Motorola

Mark is concerned that Motorola mobile phones aren't secure since Lenovo, a company from China, now owns it. Leo says that while China has raised the standard of living of most of its people, it's been at a terrible cost of freedom. Also, China has stolen much intellectual property in the last few years. But the ability to manufacture electronics cheaply in China has been beneficial to everyone. But if you're going to use a mobile phone, it's going to be made in China, no matter what brand it is.

Vicky recently dropped her Samsung Galaxy S6 phone and cracked the screen. So now she needs to get a new phone. She's retired and is on a budget, so what should she get? Leo recommends the Motorola Moto G7. It's about $200, and Best Buy is offering $100 off right now. A great phone with a descent camera. And AT&T may give her a deal to keep business. But don't accept any lesser models.

Jose is looking to buy a Moto G7 unlocked and wants to know Rich's opinion on the phone. Rich thinks the Moto G7 is a great phone that works on all major carriers while sporting a decent processor, a big screen, and a fine camera (under bright light) for the price. Rich says a phone does not have to cost $1000 like the iPhone and Samsung S10+, and Jose should have a satisfactory time with the Moto G7 through T-Mobile.

Mike has a Motorola G4 and he wants to know if it's best for his battery to keep the phone plugged in whenever possible. There's been articles that claim it's best to do it differently, though. Leo says there's a lot of lore about lithium ion batteries, and Leo isn't even convinced that we understand how they really work. Leo gets his information from BatteryUniversity.com.

Bob is a die hard Motorola phone user and wants to know who owns them now. Leo says that Motorola was sold to Google for $12.5 Billion, but they sold it a few years later to Lenovo in China at a $9 Billion loss. Sadly, the latest Motorola Moto phones are being designed China now. Lenovo also bought the IBM ThinkPad brand.

Nathan wants to get his son an Android phone. What should he buy? Leo says that the Motorola Moto G6 is a very good phone, and it's very affordable. He can get the G6 Play for about $200. It's good for kids. Leo also recommends considering a refurbished phone from Gazelle, and he should make sure he gets a good case for it.

(Disclaimer: Gazelle is a sponsor)

Patrick wants to know when the new Motorola Moto Z3 Play will be out. Leo says that there are benchmark reports out there, so someone has them, but Leo says it hasn't been released yet. Leo says that Lenovo has moved the design of the Moto to China now, so we don't really know what's up just yet, or if the quality is still the same. But Lenovo has kept the ThinkPad line consistent, so that's hopeful.

The Chatroom says that the Motorola Z3 is supposed to be announced on June 6.

Rick's wife wants a new phone with a larger screen. What should she get? It doesn't have to be the latest model. Leo says that the best budget Android phone is the Motorola Moto G5 Plus. The screens are better and the cameras are really good. She should make sure he gets a US GSM model that is compatible with her carrier (Verizon in this case). She shouldn't have to pay more than $200, especially on Amazon.

Pat upgraded to a Motorola Moto Z with Android 7, but when he listens to music at home, it displays what he's currently listening to on the screen. How does it know? Leo says that the Android has an always listening feature that will pick up the ambient sound in the room and identify it. It's basically for the OK Google feature.

Pat had an issue with it playing a video unexpectedly as well. Leo says he can train it to just listen to only his voice, or he could even disable "OK Google" entirely. It'll be under Settings > Google.