Lenovo challenged developers to create new Moto Mods — here is what they built

By Christian de Looper February 9, 2017

lenovo moto mod competition mods — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Lenovo Moto Mod concept is perhaps the most popular modular smartphone concept to date and for good reason — Moto Mods are easy to use, powerful, and can add a whole lot more functionality to your device. Not only that, but Lenovo isn’t the only company that makes them — third-party developers have also added their concepts to the ecosystem and Lenovo has even run a competition for developers and entrepreneurs to create the best.

Now, that competition is coming to a close and the best of the entrants each have their own Indiegogo page and there are some interesting concepts. We already reported on the Edge mod that added notification lights and an external battery to your device. While the Edge may the most popular, it’s not the only offer.

“So far, the Indiegogo campaign finalists have dreamed up ideas for Moto Mods ranging from wireless and solar chargers to smart home solutions, walkie-talkies, and health monitoring devices,” Lenovo said on the Motorola blog.

Apart from Edge, the most popular Mod seems to be a simple cover that gives your device wireless charging. One of the best things about it, however, isn’t that it brings wireless charging to the Moto Z — it’s that it does so in a super thin and stylish cover that only increases the thickness of the device by a tiny amount. The Mod is relatively cheap too — you can pledge $35 to get one or you can up that pledge to $45 to get one with an infrared emitter on top of the wireless charging. Pledge for yourself on the Indiegogo page.

The next most popular Mod is lagging far behind the Edge and wireless charging panel in pledges, but it’s still a cool concept. It’s called Mico, and it basically adds solar charging capabilities, along with a 2,200mAh battery, to your Moto Z. You can get it here.

There are a few other mods to check out, so if you have a Moto Z and are interested in checking out a few concepts, head to the Indiegogo Moto Mods finalists page.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Christian de Looper

Contributor

Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…

Mobile

Motorola’s new Moto Edge coming to the U.S. in September

Motorola Edge design close up.

Weeks after announcing the Motorola Edge 20 series for international markets, Motorola has unveiled a new phone from the lineup for the U.S. market: The new Motorola Edge. The Moto Edge is an upper midrange, verging on flagship phone from Motorola, a brand typically known for budget devices, though it has had some noteworthy flagships. Reviewers liked the previous generation of the phone, but saw room for improvement in camera performance and software -- and Motorola seems to have delivered.

According to Motorola, the new Edge has better image quality than its predecessor. The triple camera system includes a 108-megapixel (MP) main camera, an 8MP wide-angle (119-degree) lens with Macro Vision, and a 2MP depth sensor. The setup is ideal for fitting more scenes into the frame, zooming in for extreme close-ups of subjects like food and flowers, and blurring the background for more professional-looking portraits.

Mobile

Trio of new Moto Edge 20 phones get 108MP cameras, 6.7-inch OLED screens, and 5G

motorola moto edge 20 series news family

Motorola has announced three new smartphones, the Moto Edge 20 Lite, Moto Edge 20, and Moto Edge 20 Pro. Following on from last year’s Moto Edge and Moto Edge Plus models, all three feature large 6.7-inch OLED screens with HDR10+ support, plus 108-megapixel cameras, and 5G connectivity too. The processor and design all differ, but at its core, the Edge 20 series delivers three really important, desirable features regardless of how much you spend. Let’s take a closer look at the phones.
Motorola Moto Edge 20 Lite
The entry-level version of the Edge 20 series is the Moto Edge 20 Lite, an 8.25mm thick phone with a plastic rear panel, and 2.5D glass over the 6.7-inch OLED screen, which also has a 90Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling. Inside is a MediaTek Dimensity 720 processor with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage space, plus a microSD card slot to boost it by 512GB.

Motorola Moto Edge 20 Lite in Lagoon Teal. Image used with permission by copyright holder

Mobile

Better late than never, the Motorola Moto G100 lands in the U.S.

Motorola Moto G100 camera and screen.Credits: Motorola official.

The Motorola Moto G100 is now available in the U.S., after being released elsewhere in the world in March. Why it has taken Motorola so long to get the phone into its own online store in the U.S. is a mystery, but to make up for the delay the phone can currently be purchased with a $100 discount on its usual full price of $599. That puts it into a very competitive space, so what do you get?

The Moto G100 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor. Announced at the beginning of 2021, the chip is almost identical to the old Snapdragon 865+ found in phones like the Asus ROG Phone 3, but with a slightly faster CPU and GPU speed. It's paired here with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space. It's a 5G-capable GSM phone, which means it will work on the AT&T and T-Mobile networks, but according to Motorola, it will only get a 5G signal if you're on T-Mobile.