MWC 2017 has seen its fair share of “stars” on the red carpet, and while there is no major announcement concerning the Samsung Galaxy S8, this does not mean that there is nothing worth of interest to keep the smartphone crazy crowd occupied. Motorola has had its turn under the spotlight, and their efforts do point to a rather interesting idea -- infusing artificial intelligence (AI) into smartphone modules. The modular idea known as Moto Mod by Motorola has been given yet another 2 years of support and a guarantee of 12 devices this year, and it seems that prototype Moto Mods will eventually include Alexa integration.
Yes sir, this is exactly what will happen with Motorola's latest Moto Mods, where among them comprise of a gamepad prototype as well as Amazon Alexa integration. This is amidst the announcements surrounding more “regular” devices, where they are none other than the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus announcements. Not to undermine the importance of Moto Mods, Motorola has decided to dedicate a fair amount of space for its presentation over at MWC 2017 to that particular aspect of their product.
What are Moto Mods?
Just in case you are uninitiated in the matter, Moto Mods happen to be a play on the modular concept where smartphones are concerned, hence its name. Moto Mods are the removable backs which was first introduced to the masses alongside the Android 7.0 Nougat-powered Moto Z Droid and Moto Z Force Droid, and these two handsets came with their fairs ahre of accessories including the JBL Soundboost that ought to blow your ears away for a smartphone in terms of sound quality. Do you also remember the TUMI power back which functioned as an extended battery? Time has passed, and other newer mods have also made their way into the market, among them include the Hassleblad True Zoom Camera.
Prototype Moto Mods are smarter than ever before with Alexa
Well, Motorola certainly impressed at MWC 2017 by including AI integration with their future Moto Mods, where they and other third-party developers intend to introduce to the market. Obviously the most exciting of the bunch would be the Amazon Alexa Moto Mod. A brief video was shown by the folks over at Motorola, where it showcased this particular prototype Moto Mod as an Alexa-enabled speaker that can be snapped right into the handset.
This Moto Mod will make use of the Moto Z's processing capability in order to facilitate Alexa functionality, so that voice commands are enough to perform news checks, book a ride with the right ride hailing app, as well as keep close control over your smart home. Needless to say, this is as small as it can get for an Alexa device, compared to a bulky Amazon Echo.
There will be other Moto Mods that will be in the running for your money, including the Moto Power Pack which comes with a bright color and will help to double up your smartphone’s battery life since it makes use of a special Efficiency Mod that can intelligently charge the phone automatically in a manner where battery lifespan is maximized. Expect the Power Pack Moto Mod to hit the market first out of the lot with a $49 price tag this March.
