Motorola Backflip now on sale at AT&T
By Darren Murph 
posted March 7th 2010 12:08PM
posted March 7th 2010 12:08PM
[Thanks, mittens]
posted March 7th 2010 12:08PM
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Definitely holding out for the Mini 5!!!
@EskimoPie
as well as the htc desire and nexus one!
@EskimoPie I was waiting on that too, but then I figured since it was skinned over, it'll never be updated again and forgotten like all the other skinovers.
I'll be getting the Nexus One, right after I figure out where my Nexus One goes, if not in my pocket.
This phone looks great to be honest, the only thing that ruins it is the tainted Yahoo services, please AT&T, let this be the only one. K?
@EskimoPie I was waiting for what SE brings to the party.
@AlexSanchez
Yeah, why exactly do companies have to mandate all these carrier specific skins on phones. All Android phones should come plain vanilla and then have a catalogue of different skins that you can choose. That way the base system to update would always be consistent. This just proves that the plain vanilla Android isn't quite there yet.
@EskimoPie I'm still waiting for the Canadian Milestone to have a price drop. I wouldn't dare spend over $600 for any phone.
I remember a while back, before I had heard about the backflip, I kind of came up with this design idea of a backflipping keyboard.
When the I heard about the backflip I was excited, but now I really can't see the benefit of this hardware design. Feel free to refresh my memory... But it just seems a little silly to keep both the keys and the screen exposed in your pocket.
@AlexSanchez So so true. The fact that AT&T stripped google as the default search (and presumably other services) provider in favor of yahoo is a major no no in my book. So big a no no in fact that I recently advised a friend who was in the market for an AT&T smartphone to not get the Backflip even though I';m usually a big ol' Android Fanboi.
@EskimoPie Dell Mini 5 is great. Period.
IMO, this one still looks...well... I actually thought that backward folding was a stupid idea...but Motorola's design team is killer. ALL of their recent devices have made a STATEMENT, whether or not everyone particulary enjoyed Motorola's specific implementation of it.
More: http://bit.ly/motorola-backflip-core-function
@neeshacoldren I won't be doing any backflips for this phone.
@AlexSanchez AT&T have a broad deal with Yahoo for everything (wireless, DSL, U-verse etc etc) and are not going to risk that deal (and the money it likely brings for AT&T) by shipping a device that is tied to Yahoos biggest competitor.
So if you want a phone with both AT&T and Google, you will be waiting quite a while (unless you buy one and find a way to flash it with a hacked ROM that replaces the Yahoo stuff with Google stuff)
Shame about that dedicated AT&T button that could have gone to much better use...
I'd rather have a dedicated Twitter app button tbh..
Major yawn.
@steakman
what?? it doesn't really matter that this phone is somewhat crappy, or that blur is aimed squarely at tween socialites. what matters is that android has now hit all four of the major carriers. the only other platform with that broad of a base is winmo (which is about to be extinct, if only in name). google is so powerful that it is almost scary.
RIM
@wupolo
Thanks. Dunno why Americans act like Blackberry and Nokia, the two biggest sellers in the world, smartphone wise, don't exist...
Blackberry runs the US. Period.
@christexaport
You seem like a reasonably bright guy(I've seen many of your comments on Boy Genius as well as Engadget) but I sometimes find it hard to agree with your views because of your slant toward anything Nokia(you mostly comment to defend that company).
It seems like you don't understand why Americans aren't interested in a product(Nokia) the rest of the world buys in droves. I'll fill you in on a dirty little secret: Symbian isn't very good. Also, Nokia doesn't manufacture product for the technology(CDMA) that underpins the most respected American carrier(Verizon).
At one time, Symbian was clearly the best smartphone OS on the market. In fact, it didn't even really have a peer. However, Symbian is no longer the only game in town and now faces superior competition. Symbian^3 and Symbian^4 don't look all that impressive and Maemo(MeeGo) is relatively unpolished.
