Motorola Backflip promo spot reminds us what rock and roll is all about

Remember when men were men and guitar riffs were boring and mindless? Moto does. The company has thrown together a little animated spot demonstrating its new Backflip handset. If you're the sort of person who has trouble conceptualizing objects in 3D space -- particularly objects that run Moto Blur and have an oddly oriented keyboard that flips backwards to face out from the back of the device -- this video should work wonders for you. If you're the sort of person who burned your Big Muff fuzzbox in effigy on New Year's Eve, you might want to rip your computer speakers out right about now. Video is after the break, and don't forget to check out our hands-on with the phone for a deeper, more staid look.

[Alan Strangis Posted Jan 14th 2010 11:16AM]

The hardware design is interesting, and putting a track pad on the back actually kind of makes sense, especially for keyboard heavy users, since that where the index fingers would naturally rest...

How the keyboard performs for heavy texters is another question.

[kutt Posted Jan 14th 2010 11:21AM]

Interesting phone concept and ad shows it off well, but the whole keyboard and bend in completely unnecessary.

[anfreld Posted Jan 14th 2010 11:32AM]

why the keyboard is on the wrong side??

[anfreld Posted Jan 14th 2010 11:42AM]

@anfreld i hope they will cut the price because of this misunderstanding between motorola and the maker!!

[HardToBelieve Posted Jan 14th 2010 11:49AM]

@anfreld

Look, the keyboard is supposed to be there. It's fresh, it's new, it's interesting.

[TikiTeko Posted Jan 14th 2010 11:51AM]

@HardToBelieve Makes kinda of think when people swore the Earth was flat... and they dissed the poor Columbus.... IN YOUR FACE 18th CENTURY !! IT is ROUND !

[AppleRoxTheHouse Posted Jan 14th 2010 11:58AM]

@HardToBelieve

It's a useless design. No matter how many ways you hinge and flip it, it's still just another piece of Motorola failure.

[TikiTeko Posted Jan 14th 2010 12:07PM]

@AppleRoxTheHouse I think you are one of them Rotten Apples that contaminate the rest.... Please stop yourself from disgracing Apple Inc by your null ignorant fanboyism...

[appleboy Posted Jan 14th 2010 12:00PM]

another android POS

[TikiTeko Posted Jan 14th 2010 12:08PM]

@appleboy I KNOW !!! Priceless Operating System !!!! TOTALLY AGREE!!!

[MrGlitch Posted Jan 14th 2010 1:22PM]

@TikiTeko Nice :)

[1ofdakoolkidz Posted Jan 14th 2010 12:19PM]

Tidbit of info for all of you, that may not know this is not a typical keyboard it is screen keyboard that illuminates when the phone is flipped and when it is not it looks like a regular back, kind of cool.

[Drybones5 Posted Jan 14th 2010 6:19PM]

@1ofdakoolkidz

People don't seem to understand that its not a keyboard facing out, its a back with a keyboard that appears when you flip it :O!!!!!

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 14th 2010 12:20PM]

one word.......
lame.stupid.idiotic.ridiculous.motorola.morons

[recharged95 Posted Jan 14th 2010 12:41PM]

If the sliding mechanism is solid like the Cliq (the Droid IMO does get loose over time), AND this has a snapdragon, then looks like we have something here.

Also, I noticed no AT&T logo button--I hope it gets deployed on all GSM networks (AT&T & Tmo).

[n8equalsd Posted Jan 14th 2010 1:06PM]

@recharged95
a snapdragon is unlikely. I think the specs were already released. I don't know where they are , though

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 14th 2010 2:05PM]

@n8equalsd if only there was a sliding mechanism...

[c w j Posted Jan 14th 2010 2:57PM]

@(Unverified)

the hinge kind of negates the need for that.

;/

[c w j Posted Jan 14th 2010 2:56PM]

why are so many people asking "why is the keyboard...." like this phone has been leaked for some time and previewed here for at least a month?

My idea for this was to have the keyboard placed under the LCD like your average k-brd slider with the trackpad on the back of the k-brd.

Not that I think of it, multitouch might be usefull as well.

OR.

Use an accelerometer to control cursor/scroll while the keyboard's out.

I'll be happy to try this once it's out though.

[kongmw Posted Jan 14th 2010 3:54PM]

@c w j well for at least for me its like "i still can figure out why the keyboard is designed like this after a month of its initial leak/preview/release/whatever"...

oh well, at least the scroll on the back of the screen might be useful, no?

[kongmw Posted Jan 14th 2010 3:55PM]

@kongmw correction: *can't* not *can*

[Tristan88888888 Posted Jan 14th 2010 3:12PM]

terrible ad imo.

[crichton007 Posted Jan 14th 2010 4:39PM]

The commercial only makes it look worse.

[Corporate Rage Posted Jan 14th 2010 5:53PM]

Alright this sucks for two reasons. (And they're both related to each other too! ;) )

Broken keyboard buttons, oh but thats no problem I'll just get a case for... oh.. wait.. that's right, can't do that. Didn't think this through now did ya?

[Tes Posted Jan 15th 2010 5:16AM]

@Corporate Rage

How many devices have you owned where the button on the keyboard/pad broke? I cannot at all think of a single device I've ever owned with keys like the ones I'm looking at here that broke. It's a problem you're imaging could happen that I'm sure is extremely rare and therefore not worth too much consideration.

[Mustafa Posted Jan 14th 2010 6:09PM]

The only real design flaw is the camera placement. Maybe it should've been behind the screen. The looks are slightly iPhoneish, from the front. The silver should've been darker or something.
But still its a design that I like, maybe because it is quite oddball.

[tmilliner Posted Jan 14th 2010 7:08PM]

I just don't get the point.

[who Posted Jan 14th 2010 9:11PM]

Interesting that of all the views of the phone shown in the video, not one is showing the keyboard when the device is fully closed.

[shpe11 Posted Jan 15th 2010 7:00AM]

why not something like this:

photo: http://content.shpe.ro/upload/p00020000_11phone.jpg

more about the concept: http://concepts.shpe.ro/?id2=00040000

[pankomputerek Posted Jan 15th 2010 12:48PM]

I did NOT seen the camera has it got one?

[Aelanor Posted Jan 28th 2010 9:18AM]

@pankomputerek - Yes it has a camera

[BackflipForums Posted Jan 20th 2010 5:29PM]

I'm a bit disappointed that the claim is the keyboard is not an improvement over the Droids. The Droid keyboard is "OK" -- not great by any stretch but it is certainly usable.

Why would Motorola go backwards on this "essential" feature?

http://www.backflipforums.com

[Aelanor Posted Jan 28th 2010 9:17AM]

I want this phone - the CES video (http://cnettv.cnet.com/motorola-backflip/9742-1_53-50081925.html) was great, this one is a lot of fun.

It's great to see Motorola leading the way again - the android phones are innovative, well made and looks like there are only more coming!