you feel light and airy? Then we can build off of that.”

Sabreen said that if a client wanted to include black in their space, she would advise them to use it as an accent color to create some contrast. If too much black is used, she added, it can get too heavy, too dark, and can make a space look small.

“It would definitely show they are willing to take a risk,” Madden added. “Black isn’t something you see in residential design very often, but when you don’t hold back it can be very powerful and fun.”

“When you have all really light neutrals in a space, there’s nothing really to ground your eye, there’s no focus wall. Black is an absorption of all colors, so it’s not even really a color. In the bedroom I use it as a back wall to ground the bed. In another room I use it to frame the bookshelf, I also use it to emphasize the alcove.”

“You can get inspiration from anywhere, and that’s what I do now,” she says. ‘I even look at my dog, Winnie, and think about her color combinations compared to other dogs, I can’t help it.”

What colors speak to you? What do you choose? Tell us on Twitter by tagging #choosechoice. 

Posted by Noelle Chun, Blog Team

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The Download: It’s Time for a Moto 360 Android Wear Update

Moto 360 was designed to be timeless—and that goes for our software, too! Today we are beginning to roll out a new Android Wear update coming to your watch soon. In this update you will find:

• Smart Battery Saving - When your battery hits 15%, your Moto 360 will turn off ambient mode, so you don’t have to remember to. 
• Timely Time Checks - Moto 360 will synchronize the time with your phone more often to make sure it is up to the minute.
• User Interface Tweaks - We observed with consumers that there are many times where you want to use your Moto 360 as truly a classic watch—a beautiful way to see the time. A new gesture now lets you see the full watch face without permanently dismissing a notification. Just touch the top of a notification and swipe down. You’ll see the notification again when you have another high priority notification. 
• Mood Lighting - Moto 360 will adjust to the lighting of the room while charging, so that it isn’t too bright or too dark. 
• Readying the wires for Bluetooth - There are a couple of under-the-hood enhancements that will pave the way for connecting Bluetooth headsets to the watch.
• Bug Squashing - As usual, bugs are squashed to enhance the overall user experience. 

We will roll out the new software in phases. Look for the update notification on your watch! You will be prompted to install. To install the update, make sure that you’re connected to your phone with an internet connection and that your watch has at least 80% battery. 

Let us know what you think. And keep checking our official Moto 360 Google+ community for more news and fun.

Posted by Lally Narwal, Product Marketing

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Nexus 6 from Google and Motorola: More Android. More screen. More everything.

At Motorola we’ve been big believers in Android since the very beginning. We love its power, its flexibility, and how it gives you the freedom to choose the experience that’s right for you. In fact, the only thing that would be better than Android is...more Android. That’s why we’re so excited to have been able to work with Google’s Android team to bring you the new Nexus 6, featuring Android 5.0 Lollipop.

With Nexus 6, we’ve worked with Google to bring you a bigger phone with more everything. More screen. More speed. More power. And, it’s the best Android experience ever with:

• More room to view: With a six-inch Quad HD display, Nexus 6 is great for watching, reading, playing and doing. 

• More doing, less charging: An around-the-clock 3220 mAh battery gets you through your day and more. Plus, the included Motorola Turbo Charger gives you a quick burst of power when your battery needs it the most. All it takes is 15 minutes to get up to an additional 6 hours of battery life.

• More epic shots: The 13 megapixel camera with Optical Image Stabilization and HDR+ lets you take your best possible photos with the least possible effort.

• More sound in stereo: With dual front-facing stereo speakers, you’ll get an immersive stereo sound that is great for experiencing music, movies and games as you should.

• More with Lollipop: Nexus 6 comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop - a sweet new take on Android. Lollipop introduces Material Design so that content responds to your touch, or even your voice, in more intuitive ways, and transitions between tasks are more fluid. Plus, new call and message notifications allow you to act on (or dismiss) them without interrupting what you’re doing. And much much more.

Nexus 6 will be available for pre-order through the Google Play Store in late October starting at $649. There are two colors to choose from - Midnight Blue or Cloud White - and two memory options - 32GB and 64GB. Nexus 6 will also be available on motorola.com and through carrier partners starting in November. You’ll hear from our carrier partners soon with additional pricing and availability information. In all, Nexus 6 will come to 28 countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America starting later this year and as we head into Q1.

