September 10th, 2009
Motorola hopes new Android phone will Cliq with users
Motorola took the wraps off the first of a line of new Android-based phones today at GigaOM’s Mobilize ‘09 event. Called the Motorola Cliq, the phone will be carried in the US by T-Mobile in time for the holiday season. In early 2010 it will roll out to European customers under the name Dext. Previously the phone was known under the code name “Morrison” and the model number MB300.
Contrary to persistent rumors, the Cliq will be based on Android 1.5 (Cupcake), the same operating system that powers the Hero, MyTouch3G, and every other Android phone on the market at this time. Of course, future Android patches and updates will be available via over-the-air updates.
Features:
- 320×480 pixel, 3.1 inch HVGA capacitive screen (187 dpi)
- Qualcomm MSM 7200A processor @ 528 MHz
- 5.0 Megapixel auto-focus camera
- QWERTY keyboard (side slider)
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Dual-mic noise cancellation
- Proximity sensor and accelerometer
- WCDMA 900/1700/2100, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (Category 7/8), EDGE, GPRS Class 12, AGPS
- MicroSD card slot (up to 32GB)
- Microsoft Exchange support
- Bundled apps: QuickOffice, Accuweather, Amazon Music, imeem, Shazam, LastFM
- 5.6 oz (163 grams)
- 2.28 x 4.49 x 0.62 inches (114 x 58 x 15.6mm)
- 1420mAh lithium polymer battery (6 hours continuous use/13.5 days standby)
- MicroUSB 2.0 connector (also used for charging)
Motorola is putting their own stamp on the Android experience with a new integrated service called “MotoBlur”. MotoBlur syncs personal and work email and contacts and supports social networks like MySpace, FaceBook, and Twitter, plus Microsoft Exchange. The service is paired with a personalized home screen that runs on the phone featuring status and messaging widgets, RSS feeds, and other features. Motorola plans a whole line of MotoBlur-enabled phones based on Android over the next 18-20 months. A Flash-based simulator of MotoBlur is available on the Motorola web site if you’d like to try it out.
Related articles:
- Live blog: Motorola unveils Blur, Cliq, and Dext (CNet)
- Live Motorola Android keynote coverage (gdgt)
- Motorola introduces CLIQ with MOTOBLUR (Moto PR)
- T-Mobile USA unveils the Motorola CLIQ with MOTOBLUR (Moto PR)
Ed Burnette is a professional developer and author of several articles and books about computing including Hello, Android: Introducing Google's Mobile Development Platform, 2nd Edition. For disclosure of Ed's industry affiliations, click here or to view his full profile click here.
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| 09/10/09