FYI, I'm American a former owner(and former fan) of S40 Nokias, N95, N78, N79, N82 and N97.
@christexaport
very true, almost ever major company uses bberrys, even Disneyland...
@wupolo
Oh shit. I couldn't see the forest for the trees. My bad. But ironically:
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry.
Why would anyone get a Backflip instead of an iPhone on AT&T when you have to pay the same amount for the phone and in addition the monthly contract price is the same???
This is a real question so please keep it civil.
@dxdragon No idea. Isn't the monthly price the same as Verizon's anyway? All AT&T has going for it is the iPhone.
@dxdragon I wouldn't buy it from AT&T but instead from a third-party internet retailer. Those guys will pay you to take it.
Can't beat that "price".
[I am a Happy Camper Customer of one of those internet retailers. My current phones were "free" at the time I bought them when others were charging somewhat more than free - no complaints in my particular case]
@dxdragon I think I got my answer:
It would be the tighter social network integration.
@dxdragon I totally agree. I'm not Apple's biggest fan... but even I don't understand why someone would choose this over the iPhone.
@honestgabe
Why people buy Hondas when there are Toyotas?
@dxdragon As a developer I have major problems with Apple's App Store, and have no desire to ever support them as a result.
Now AT&T filling this with their crappy bloatware and making it an awful Yahoo-experience, means I have zero interest in this device, and also even less hope that they'll release an Android device that is worth my money (one that's a true Google-experience).
No, the message they send by finally and lastly limping onto the Android playing field with this is, "If you want a decent smartphone, that's not an iPhone, leave AT&T."
@dxdragon For the same reason there are so many other phones out there. Some people like on phone, some like another. I personally have an iPhone (I'm typing this on it), but I will be swapping to Android once a better on is out. Some people may like the form factor of this. I personally don't like physical keyboards. Some people do and may love this. I see kids being the main user of this phone if you ask me.
@dxdragon Hmm...I don't know maybe because its cheaper(Plan wise)? You know, NOT EVERYBODY wants a 4-5" screen with a 1 GHz dual processor with a 12 MPx camera that costs over $900 that won't even fit in your pocket. You guys are so damn spoiled with your high expectations. No wonder you people trash all these low-mid market phones.
@SomePerson Not sure why the hostility, however the cost of the plan for this phone is the same as the iPhone.
@SomePerson When did iPad get put into this conversation, L2Read before posting, also it has the same monthly data plan requirement as the iPhone making the monthly bill the same, and as 99$ with a 2 year contract, the price point is identical.
@SomePerson
But this phone isn't low-mid Market. It is competing directly with the iPhone/ iPhone 3GS because the plan costs the exact same, the contract is the same, and the phone costs $200 upfront, and 100 after a mail in rebate, something everyone hates.
Bottom line is this POS is competing head to head with the iPhone 3G/S and it isn't in the same league.
@honestgabe
open app development, multitasking, choice of default browsers, email clients, etc.
Apple hampers innovation, believe it or not. And I'm a Maemo user, but would take a G1 before an iPhone, and this is much better. Why would you want an iPhone over this which does much more at once??
@SomePerson the N1 has a snapdragon processor and fits in my pocket. And the screen will never break.
@dxdragon I might get one at full price to get out of my iPhone. I can install apps I want, not apps Apple approves. And maybe, just maybe, when I am driving and initiate a call with voice dial through the bluetooth earpiece, this phone won't ring in my ear and then transfer audio to the handset (not even speakerphone) when the party answers. That alone should save me a car insurance deductible.
@dxdragon I agree. I have an iPhone 3G(the 16 GB model bought a week after it came out) and while I am horribly annoyed by it, and will be getting either an android or webos phone soon, I really think since AT&T and veriZon have very similar pricing now, the only reason to go with AT&T is to get the iPhone.
Plus, the now low end iPhone 3G is not that much worse then the 3GS versus this thing I nowhere near as good as a droid or nexus.