More Android All Around
It’s no secret we love Android. That’s why every one of our Moto phones is built on a foundation of pure Android - it’s easier to use, delivers amazing performance and lets you choose how you want to use your phone. So we have more sweet Android news to share...

Once Android 5.0 L is officially released, we intend to bring this latest upgrade to many of our other Motorola devices, as well. This includes Moto X (1st and 2nd Gen), Moto G (1st and 2nd Gen), Moto G with 4G LTE, Moto E, Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx and Droid Mini. We're still working out the details on timing and the upgrade depends on our partners' support so stay tuned to our software upgrades page for the latest and greatest.

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It’s Official: Android 5.0 Lollipop Coming to Moto X, Moto G, Moto E and More

Now that Android 5.0 Lollipop will be going to the world with Nexus 6—a product of some of our own engineering—we are excited to confirm that this latest and greatest Android release will also come to our other devices as part of our ongoing software strategy to provide fast updates to our pure Android experience.

While Google has not yet publicly released Android Lollipop, we are happy to confirm that the upgrade will come to:

• Moto X (1st Gen. & 2nd Gen.)
• Moto G (1st Gen. & 2nd Gen.)
• Moto G with 4G LTE
• Moto E
• Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx, and Droid Mini

Please stay tuned for more information on timing and other products, pending the public release and working with our various partners. And, you can always check for the latest on your specific device by going to our software upgrades page.

Posted by Steve Horowitz, SVP Software Engineering

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The Download: The Creative Opportunities of Designing for a Round Watch

One of the things that excites us about round watches is not only the iconic, beautiful design. It’s also unleashed cool, new opportunities for software development and new experiences. So for today’s Download, our regular spotlight on software, we wanted to get a little deeper into the benefits of designing for round watches.

Though for decades designers have created software experiences for squares and rectangles (LCD monitors, mobile phones, tablets, and even TVs, to name a few), a round watch provides a new canvas. Rick Hoobler, a user interface designer for Moto 360, and I have talked about how it provides fresh experiences in a few ways:

• A smooth, sweeping experience for your eye. Rectangular form factors typically require left alignment to look good according to traditional design principles. But circular screens create a smooth, race-track like behavior that is soothing to the eye. There is no starting or stopping point. It’s fluid and elegant.
• It’s a delight to experience new technology in a classic form factor. The blend of old and new create a deeply satisfying aesthetic. The classic round shape meets brand new technology to create a design duality that feels original without trying too hard. Tableware, plates, glasses, handles—these are all classic round shapes. When we bring this to the watch, you can see things like someone’s photo that fills up the beautiful, locket-like round shape or maps with solid fields of color in a round compass shape.
• The circle is a natural shape for tracking progress. From a design perspective, it is a very compelling experience for users to be able to use sleek progress meters that track all around the edge. You can see all-day progress, instead of a tiny standard-looking chart. The heart rate monitor, for instance, easily curves in a circular shape to show how fast your heart is beating.

Hear Rick share more about what it’s like creating experiences in a round space, instead of a square one.


What else is new in software this week?

• Hot off the presses is an update to Motorola Camera that brings you a remote shutter for Android Wear watches, so you can trigger a shot from your wrist. It also brings numerous performance improvements and bug fixes across Motorola products. We’ve now had over 1 billion shots captured by Moto G users and will continue to bring improvements to our customers!
• Motorola Assist was updated with important bug fixes for Talk to Me and Drive Mode. FM Radio has been updated on Moto E and Moto G to provide lockscreen controls and to support playback to Bluetooth speakers.
• Motorola Connect and the Motorola Connect Chrome extension have been updated to improve stability and support emoji (Chrome extension).

Hope you enjoy. Let us know what you think.

Posted by Lior Ron, Product

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The Download: #MotoTips for Your #Moto360

When we designed Moto 360, we focused on building a modern timepiece. It not only fits your look but also assists you in everyday tasks as you make your way through the day. Just like our phones, we want you to have an experience that gets better and better over time, so Wednesday we shared our first update to Moto 360.

The new update enhances our Bluetooth connectivity and adds a new message that confirms Moto 360 is charging even when the battery is depleted. We also squashed a few bugs.

There are also some simple tricks to help make the most of your Moto 360. So, for today’s Download, we’ve devoted our regular spotlight on software to #MotoTips for #Moto360.

Here are two. What are yours?

