Moto and Lenovo have officially announced the two winners of the “Transform The Smartphone” Moto Mod design contest, as well as four honorable mentions that will be joining the Moto Mods Accelerator Program. The two winners, eligible for up to a million each in funding from Lenovo Capital, are the magnetic Digiframe Mod, and the MACAY TrueSound HiFi Mod. The developers behind the Keyboard Mod that surfaced in some photos not too long ago will find themselves on the fast track to distribution thanks to being in the first developer class in the Moto Mods Accelerator Program, as will the developers behind Ultimate Wireless Charging Moto Mod, the notification-centric Edge one, and the Solar Z Charger With Battery accessory.
The Digiframe essentially turns your Moto Z into a sticky note. A low-power, always-on process like a single image, note, or a widget is displayed while the phone is stuck to a metal surface like a refrigerator. The creation is powered by open web standards and is open to widget developers. This means that almost any widget you can use on your home screen or lock screen could potentially serve as a sticky note. The other big winner was the MACAY TrueSound HiFi Moto Mod which not only provides high-fidelity digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital interfaces for optimum sound quality but also gives your Moto Z several extra ports for connecting it to music equipment. Along with relevant apps, this Mod could theoretically allow someone to record, mix, master, and distribute an album from start to finish directly from their Moto Z. These two winners will have to abide by rules set forth by Lenovo Capital, but if they do, they’ll be funded with up to $1 million, and could even end up being sold directly by Moto on the Moto Z’s page, alongside the existing Hasselblad, JBL, and projector Mods.
The four mods that didn’t make the cut for Lenovo Capital funding will get into the Moto Mods Accelerator Program. Their developers will be provided with hands-on help in programming, manufacturing, and publishing their Mods. Moto and Lenovo’s people will be helping them every step of the way and potentially even assist them with starting mass production, the company said, adding that those who follow the program until the end will have their Mods end up in Verizon stores. Since the Moto Z2 Force, and possibly the regular Moto Z2, are reportedly not going to be Verizon exclusives, the Mods could find themselves sold in other carrier stores, as well.
