Cliq
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Motorola Backflip now official, Cliq promised Android 2.1 and Droid Flash 10.1
AT&T's quick tease this morning has finally materialized: introducing the Motorola Backflip, a QWERTY device with WiFi, five megapixel camera, and Android 1.5. It's not a slider; instead, it's got the keyboard on the outside and flips outward. Motoblur's the skin of choice here, and before you say anything, Sanjay Jha himself says "we're still working on battery life." He wouldn't confirm a carrier, but "unique form factor" and previous leaks all but guarantee this is its inaugural Ma Bell Android phone. And don't fret Cliq / Droid users, Jha wants you to know that Android 2.1 is coming to all its Motorola devices, including Cliq, and Droid's getting Flash 10.1. So hey, there's something you can really look forward to. Update: While it should eventually get 2.1, according to the presser, at launch it'll only have Android 1.5 -- bummer. Thanks to chilko for the heads up!
Motorola Cliq gets rooted by the Dude
Sick of Motorola meting out Android firmware updates when it chooses? Trust in The Dude -- TheDudesAndroid, to be specific, a user over at ModMyMoto who has posted The Dudes Root for Cliq (following up an earlier and similarly unkempt version for the G1). The install process looks about as complicated as you might expect, so make sure you keep Walter away while you're re-flashing lest your handset go all nihilistic on ya. At this point it's just another 1.5 ROM being installed, but the hope is for a 2.1 port coming in the not too distant future. Unless you're really pining to get full control over your handset we'd go ahead and wait for that version of the Dude to abide. Update: The Dude mentioned in comments that credit is also due to fellow Android magicians danation, Skilrax_CZ, and others. We can't think of any funny movie references for those names so we'll just leave it at that. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Motorola's Shop4apps online Android app store discovered
Leave it to the gung ho gang at Android and Me to do some clever Googling and discovering Motorola's web based Android app store, Shop4apps. The store has since been removed / made hidden, but not before we got a good glimpse at the whole shebang. There's a MyLocker section to check your download history, the ability to re-download and transfer aspps to a new phone, and a special MotoAppstore client for downloading and installing the apps (which unfortunately wasn't working yet). Frankly, the images aren't too flattering, so we're hoping for some further tweaking before it's official launch. In the meantime, hit up the source link for more pictures. [Thanks, Taylor]
T-Mobile pushing CLIQ firmware update today? (update: yes!)
TmoNews seems to have it on good authority that T-Mobile will be rolling out a firmware update over the air to the Motorola CLIQ today -- the device's first since launch -- and we've got good news and bad news. First, the bad: by all accounts, it appears that this'll still be an Android 1.5-based firmware, adding fuel to the fire suggesting that UI skins like BLUR are a huge barrier to keeping devices up to speed with Google's breakneck release pace. The good news, though, is that the update seems to be lined up to fix a plethora of issues involving Bluetooth, touchscreen accuracy (we can attest to this one), connectivity, accelerometer functionality, and -- wait for it -- battery life! Looks like the build number is 1.1.31, so let us know if and when you get hooked up, owners. Update: We've gotten tips from several users now that they've already been able to nab the update, so it looks like the CLIQ is definitely getting a little better today. Well, hopefully, anyhow.
Stats show Motorola Droid is the new elephant in the Android room
Remember back in the day when the West was still wild, the gold rush was still in full effect, you owned whatever land you could manage to fence off, and tycoons were being made and broken on a daily basis? No? Well, some of you whippersnappers might be too young to recall it, but trust us, it happened -- and it seems like that's the kind of frontier mentality we're getting again today in the nascent Android landscape. Just a couple weeks after launching, mobile ad clearinghouse AdMob reports that the Motorola Droid is already accounting for a whopping 24 percent of all its Android-based traffic -- no small feat, considering that the then-unreleased device didn't even move the needle in their October report (pictured in the left graph). The HTC Dream -- the world's first retail Android device, you might remember -- still reigns supreme at 36 percent, but it's amazing that the entire Android space is still volatile enough to register nearly a 25 percent shift with the launch of a single new device on a single carrier. For comparison, the CLIQ clocks in with a lowly 6 percent -- proof that Verizon's aggressive advertising has been working some magic. Question is, what'll be the next device to completely screw up this pie chart again?
How would you change Motorola's CLIQ?
It's a funny thing, the CLIQ. When it was introduced at a low-key press conference, the world gasped as the flagging handset maker finally made its first really bold move since the RAZR by ushering in its first-ever Android handset. Here we a few months later, and the only Android-based Moto that anyone's talking about is the Droid. That said, we're confident that a few of you T-Mobile loyalists are sticking to your guns (wouldn't want to get caught up in that whole Verizon / AT&T scuffle, now would you?), but moreover, we're certain that early CLIQ adopters have quite a bit to say now that the Droid is on the market. Is the CLIQ still living up to the hype? Are you still impressed with what it offers? What recommendations would you have for improving the next-generation? Feel free to spout off below, and hey, don't try to hide any lingering bitterness -- we won't look down on you for it.
