Motorola Moto X has Google voice control and a wood case

The 4.7-inch Motorola Moto X is the first smart phone from Google and Motorola working together after the Big G bought Moto two years back, and it reminds us of a bad actor -- because it's a bit wooden.

The new Moto X is available in black and white, but you can customise the phone online at the new Moto Maker website. You can even cover the phone in different finishes such as wood casings of bamboo, teak, ebony, and rosewood.

Like Google's high-tech spectacles, Google Glass, you can command the phone with your voice without even touching it. Just say "OK Google Now", then issue a command, and the phone will execute your wish. You can even wake and control the phone with a few well-chosen words when it's asleep.

That's not the only unusual control: to launch the camera, just give the phone a quick shake.

Inside is an X8 chipset made up of different processors, including a Qualcomm S4 pro chip and two specialised chips. They handle different jobs, the lower-power chips using less juice to do simple things. In fact, Motorola claims the battery will last 24 hours.

The Moto X is on sale in the US around the end of August, with wood cases from Moto Maker arriving some time in winter.

There's no word on UK price or release date, but we'll keep you posted.

What do you think of the Motorola Moto X? And is wood the future of phones? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our lushly wood-panelled Facebook wall.