Quick and Easy Halloween Costume Ideas Using Only Your Smartphone

The Halloween party is tonight, and you've been too busy to come up with a clever costume idea.

Fear not! That’s plenty to work with. A little resourcefulness and your phone can go a long way to making a crazy awesome costume.

Where Is Thy Sting?
With your phone out of sight, turn its volume way up, and play this. Then spend the entire evening swatting at an imaginary bee. Amp it up with a little red makeup to add a few bee stings to your arms, neck, and face. Bee careful not to get stung.

Tweet, Tweet 
Place your smartphone in the inside pocket of a coat and play this with the volume turned up. Pad the pocket with a small towel to give it an ever-so-soft chick-like bulk. Carry on normal conversation with friends, pausing only to pull bread crumbs from another pocket that you’ll use to “feed these cute little things.” You said you wanted something creepy, didn’t you?

Everybody Loves a Photo Booth 
Affix your smartphone to your chest with the screen facing out. Open your camera app and switch to the rear camera. Let people queue up and take selfies. For partygoers who didn’t get in the spirit and dress up, carry a small bag with you that includes accessories like make-up, a feather boa, fun hats, sunglasses, props. Moto Voice users will have the added benefit of doing all of this hands free (just say “take a selfie!”).

A Superhero We Can’t Name (But Know You’ll Figure Out)
Let’s say that copyright law prohibited us from naming a certain superhero. And let’s say that a visit to a certain element 26 on the periodic table would get you started on an idea. Let’s say you installed a free wallpaper on your device, tucked it under a tight black t-shirt, penciled on a thin black beard and moustache, and voila—you know what we’re talking about, man.

Tell us, what simple costume ideas can you think of? Share your zany costume ideas with us. Enter to win a Moto X when you share your costume on Twitter with the hashtag #MotoHalloween and #MyMotoX!

Posted by The Motorola Blog Team

Photo by Christopher Deutschler (Twitter: @ChrstphrDtschlr)

Hello, Lenovo!

Today, Motorola Mobility becomes part of the Lenovo family of companies, and we are thrilled.

Over the past two years we have transformed Motorola by focusing on what matters most -- consumers. We’ve made huge strides in bringing the mobile Internet to millions of people around the world and improving their lives through exceptional technology, experiences and value. While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made, we recognize that there is still much more we can achieve -- in innovation, reach and impact.

In Lenovo we have a partner that shares our mission and that brings global scale, a diverse product portfolio and a track record of seizing strategic opportunities and making the most of them. Together we will go farther, faster. With an impressive portfolio of smartphones, wearables and PCs, our two companies will be uniquely positioned to push the boundaries of choice and value, and bring exciting new experiences to people everywhere.

As excited as we are about what’s changing, we’re also pleased with what we are carrying forward with us. We will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Lenovo and remain headquartered in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart while maintaining offices around the world, including in Silicon Valley. The iconic Motorola brand will continue, as will the Moto and DROID franchises that have propelled our growth over the past year. We will continue to focus on pure Android and fast upgrades, and remain committed to developing technology to solve real consumer problems. And we will continue to develop mobile devices that bring people unprecedented choice, value and quality.

Motorola is a company that has long helped to define the course of the mobile telecommunications and mobile computing industries. With Lenovo backing us, we look forward to being able to reshape the industry for decades to come. We’re ready for the challenge and hope you’ll join us on the journey.

Rick Osterloh

DROID Turbo: Power for Days, Charge in Minutes

It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since we launched the original DROID. Since then, DROID smartphones have come to be known for speed, power and endurance, built to outperform your expectations and push the limits of what a smartphone can do.

And today, we’re excited to announce the latest in this line of premium smartphones: DROID Turbo.

From the beginning, DROID smartphones have come with leading-edge technology, including Verizon’s blazingly fast network speeds, exceptional battery life and the latest in innovative material design. And DROID Turbo is no exception. Designed to keep pace with you, DROID Turbo gives you ultimate power and performance without compromise featuring amazing specs wrapped into a package of cutting-edge materials:

• 48 hour battery. Zero compromise: Go up to 48 hours1 without stopping to recharge thanks to a 3900mAH battery, one of the largest ever put in a smartphone. Plus, when you charge DROID Turbo with the Motorola Turbo Charger, you get up to eight hours of power in a quick 15 minutes when you need it the most.2


• Processing power on overdrive: With the most powerful Qualcomm® processor, the quad-core 2.7 GHz Snapdragon™ 805 under its hood, DROID Turbo is a beast when it comes to multitasking and keeping up with you.


• Quad HD display. Four times the view: 5.2” Quad HD screen (4x resolution of HD) features industry-leading 565 ppi so image details pop, videos look smooth, and even the smallest type is easy to read. 


• Pixel power: 21MP camera for capturing high-res pictures and movie-quality 4K video so life’s moments look their best.

Materials that break the mold: Choose from cutting-edge materials such as ballistic nylon or metalized glass fiber that offer a distinctive design while providing ultimate durability. Plus, underneath these cutting edge materials, DROID Turbo continues to sport Kevlar®, a material five times stronger than steel. 

DROID Turbo also features the Verizon-exclusive DROID Zap app for fast and easy sharing with friends. Now with DROID Turbo, you can even Zap to TV or use your voice to Zap your screen.

Starting on October 30, DROID Turbo will be available with two storage options at Verizon.com. The 32GB DROID Turbo in Metallic Black, Metallic Red or Ballistic Nylon will be available for $199 with a two-year Verizon contract and the 64GB version available in Ballistic Nylon will be $249 with a two-year Verizon contract.

IMAGES and BROLL: Follow this link for images and broll (you agree to our license terms when downloading images or video).

1 All battery life claims are approximate and based on an average mixed use profile that includes both usage and standby time. Actual battery performance will vary and depends on many factors including signal strength, network configuration, age of battery, operating temperature, features selected, device settings, and voice, data, and other application usage patterns.

2 Battery must be substantially depleted; charging rate slows as charging progresses.  

MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. Android and Google are trademarks of Google Inc. DROID is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. and its related companies. Used under license. Qualcomm is a registered trademark and Snapdragon is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Corning and Gorilla are registered trademarks of Corning Incorporated. DuPont™ Kevlar® is a registered trademark of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2014 Motorola Mobility LLC. All rights reserved.

The New Moto X: The Story Behind a Name

Your name says something about who you are and how you see the world. Maybe you’re named for a person or a place or maybe something just downright silly. We don’t get many opportunities to name things. But when we do, we reserve the best names and nicknames—the most creative, the funniest and most personal—for the people and things we love.

The new Moto X responds to your voice and whatever name you give it, but no matter the name, the story behind it is what matters most.

Whatever your choice, choose for you.

Posted by Barbara Liss, Social Media

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

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

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

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.

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

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