Bug in Motorola CLIQ's OpenGL implementation breaks a few games
If you've run into trouble trying to load up Hexage's Buka or Totemo on your CLIQ, you're not alone -- it seems that some wonky handling of a few OpenGL API calls on Motorola's first Android device are causing heartache for users and developers alike. It's not clear how many apps in total make use of the calls, but we'd imagine they're in line to be fixed -- and thanks to the CLIQ's support for over-the-air updates, we're hoping those fixes come sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we suppose that DROID's always an option, right? [Via I4U and Android and Me]
Motorola CLIQ lands in T-Mobile USA stores today
Motorola's Android-laden CLIQ has been available to existing T-Mobile USA users for a hot minute now, but not until today has the handset been widely available to all that care to take notice. Of course, the proper launch has been dampened somewhat by the emergence of the DROID (alongside Android 2.0), but hey, MOTOBLUR ain't nuthin' to scoff at, right? Feel free to locate your nearest T-Mob retail location, waltz in with $199.99 and get yours today.
Motorola CLIQ available to T-Mobile customers now, great masses November 2
Well now this is a pleasingly rapid transition from announcement to review samples to market availability. Motorola's Android-loving CLIQ (already on sale under the moniker DEXT in the UK), its QWERTY keyboard and all the apps you could desire are now ready to be had, should you already have an account with T-Mobile, the device's exclusive US carrier. It was expected that only pre-orders would be taken today, but it appears for all the world that T-Mobile is ready to start shipping the CLIQ to its loyal customers ahead of the November 2nd full release date. Prices start from the previously reported $199.99 on a two-year agreement -- a move that will give you plenty of time to wonder if you shouldn't have waited for more details about the Droid mashup from Verizon, Motorola, and Google.
Motorola CLIQ review
Palm and Motorola have taken very different paths to get where they are today; one began life as a scrappy Valley start-up founded by a tablet computing pioneer, the other traces its roots to all the way back to the early days of consumer electronics and the automotive industry. Yet somehow, through years (decades, even) of adventure, success, and misfortune, they've found themselves in exactly the same situation here in 2009: it's do-or-die time. Palm, of course, has elected to try its hand at resurrecting the very thing that took it to superstardom in the first place -- an elegant, tightly-controlled software platform of its own with hardware to match -- while Motorola has thrown virtually all of its remaining weight behind Android in the hope that it can catch a little mojo from Google's ecosystem. For Motorola, it's the wireless equivalent of stepping up to the roulette table, putting what's left of your depleted life savings on red, and letting it ride just as you see security guards off in the distance coming to throw you -- penniless -- off the premises. It's a gamble of the highest order, but it's also a gamble Motorola's painfully aware that it needs to take. North America's only top-five handset manufacturer needs nothing less than magic (and a little luck) to earn its way back into the world's wireless elite -- and that risky play starts right here, today, with the CLIQ / DEXT. So does the CLIQ pave the way to a New Motorola, or did the RAZR's checkered legacy ultimately dig a hole too deep to escape? Read on.