Changing and Customizing Your Watchface
Simply long press to change the face and then use Motorola Connect (don’t forget to download it here!) to customize the colors and look to your style.



Access to Settings
Holding down your button for four seconds.



Posted by Howard Shen, Product Management

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Mark Your Calendar! Pre-Order Begins Tuesday for New Motorola Products, Moto 360 Back on Sale

Choose to beat the crowd. Starting Tuesday, September 16, pre-orders will open for some of the new Motorola products we announced earlier this month, including Moto X for AT&T, Moto X - Pure Edition, Moto Hint and Motorola Turbo Charger. All four products will be available for pre-order on motorola.com starting at 11 a.m. CT.  Shipping dates vary by product and will be provided at checkout.

Moto X for AT&T - Order the AT&T version of the new Moto X starting on Tuesday.

Moto X - Pure Edition -  The off-contract Moto X is available SIM unlocked and with an unlockable bootloader for $499.99 USD.

Moto Hint - Our discreet wireless earbud gives you complete control of your phone and allows you to access everything you need by just using your voice. It will be available for $149.99 USD.

Motorola Turbo Charger - Our fastest charger ever takes just 15 minutes on the latest Moto phones to get up to 8 more hours of battery life. It will be available for $34.99 USD.* 

Plus, we have more great news... Moto 360 will be back in stock starting Tuesday in the U.S. on motorola.com. You’ll want to hurry as quantities will be limited.

And don’t forget about our Trade In program, making it easier than ever to purchase a customized Moto X using Moto Maker. Just send in your old device, and we'll mail you a Motorola Visa Prepaid Card worth up to $300 depending upon the phone you send in. Visit motorolatradein.com to learn more.

You’ll hear more from other U.S. carrier partners soon and from our partners around the globe regarding additional Motorola product availability. For those in France, Germany and the UK, take the new Moto Maker for a spin and design your own Moto X in advance of availability at your local motorola.com site.

Our newly enhanced Moto Maker site features:

• More choice - new leather finishes, FSC-certified wood finishes and Moto X - Pure Edition
• New rendering engine - get a better feel for what your customized phone will look like with our new new photo realistic rendering engine
• New tools - now compare several designs side-by-side or start off with options curated by our designers

Choose choice and happy shopping!


*must be purchased separately due to longer pre-order time

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The Download: Bringing Home and Drive Modes to Moto G and Moto E

We don’t know about you, but last week was a whirlwind of excitement as we shared five new products with the world. With all the activity, in this week’s Download, we wanted to highlight something for Moto G and Moto E users, so that you don’t miss it: You can now use many of the Motorola Assist features on your Moto G (1st and 2nd generations) and Moto E!

When we launched Moto X, we introduced simple but useful experiences based on the different places and situations we find ourselves in. Driving was the natural place to start. To make it happen, we used a low-power sensor hub in Moto X that constantly analyzes inputs from sensors like the accelerometer, GPS, and audio. We eventually expanded these features to Meeting mode (when you don’t want to be bothered and want an automatic message for those who are trying to get in touch), Sleep mode (letting you sleep in peace with only the people who matter getting through), and Home mode (so that your phone automatically knows when it’s home and can read your texts and callers aloud).

When we launched Moto G and Moto E, however, we thought that without the low-power sensor hub in Moto X, these types of experiences would likely not be possible. The phones had fewer microphones for speech recognition and a smaller processor. We couldn’t do it the same way.

But when Drive mode and Home mode became some of the most popularly requested updates for Moto G and Moto E, we decided to revisit. 

Challenging our own assumptions, we decided to try to create the same experiences but in a different way, relying on algorithms running on fewer microphones and no sensor hub. The team spent three months creating prototypes and writing algorithms and models that could possibly create contextual experiences for Moto G and Moto E. When the test results came back, we were optimistic. The team then spent another two months tweaking and refining the application so it could hit our quality benchmarks. We are so happy that an alternative approach could provide this requested experience to our users!

Again, we're so glad to be able to share this feature with our users. Tell us what you think. We look forward to keep working on making it better and better. 

Posted by Mark Rose, Product Management

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Motorola Gives You the Power to Choose with New Smartphones, Wearables and Accessories

A year ago we relaunched Motorola with a very clear purpose -- to give you more meaningful choices that put you in control of your mobile experience. Today we take that promise to the next level with the introduction of the new Moto X and Moto G smartphones, Moto 360 watch, Moto Hint wireless earbud and Motorola Power Pack Micro. This dynamic new portfolio of products gives you unprecedented power to choose how your mobile technology fits into your life, with new customization options, better value and new ways to connect.

