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Moto X will sport always-on voice commands, leaked video shows

New voice command feature will allow users to initiate commands without touching a button, according to a new purported demonstration video.

Steven Musil Night Editor / News
Steven Musil is the night news editor at CNET News. He's been hooked on tech since learning BASIC in the late '70s. When not cleaning up after his daughter and son, Steven can be found pedaling around the San Francisco Bay Area. Before joining CNET in 2000, Steven spent 10 years at various Bay Area newspapers.
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Steven Musil
2 min read
Motorola's Moto X is listening, according to a new leaked demonstration video. Screenshot by Steven Musil/CNET

If you ever get the feeling that no one is listening when you pick up your smartphone, it appears you won't have that problem with the Moto X.

Motorola's new flagship smartphone, which is expected to be released later this summer, will sport an always-on voice command feature that will allow users to initiate commands without touching a button on the handset, according to a new demonstration video that appears to come from Canadian wireless carrier Rogers. First spotted by Ausdroid, the video shows a user retrieving weather information on the handset by speaking the words, "OK Google Now."

"Your Moto X is ready to listen and respond. Talk to it and it learns your voice. With the power of Google Now, it tells you what you need to know even when you're not touching the screen," according to the video.

The video also shows off a feature called "Active Updates," a discreet notification system meant to deliver useful information automatically and instantly.

"Instead of a blinking light that doesn't actually tell you anything, information quietly appears on the screen," the video says.

The video also shows new photo features that allow users to launch the camera with a twist of the wrist and snap photos by tapping any where on the screen.

Motorola representatives declined to comment on the video.

The Moto X, the first flagship handset released by Motorola Mobility since being acquired by the Web giant a year ago, represents Motorola's best chance in years to make inroads against Apple and Samsung. Google is reportedly expected to allow the unit to spend up to $500 million marketing the highly anticipated smartphone in the U.S. and overseas.