Motorola's Smart Connect (formerly Ready For)

I'm all Moto’d up again with the Motorola Edge 50 Pro! I sold my own Edge 50 Pro this week to try and recoup some overspent funds(!) and so have set up the MotoPR one! It really is a gorgeous phone with amazing capabilities. I’ve been trying to use it with no case at all, just to feel the lovely shape, curves, dinky size (without a case at least), screen edges, vegan eco whatsit back - it really is nice.

After the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra and Motorola Edge 50 Neo phones, the only bummer is no ‘proper’ Always on Display! Oh well, I survived without it with Moto for the last decade! But the reason I’m here with this today is that I was using Smart Connect (formerly Ready For) with a vengeance and thought I’d share thoughts. Sat in front of my PC, I don’t need to touch the phone, for anything! The features are...

Phone on PC is just perfect with pass-through audio (making great use of my Marshall Acton III of course!), video and virtual working. This is the most impressive feature for me I think, on-the-fly, keyboard/mouse, just use the hardware that you’re using for desk computing anyway and complete control of the phone. So on one side of the Windows screen you can have the virtual phone and on the other, sweep the mouse off to the left for control of the ‘real’ phone (see Cross Control, below). And if you open up the side panel on the PC the phone unlocks, then just glance at the phone for Face Unlock and it’s done - you’re in (depending on phone settings of course).

Smart Clipboard is more robust/faster than Google’s QuickShare.

App Streaming is more robust than Microsoft Phone Link’s (particularly for us serial phone-swappers)!

Cross Control is every bit as good as Windows’ multi-monitor setup (or whatever it’s called) where the mouse slides across and off the edge of the Windows screen straight onto the phones, smartly working out then where the keyboard should work too.

Webcam I used last week when we were having to use Zoom instead of Skype for a podcast recording - as my PC has no camera - and it worked perfectly, using the phone pointing at me, hooked up to Zoom.

Hotspot is fine, though it does work without Moto of course.

HDMI-Out to TV if needed (with all the tools there too - and a big-buttoned front-end - so you can use your telly as a PC if you like).

Mobile Desktop which gives you an on-the-fly UI to turn any display into a PC or TV (with big-buttons if wanted).

Files and Share Hub are more robust than relying on Windows Explorer to move stuff around, which remains flakey (particularly for multiple commands and large amounts of data with Android).

Virtual keyboard settings on the phone - and a Smart Connect sub-menu - in portrait or landscape (which I only just discovered)!

Little Impact on battery (even when not cabled up and going wireless) in my tests is completely minimal. Or for the paranoid/untrusting, just sit it on a Qi Charger whilst doing all the above!

It’s all very clever and I’m trying to keep up! Moto are really pushing the boat out with this. All these tools and more are great, bundled into one package but, same as Apple, they all depend on the user being baked-into the Moto way and using Windows (for Moto’s Smart Connect software). I do prefer these tools over DeX now and am getting sold rapidly on wireless over wired with zero latency and a good, robust network.

Back to the phone, there’s the other features like 125W charging, with brick in the box, 50W Qi (not that I have a charger for that!), 512GB/12GB, 3x Optical Zoom, f1.4 on the main OIS 50MP cam, AF in wide-angle for impressive close-ups, very good stereo speakers, IP6/8 and 3 OS updates/4 years security.

Moto Tags should be coming soon, promised by Moto PR. They are now on sale at AmazonUK at £99 for 4 (singles not yet readily available) - but the whole Android Find My Device relies on Google getting their finger out and giving the v’s-up to security and user-choice like Apple and Samsung have done! The Android 15 turn Bluetooth back on tomorrow will help - and although it can be disabled, Joe Bloggs is not going to bother!

Anyway, I just thought I'd share my thoughts. I know I've said most of this before, but a good reminder of enjoying the Moto way as they continue to take on Samsung! Here's a link to my full review of the Motorola Edge 50 Pro.