Motorola has joined the masses by jumping right into the wearables market, announcing its Moto 360 smartwatch just this week. This comes right after Google's news of extending its wearable niche with the new Android Wear. Moto 360 is not only powered by Android Wear, its the first to be revealed. The circular-faced wristwatch is said to “keep you on time and up to date without taking you out of the moment or distracting you, telling you what you need to know before you know you need it through subtle alerts, and notifications”. Luckily, Motorola's lead designer on the Moto 360, Jim Wicks, came out and released further details on Wednesday during a Google Hangout. Here is what we know so far.

The Look: As far as design goes, the round-faced asset is here to stay; however the watch band will be interchangeable. Perhaps an indirect knock to the design of Samsung's Galaxy Gear, or even the Pebble Smartwatch, Motorola wanted to learn from some of those “unfavorable” public reactions of a 'square' appearance.

“We're going to map the tech to the consumers, not the other way around,” Wicks said. “We're not going to try to make consumers change for this tech”.

First of all, having a personalization facet is users want, so the Moto band was designed to be easily swapped out. In regards to the round shape, Wicks noted crucial design advantages by choosing this look. Most importantly, with the surface area being round rather than squared or oblong (which seems to be recently trending), a circular surface area is more comfortable for the wrist. Wicks also thinks information centered on the screen is better-suited for a wristwatch; Android Wear's notification functionality creates focus towards the middle. Finally, the watch is made with premium materials; custom parts, chips (and of course screen), catered for its round shape from the ground up. With prime leather and metal components, plus the fact that there are no visible charging ports means you can expect this sleek looking device to cost a pretty penny.

The Function: Although Motorola is currently keeping the Moto 360 charging method under wraps (hence the mention of no visible charging port), it is presumed to be induction or kinetic based. Power management has become a major focus for the design team after the Moto ACTV, its previous wrist wearable. Retaining battery life while intelligently displaying smart notifications should be solid; something the Motorola team learned and applied to the Moto X.

It will run Android 4.3 and up. Everything Android Wear features, the Moto 360 will support; including voice command, stacked cards, and of course its custom notifications. Like most Android devices, simply saying “OK Google” lets you ask questions and make commands. You can do anything from asking what time your flight departs, sending a text, or taking a note. Contrast to other smartwatches, one being the Sony Smartwatch 2, notifications scroll vertically on the Moto 360.

There is no camera! Wicks did not incorporate a camera because “it is not wanted”. Too many bells and whistles in a small space is unnecessary, and there is no reason to go overboard. He said, “The point of the watch is to provide contextually aware information at a glance, not to bet yet another camera”.

TBD: Summer 2014 is the expected release date, yet Motorola hasn't offered up anything exact. Similarly, although we can expect it to be on the higher-end, price is also in question. Finally, no additional information regarding its processor, memory specifications, and even its final look were given during the Google Hangout. Besides the photos provided, there are not full and final details or images about the interface.