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Mot's Android phone debuts
2009-09-10 Article Rating:  / 2
Motorola and T-Mobile announced Mot's first Android smartphone, as well as a "push" social networking streaming web service called MotoBlur. The slider-format Cliq smartphone offers a 3.1-inch HVGA touchscreen, a 5-megapixel autofocus camera, GPS, 3G HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, and sensors, says Motorola.
The Cliq appears to be the formal name for the "Morrison" phone, previously rumored to have been headed T-Mobile's network. The Cliq will be carried exclusively by T-Mobile in the U.S. later this fall, the carrier says. Meanwhile, Motorola and Verizon Wireless will announce the manufacturer's second Android phone, a more advanced model called the "Sholes," in a few weeks.
The Cliq, showing MotoBlur widget UI MotoBlur appears to be similar in some ways to the Palm Synergy functionality found in the Linux-based WebOS operating system of the Palm Pre and new Palm Pixi. Somewhat similar integration features are also available with the HTC Sense UI provided with the Sprint-destined HTC Hero and new, scaled-down HTC Tattoo.  Cliq with MotoBlur in portrait mode MotoBlur integrates communications ranging from email to social networking activity, streaming together and syncing updates to contacts, posts, messages, photos, and data, says Motorola. MotoBlur can pull from sources including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Gmail, as well as work and personal email, says the company. MotoBlur and the Cliq deliver these messages to the homescreen using a novel UI that combines thought balloon pop-up messages with the photos of the senders (see images above). Inside the Cliq Motorola does not list the processor or internal memory used in the Cliq, but says the phone ships with a 2GB SD card that can be upgraded to 32GB. Overall, the phone measures 2.3 x 4.5 x 0.6 inches, only slightly larger than the HTC Hero. Like the Hero, it offers a 320 x 480 touchscreen, but just slightly smaller at 3.1 inches. No claims are made for multitouch support or other special gesture-based I/O.
 The Cliq at an angle Supporting the full gamut of T-Mobile's U.S.-based network modes, including HSDPA 3G, with download speeds of up to 7.2Mbps, the Cliq offers WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a five megapixel camera (all of these match the Hero's specs). The Cliq also supplies a 3.5mm audio jack and microUSB connector, as well as accelerometers, a proximity sensor, and a light sensor.  Cliq from down under The Cliq ships with the Android Webkit browser, and offers support for Exchange Server and Gmail, as well as a wide variety of messaging services. Numerous calling features are also said to be provided (see list below). Specifications listed for the Motorola Cliq include:
Motorola was one of the first handset vendors to announce plans to ship an Android phone. Last fall, it surprised the industry by stating that it would replace its native Linux MotoMAGX platform with Android and also ditch Symbian UIQ. Since then, the struggling company's mobile sales have continued to fall. Just as the Palm Pre was seen as a do-or-die product release for the struggling Palm, the Cliq and the upcoming "Sholes" Android phones could be a make-or-break gamble for Mot's phone business. Motorola has long dominated Linux mobile phone sales, as can be seen in our Linux Mobile Phones showcase archive, here.
Motorola tipped the long-awaited Cliq announcement several weeks ago with a save-the-date invite, by which point the company had already announced that it would offer two Android phones by the holidays. The Cliq announcement was made at GigaOM’s Mobilize 09 conference today by Motorola co-CEO and mobile chief Sanjay Jha (pictured), along with T-Mobile USA CTO Cole Brodman. The latter is getting be an old hand at Android phone announcements, considering that T-Mobile has already announced the original G1 and the MyTouch 3G, both made by HTC. Stated Motorola's Jha, "We’re pleased to announce our first Android-powered device in partnership with T-Mobile USA. Motorola Cliq with MotoBlur differentiates the Android experience for consumers by being the only smartphone that automatically syncs conversations, contacts and content, and delivers a solution that’s instinctive, social and smart." Availability The Motorola Cliq with MotoBlur will be available exclusively to T-Mobile customers later this fall, say the two companies. Pricing will be announced at a later date. More information on the Cliq and MotoBlur is available at Motorola, here, and at T-Mobile, here. Related Stories:
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