A leaked user manual for the upcoming LG G2 confirms that it will be one of just a few Android-powered devices that support the nano-SIM. It also appears to debunk the reports that have suggested the handset will feature a fingerprint scanner.

Suddenly, Google is a major hardware company. And a surprisingly great one. But why?

I asked a Motorola executive involved in the Moto X project recently whether Google’s ownership of the company had any effect on their decision to get radical.

By radical, of course, I mean doing things no handset maker had ever done, such as make phones operate hands-free and build them to order in the United States for delivery in four days.

You’ll note that these and other radical attributes of the Moto X are options that would have been available to Motorola with or without Google. After all, the X8 Mobile Computing System that enables hands-free usage is Motorola’s, not Google’s, and was originally developed for Motorola smartwatches.

So why is Motorola suddenly radical now that Google owns the company?

Motorola has finally revealed all most of the details of the Moto X after months of leaks, and while the handset looks great and is customizable to a fault, what we really want to know is how its specs stack up against the best smartphones out there.

Specs aren’t everything, but it is important to keep in mind whether the Moto X will still be able to run the best apps after 12-24 months. Here’s a chart that GigaOm cooked up that compares the Moto X’s specs to the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S 4.

Google finally unveiled the much-anticipated Moto X on Thursday, and although it may not have groundbreaking specifications, it does have some nifty features, and there are lots of customizations you can make — such as choosing your own colors and engraving — when you order one.

But unfortunately for those in the U.K., the Moto X will not be crossing the Atlantic.

The most head scratching feature of the new Moto X is that it’s running Android 4.2.2 instead of the new 4.3 that was released last week, even though Motorola is owned by Google and theoretically should have early access to new Android software before it comes out.

If you’re bummed about not getting the latest and greatest version of Jelly Bean right out the gate with the Moto X, Google has some splendid news: it’s making a Google Play edition of the Moto X that will be available “soon.”