T-Mobile's Motorola CLIQ gets reviewed

There are so many reviews over T-Mobile’s latest Android offering, the Motorola CLIQ, we thought it only fitting to do a little summary as well. Before we talk reviews, let’s talk specs:

- Android 1.5 Operating System
- Slide out QWERTY & virtual keyboard
- 320 x 480 HVGA Capacitive touchscreen
- Standalone GPS w/ internal antenna
- 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and geo-tagging
- 3.5mm headset jack
- MOTOBLUR syncs contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more – from sources such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and email.
- Removable 2GB MicroSD card, supports up to 32GB.

Build & Design:
Although the CLIQ is rather bulky in size, Boy Genius Report and ZDNet believe the high-quality materials and substantial build more than made up for it. Oddly enough Gizmodo says “the phone feels cheap,” so this seems to be a pretty subjective topic. The CLIQ’s keyboard is made of large round dome-like plastic keys which some might find a little off-putting. When it comes to the camera, the 5-megapixel camera performs pretty well – that is unless you’re trying to take a close-up. The CLIQ’s battery had trouble making it through the day – not unlikely for an Android device, especially one with cloud connectivity. The boys over at Engadget expressed the touchscreen was rather resistive, causing multiple mistakes and suggested it might be easier to just use the QWERTY. Another downside is the CLIQ isn’t running the latest Android platform yet.

Software:
This device seems to be all about the custom MOTOBLUR skin built over the Android platform. This software attempts to let you communicate seamlessly across all desired social media platforms. When you first turn on your device you’re prompted to set up your MOTOBLUR account. The next thing that happens is MOTOBLUR sinks ALL of your contact, and there is no way to stop this from happening. That’s right, every time you follow a stranger on twitter (that you would never need to contact via phone, or any other communication tool outside of twitter) they are synced into your contacts. The good news is there is a contact bar that allows you to sort through your contacts via source (i.e.; Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Also, the contacts application displays things like birthdays, recent status update, profile picture, email address, and phone number. Said to be a little overwhelming at times, the vast amount of BLUR branded widgets allow you to sustain connectivity 24/7. The interface is said to be very easy to customize. For more on the CLIQ’s widgets and UI check out the video below.



So there’s been a mix of reviews, and it really comes down to each individual. If you use your smartphone mainly for social media and texting, this device would be perfect for you. Chris Ziegler from Boy Genius Report said he would recommend the CLIQ over the G1, but overall it felt like a test-bed for another Motorola Android with great potential. In either case, I think the Motorola CLIQ is a step in the right direction, both for Android devices and Motorola.

Click here to get full reviews:
Boy Genius Review
PC World
Gizmodo
ZDNet