@dxdragon Absolutely share the same question. The only reason to be with AT&T is to get an iPhone. My and my wifes family plan averages 240$ a month. My father and his wife have tmobile and nexus one's. They pay 110$. AT&T is too expensive. Unless you want an iPhone so bad you would jump through fire. :)
@Saljen You're telling me to learn to read? I didn't even mention the iPad not once in my post. Shows how much you know.
And second, its not competing with the iPhone 3GS, but rather than the older model. I'm not being any where near as hostile as the people on this post that are bashing this phone. They haven't even touched it and already marked it as a failure. You can't just deem somethings going to be a failure simply because you don't like it.
@dxdragon
It's all about personal preference. I've been using iPhones since the original model (incl 3GS) and I got bored with it. I picked up a Backflip this morning. I love the level of customization it offers over the iPhone. There's really not anything I can't do on this that I did on the iPhone. I really like the keyboard (incl virtual). It will be upgraded to 2.1 soon enough, but as my first Android phone I'm very happy with it so far. I've tried the phone, web, apps, music player, camera and video player and can't complain about any of it. That's more than I could ever say for my iPhones.
@Waltah Very good points. I personally love my iPhone and waiting for the next version prior to upgrading from my 3g. I did get bored with my 3g for about a month until I found that gaming on the iPhone to be way better than I could of imagined. I have bought over 100+ apps since I started using the app store and replaced most of the Apple default applications with 3rd party versions with additional features. So I am quite happy.
Everyone is a bit different so I think the iPhone is not for everyone. I love to thinker but need my phone to just work. I thought about Android but the reality is that the platform is to fragmented and the any app can be accepted (and run on the background) scares me. I have tons of personal information on my Phone (more so than on any single computer) and the potential of downloading potential malware from the Android app store keeps me away.
Android can be killer in a tablet form factor if done right tho. I can accept more risk in that form factor and the added control over the device might be nice.
Oh regarding the upgrading to 2.1 I think that is where Google is messing up big time. People like me want something that just works and can be upgraded as soon as the latest patch comes out. Apple recognizes that, however Google is allowing their platform to be fragmented leaving many users out in the cold.
If Android is @ 2.1 everyone that owns an Android phone should be able to upgrade to 2.1. Knowing that I could have free gps navigation if I was able to upgrade to xyz version and not being able to do it because manufacturer specific customizations bites...
I would leave the iPhone if they ever did that... At the very least I would want to have the option to pay for it.
@Bobart Unfortunately, you seem to be right. Not only Yahoo! Search, but also, as you said, AT&T's own bloatware. AT&T Maps, etc., etc. People who knows just a bit about Android won't buy Backflip. And, unfortunately, it is likely that next AT&T "Android" phones will suffer from the same issues.
@dxdragon
For the 5megapixel camera/Video recorder, keyboard, upgradeable memory, android. Just to name a few. Plus everyone one has an iPhone, I want something a little more unique. Or I may wait to see what HTC has to offer.
-Jailbroken iPhone user.
"[Thanks, mittens]" BEST. THANKS. EVER.
As much as I love Android. Iphone would kill this...
I would get it if I didn't have to pay for monthly data cost. I would love this phone for a messaging phone.
This phone is a joke. I've played with a friends cliq and was very dissapointed with Blur, and as others have pointed out, an iPhone can be had for the same price.
@deepdigits
can it add a keypad, flash for the camera, multitasking, browser choice, etc.?
@christexaport
Point taken, but it has BLUR and Yahoo instead of Google. The features you mentioned aren't enough to take down the iphone, especially at the same price point. Not knocking Android, just this incarnation of it at this price on this network.
Finally an athletic phone to match the active American lifestyle!
@Flutterbudget
Haha America is the fattest country in the world. And yes I live here too.
Nope, Maybe Windows phone is in my future, but for now I'm sticking with my iPhone. Android is splitting into too many different version for early adoption.