Hasta La Gadget!

October 19th may be under a month away, but that’s still an eternity in “waiting years.” Thankfully, Motorola has posted up a handy guide that spells out exactly what kind of pre-loaded software comes with the CLIQ, and we’ve got to say — the list is fairly impressive. For starters, users will get access to LastFM, an array of Google features, Yahoo! Mail (funny, real funny), Digg, Mint, Facebook, Twitter, Travel Channel, MTV and Amazon’s MP3 Store. On top of all that, Moto’s throwing in QuickOffice — a piece that demands $9.99 on the iPhone — as well as TeleNav Navigator, which has also found itself on a few other Android-based smartphones over the centuries. Hit the read link for the full list, but only if you don’t mind the tease.

[Via Phandroid]

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Motorola impresses with pre-loaded apps list for CLIQ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

All smartphones must decide where they want to integrate and where they want to provide a platform for innovation. RIM, for example, has integrated what is still the best e-mail management application into the BlackBerry (although its lack of HTML email and IMAP support are real drawbacks these days) and Apple has integrated both its own Safari browser as well as services such as Google Maps. But now companies such as Palm and Motorola are integrating social networks, and that could have some downsides.

Continue reading Switched On: How Motorola’s CLIQ could start to drag

Filed under: Cellphones

Switched On: How Motorola’s CLIQ could start to drag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The wait’s killing us for a proper hands-on with this thing, but we just had a chance to very briefly touch — yes, touch — the CLIQ as we wandered the show (and ran into tnkgrl in the process). Here’s what we can tell you:

• Despite the MSM7201a core, the UI is definitely faster than any factory ROM we’ve used before on any Android device. A good test of this is to quickly swipe open the app drawer — the action’s smooth on the CLIQ, whereas most Magic ROMs would stutter.
• The screen is glass capacitive, and it feels that way. There’s no “give” like you’ve got on a G1 or Magic, for example.
• Expanding on the glass screen, the device feels absolutely fantastic overall. Through Motorola’s thick and thin, you’ve got to admit that the company has a reputation for building ridiculously rock-solid phones, and we’re pleased to say that the trend is continuing with the CLIQ. Pictures don’t do it justice — the white model looks particularly cheap at a glance — but in the hand, it feels like it’s fashioned from a solid block of metal.
• The camera button has a focus detent, which makes it a heck of a lot easier to properly harness the power of your 5 megapixel autofocus optics. The jury’s still out on photo quality, but it seems promising and focusing is relatively quick (though our disappointment in QVGA 24fps video still runs pretty deep).
• This probably blew Google’s mind, but MOTOBLUR has five home screen panels along with a small indicator similar to the iPhone’s to show you which one you’re currently on. Who knew that someone might want more than three? [Yes, we know HTC’s bringing additional panels to the table in Sense as well — thing is, stock Android doesn’t, which a majority of Android phones in circulation still run. It’d be nice to see Google take something like this into the trunk in Donut or Eclair. -Ed.]
• The keyboard feels great. Truly stellar, actually — and we don’t think there’s much room for complaints about layout, unless you’re really into the dedicated horizontal number row.

We’ll have more thoughts this evening once we’ve spent more quality time… you know, “clicking” with the CLIQ. Sorry.

Update: More screenshots of CLIQ and MOTOBLUR UI, including the back panel designs and some comparison shots. Interesting to note that the keyboard aspect of the device is just slightly thinner than the iPhone 3GS.

Update 2: Now with more video!

Continue reading Motorola CLIQ: first hands-on impressions (update: with video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Motorola CLIQ: first hands-on impressions (update: with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CLIQs are pretty hard to come by in the wake of Motorola’s big announcement today, but we flagged down an all-too-nice rep who showed off the phone’s major talking points. Though it’s got the same old Qualcomm MSM7201a beating in its chest that we’ve found in countless other Android and WinMo phones — not anything thoroughly modern like Snapdragon — we’re feeling cautiously optimistic that MOTOBLUR is snappier in day-to-day use than HTC’s competing Sense. The built-in widgets Motorola is supplying look top-notch with a ton of spit and polish (seemingly without sacrificing speed or usability), so all told, we think Moto’s been really cranking this year baking this platform to a golden crisp. Follow the break for the epic demo, and pay special attention to the white model when the rep pulls it out — the back was supposed to be stylized Morse code that reads “I love Friday nights,” but apparently they ran out of space, so it’s now just random dots on a cover. At least it still looks cool, though, and that’s the important thing.

Continue reading Video: Motorola CLIQ gets demoed in detail

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Video: Motorola CLIQ gets demoed in detail originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola just announced its first Android handset, the CLIQ, which is headed to T-Mobile by the fourth quarter, or in time for the holidays. As you’d expect, it runs the new MOTOBLUR Android skin, and Moto’s calling it “the first phone with social skills” to highlight the social networking integration. It’ll come in two colors, Winter White and Titanium, and have a 3.1-inch 320 x 480 screen, 3G, WiFi, and a five megapixel camera that’ll also shoots 24fps video. Internationally, the CLIQ will be known as the DEXT, and it’ll be on Orange, Telefonica, and America Movil. It will also be far less ugly than we all expected from those Morisson leaks.

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola CLIQ runs Android, headed to T-Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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