Motorola’s Moto X: 4.7″ screen, 16/32GB memory, 24-hour battery, $199 customizable smartphone coming late August

Motorola has just officially launched its well-hyped Moto X: a customizable $199 device assembled in the US with a 4.7-inch screen, 16 to 32 GB of storage, a (claimed) 24-hour battery and a 10MP camera.

The device will be available in the US, Canada and Latin America at the end of August — early September at the latest — according to Motorola’s Senior VP of product management, Rob Osterloh. On launch, the device will run 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. Check out our hands-on photos here.

Revealed at a series of private press events today, the device features a slim body with a curved back; Osterloh says it was designed this way to feel “comfortable in your hand.” It’s noteworthy that while the Moto X is available in a wide variety of colors, only AT&T customers will be able to take advantage of them for now. As for customers of other carriers, including Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular and T-Mobile, only Black and White variants will be available. It was hinted during the event that is will change.

The Moto X comes with a number of convenience-focused features. This includes touchless control, which — like in the new Droids — lets you use Google Now by saying “Ok Google Now;” active display, which briefly displays a preview of your notifications and the time when you pick up the device; and quick camera capture, a feature which lets you activate your camera by shaking the device while it’s locked.

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We call these features convenience-focused for a reason. They’re not mind-blowing, but they reduce friction in an interesting way.

During the announcement, Osterloh compared the importance of Google’s Motorola acquisition with the development of Android. Upon introducing the device, he said “smartphones today are incredibly powerful, really fast, but they’re not actually very smart. Phones today require you to manually enter a pin. It should be able to respond to you.” He went on, detailing that phones should be contextually aware and designed by users.

With a review unit in hand, we’re diving into the device as we speak. Look out for a deep dive later this week. In the meantime, check out our hands-on photos of the new Moto X here.