So, I’ve decided to do a brief review on the Motorola Cliq, the Android phone I am currently using. I’ve got an hour and a half until 2010 here, so there’s time.
A lot of people have been slagging the Cliq for being a “fun” phone or for being a “kid’s” phone. Why is it a “kid’s” phone? Is it because it is geared more towards people who use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter? I know plenty of adults in there 30’s and 40’s who use Facebook and Twitter. Nonsense, I say.
The Cliq is a very solid feeling phone. It’s got a little more weight to it than say a myTouch 3G, but I personally like that. Some people do, some don’t.
The display is a tiny bit smaller than a myTouch or G1 (3.1″ for the Cliq, 3.2″ for the myTouch & G1), and it is noticable. I didn’t think it would be, but it is. It is a 3G capable phone, which is a benefit for some people where T-Mobile has their 3G service, but it won’t make a difference to everyone else. It has a 5mp camera, but with no flash. The Cliq is running Android 1.5, whereas the myTouch and G1 are both running 1.6, and the G1 is rumored to be jumping to 2.0 or 2.0.1 in the near future. There are rumors of the Cliq getting upgraded to 2.0 or 2.1, and with the upcoming Motorola Devour on Verizon running Android 2.1 with MotoBlur, I think there’s a very good chance of the Cliq getting that update, once T-Mobile tweaks it a bit. Also on the front of the phone underneath the screen are three buttons. A menu button, home button, and previous window button.
The sliding mechanism for the keyboard feels sold and sounds solid. It’s a very nice click, almost like a little thud, when the keyboard opens and closes. I like it.
The keyboard itself is ok. I don’t like how tiny the spacebar is. Having the D-Pad on the left doesn’t really bother me. I can see it being used mostly by gamers, but I don’t really play games on my Cliq. It’s a 3 row Qwerty keyboard, with each key having an alternative symbol in the upper right corner. To access these, you need to push the Alt key (duh). What’s neat is that when the Alt key is pressed, the numbers and symbols light up to bring them more to you attention. The bottom row of keys, underneath the 3 row Qwerty, consists of the alt key, a search key, spacebar, symbol key, and a previous window key.
On the back of the screen when the keyboard is open is a lit up Motorola “M”. It’s actually pretty nice. Very subtle.
Call quality is very good. No complaints on either end.
Haven’t tried bluetooth so I can’t comment on that.
Overall, I like the Cliq. It does what it’s supposed to do. It gives the Android experience, even though it’s a little bit of a dated experience (1.5). It’s a good, fun phone.
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