Moto X to hit stores in August, will have always-on Google Now voice commands

A video has popped up posted by Google+ user Дима Прокопенко that gives us a much more intimate look at the upcoming Moto X which Motorola has been working on alongside Google. Design-wise, the video doesn’t show anything new. We’ve already seen a lot of the phone in leaks so far, and the video shows the same Nexus-esque design that Motorola has employed.

One of the key features shown off in the video is a more powerful version of Google’s voice-command service—Google Now. On Motorola’s new handset, Google Now seems to be always on, just waiting for the activation phrase, which in the video is “Okay Google Now.” When the phrase is said, a user doesn’t even have to unlock the screen, let alone touch it, before using a voice command.

Google Now seems to be a much bigger part of Android on the Moto X

The phone also has a new notification system in lieu of the notification LED that is oh-so-common on Android devices. Instead of a blinking light, notifications on the Moto X show up briefly on the screen when the phone is locked with an icon depending on what the notification is about.

It also has some nifty motion-sensing capabilities. Starting the camera, for example, doesn’t involve hunting down the Camera app icon. Instead, users can just twist their wrist twice, and the camera will start up. The interface for the camera also seems to be rather different compared to what we’re used to from Android. Instead of a shutter button, users can tap anywhere on the screen to take a picture. Tapping and holding results in multiple pictures, like the burst modes that we see in many high-end smartphones these days.

The video seems to be part of an advertising campaign by Canadian carrier Rogers Wireless, and the phone is set to be available with the carrier from August onwards. The phone will be available in black and white colour variants.