Choose the color or materials that grace the back of your phone. Choose to design your own software experience starting from pure Android. Choose to get the information you want most, either at a glance on your phone or on your wrist, or discreetly to your ear, without ever using your hands. And choose not to pay premium prices for premium experiences.

Introducing…

The new Moto X: Pure style. Pure performance. 
The new Moto X is designed with a sense of style and balance, featuring a curved metal frame, vivid 5.2” Full HD display, and authentic materials such as FSC® certified woods and genuine Horween® leather that feel great in your hand. Moto X gives you fast performance with the latest, unadulterated version of Android along with the quickest updates. Enhanced voice control lets you select a custom prompt, and use your voice to do just about anything. Plus, Moto X learns your preferences and adapts to you, making everyday interactions easier. Creating your standout style is simple through our online customization studio, Moto Maker, available in the United States and select international markets. Learn more about the new Moto X.




The new Moto G: Exceptional phone. Exceptional price.
Moto G now comes with a brilliant 5” HD display plus stereo sound to fully enjoy your videos and photos. With its all-day battery, quad-core speed, the latest Android OS, plus the ability to customize your phone with Motorola Shells, Moto G keeps up with everything you do. And all of this starting at just $179.99. Learn more about the new Moto G.



Moto 360: It’s time.
Moto 360 is a classically-designed, modern timepiece powered by Android Wear™. Comfortable, familiar, and crafted with the finest materials, Moto 360 keeps you up to date without taking you away from the moment. Glance at your wrist to see updates or just speak to get the info you need. Keep track of your steps and know your heart rate thanks to a built-in pedometer and heart rate monitor. Enjoy battery life that lasts all day, then just place Moto 360 on its wireless charging dock at night. Learn more about Moto 360.




Moto Hint: In control. Out of sight. [link to full product web page]
Moto Hint is a discreet wireless earbud designed to look good and feel great. It gives you complete control of your phone and allows you to access everything you need by just using your voice. When paired with your Moto X, you can ask questions like “What’s today’s forecast?” or get turn by turn navigation directions, all without touching or even looking at your phone. Learn more about Moto Hint.




Plus…

Power Pack Micro: Power in a Pinch.
Motorola Power Pack Micro is a portable battery that provides instant access to back-up power when you need it. Attach it to your keys or slip it into your pocket or bag. More than just a portable battery, Power Pack Micro also includes Motorola Keylink™, a phone and key finder which helps locate your phone or keys when they’ve been misplaced. Learn more about Power Pack Micro.




Global Availability and Pricing
The new Moto X will be coming to countries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia starting later this month. Moto X will be available for as low as $99.99 with a new two-year customer agreement on select carriers in the US. It will be available off-contract and unlocked in the US from $499.99 on motorola.com.

The new Moto G is available starting today unlocked and off-contract for $179.99 USD on motorola.com, as well as retailers in the US. Moto G also goes on sale today in India, France, UK, Brazil, Spain, and on motorola.de in Germany. By end of year, the new Moto G will be available in more than a dozen countries and through several carrier partners around the world.

Moto 360 will be available in black leather and a limited edition gray leather with suede finish in the US today starting at noon EST for $249.99 USD on motorola.com, Google Play, and through Best Buy stores and BestBuy.com. Additionally, Moto 360 will be available in two metal options later this fall for $299.99 USD. For those who buy a Moto 360 today, there will be an option to purchase a metal band later this fall for $79.99 USD. Leather bands will also be available independently for $29.99 USD at that time.

Moto Hint will be available on motorola.com and select retailers in the US for $149.99 USD later this fall and will expand to other regions in time for the holidays.

Power Pack Micro will be available on motorola.com in the US for $39.99 starting today.


Trade In Your Phone for a New One
Our Trade In program makes it easier than ever to purchase a Moto G or customized Moto X using Moto Maker. Just send in your old device, and we'll mail you a Motorola Visa Prepaid Card worth up to $300 depending upon the phone you send in. Visit our Trade In site to learn more.

IMAGES and BROLL: Images can be found here (you agree to our license terms when downloading images or video)

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