Motorola Moto 360 smartwatch valued at $249 in contest
Motorola reveals an estimated value for the upcoming smartwatch, but it's not necessarily the actual consumer price.
Motorola has tagged its upcoming Moto 360 smartwatch with a value of $249.
A new contest from Motorola Mobility, dubbed the Moto 360 Design Face-Off, is dangling the Android Wear watch , which is slated to launch this summer. The contest, which started May 21 and ends June 24, promises to award the grand prize winner a Moto 360, giving the watch an ARV (approximate retail value) of $249.
The official rules state that the watch's retail price at launch may be substantially different. But that notice didn't stop one person from proclaming in a Google+ post that the Moto 360 will cost $249 (probably without taxes). And alas, someone from Motorola had to douse the fire:
"Thanks for your excitement around our Moto 360 Design Face-Off contest! We want to make clear that the 'approximate retail value' (ARV) indicated in our rules is included for tax purposes only and should not be interpreted as the suggested retail price of the Moto 360 when it becomes available for purchase."
A spokesman for Motorola told CNET that the Google+ comment is essentially correct. Contests that involve pre-launch devices include an estimated value for tax reasons. The suggested retail cost could be substantially different, the rep confirmed, while declining to reveal anything more specific about pricing at this point.
Motorola has yet to spill any major details about the Moto 360. But in a Google Hangout, lead designer Jim Wicks revealed that it will run Google's wearable OS Android Wear, work with any Android 4.3 phone, be water-resistant, and have no Micro-USB port or any physical contacts for charging.