Purported Motorola roadmap uncovers Sholes Tablet, Motus and other mythical mysteries
Okay folks, this is the moment where hauling a spoonful of NaCl down the chute would be highly recommended. DialAPhone seems to have unearthed what looks like a Q4 2009 - Q1 2010 Motorola roadmap, and while the finds are certainly intriguing, we're still hesitant to believe this thing is legit. For starters, this is obviously a European plan, so what we're viewing here may never make the tedious journey across the pond anyway. Secondly, how many of you honestly believe Moto's cooking up a Sholes Tablet? Exactly. That said, we'd be the first to drool should that device (or the Motus and / or Zeppelin) launch early next year, and you can bet your bottom dollar that we'll be scraping the floor for details when CES kicks off in just a few months. [Thanks, dejan]
MOTOBLUR ported to the G1, unreleased CLIQ looks on in envy
It's unclear exactly how MOTOBLUR software might've leaked into the wild, but it's already been repurposed in the best sort of way into a G1-friendly ROM. Despite its beta status it's looking relatively snappy, but there are still some missing elements like WiFi and Bluetooth. If anything it's a testament to how portable and hackable Android is turning out to be so far, and we look forward to the ongoing improvements to Android by diverse manufacturers being disseminated far and wide -- though if Motorola had its way, it'd probably at least happen after the relevant device has hit the market. Video is after the break. [Via OnlyGizmos; thanks Annkur]
Motorola DEXT goes on sale in the UK tomorrow, maybe sneaking out today
Statesiders will have to wait another month before getting their hands on the Motorola CLIQ, but the party's getting started early in the UK: the DEXT, as it's called across the pond, goes on sale at Orange shops tomorrow and Phones4U stores the day after. Still not soon enough for you? We're also told that the Orange store in Milton Keynes will be having early sales today -- do let us know if you snag one, won't you? [Via Boy Genius Report]
Motorola CLIQ / DEXT exhaustively photographed, previewed
The Motorola CLIQ hasn't gone on sale yet, but that hasn't stopped a few units from leaking out here and there -- Eldar at mobile-review just posted up one of the most thorough photo previews of the chunky slider we've seen yet. Interestingly, the keyboard continues to draw mixed reviews -- while we rather liked it when we tried it out, m-r says it's just "okay" and that the five-way rocker "wasn't very handy." We'll have to use this thing a while for ourselves before we make up our minds, but for now, we'd direct you to the read link for a ton more photos. [Thanks, MrArgie]
Motorola CLIQ's box filled with excitement, hope
Remember how exciting the original G1's box was? It had all these colorful squares on it and laser-cut "G1" text across the top -- a true packaging classic. Of course, T-Mobile had to raise the bar yet again with the materials on the myTouch 3G, so it came in a nifty hard-shell nylon zippered carrying case. Is it even possible to top that? Probably not -- and it looks like they're not even trying with the CLIQ, which looks like it'll just be coming in a conventional cardboard box with exciting graphics teasing MOTOBLUR's social capabilities. Realistically, the odds of holding on to the packaging for more than about 30 seconds -- the time it takes to tear everything out of it -- are slim to none anyway, so really, they could've put a picture of a Renew on there and we would've been just fine. [Via Cell Phone Signal]
Motorola CLIQ coming to T-Mobile next month for $200 on contract
Counting down the moments with your besties until T-Mobile USA opens up the pre-order page for Motorola's first-ever Android device? Might as well do something more productive in the meanwhile, particularly since the aforesaid carrier has just announced plans to charge $199.99 for the CLIQ on a two-year agreement. Without a doubt, that's quite a bit more than the $0.00 we gently expected (okay, not really) it to run, but it's pretty much par for the course these days. Existing T-Mobile customers that are interested in getting ahold of this thing (in Titanium or Winter White) early can pre-order one from October 19th through November 1st, while newcomers and procrastinators can get theirs in-store starting on November 2nd. So -- you in, or what?
T-Mobile's Motorola CLIQ presale countdown page is up and running
In a little over 19 days from now, you'll be able to get your CLIQ... ah wait, no you won't, but at least you'll be able to express your interest in getting a CLIQ, which is a good first step, we suppose. T-Mobile has just thrown up its official CLIQ preorder countdown page, which we're thinking the most die-hard Android types out there are probably going to leave running in the background of their machines for the next three weeks until the moment of truth finally comes. In the meantime, you can register for official updates, which -- sorry, T-Mobile, much love -- probably won't come as quickly as we can provide them. Just sayin'. [Via TmoNews]
Motorola impresses with pre-loaded apps list for CLIQ
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]
Motorola CLIQ promotional material surfaces, confirms October 19th pre-order start
Can you feel it? Can you feel Motorola rushing back to relevance? If you're still in need of a bit more encouragement, have a gander at this. What you're looking at is official T-Mobile USA promotional material for the upcoming CLIQ, and interestingly enough, the whole brochure is in the shape of the phone it's advertising. You won't learn much from flipping through the pages (though the screengrabs are appreciated), but you will notice that pre-orders are set officially begin on October 19th -- just like we knew they would. You know, when it shows up as free on contract.
Engadget Podcast 163 - 09.20.2009
We're a couple days late, but the podcast is back, people. Join Josh, Paul, and Nilay as they run down another hectic week in news, including the Zune HD, some hands-on impressions of the Motorola CLIQ, and the latest in the ongoing Apple / Google saga. Get clicking! P.S.- Josh recorded this on on the road, so he had some audio troubles -- thanks for bearing with us. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: NOISEWAVES - As Days Go By (Family Matters Theme Song) Hear the podcast 00:03:00 - Google says Phil Schiller himself rejected Google Voice from the App Store 00:13:35 - Zune HD review 00:37:50 - Archos 5 Internet Tablet makes an honest PMP out of Android 00:44:04 - HP's new DreamScreens pack Pandora and Facebook into a wireless photo frame 00:50:00 - HP ENVY 13 and 15 bring luxury to the everyman, look like MacBooks 00:59:39 - HTC Hero for Sprint hands-on and impressions 01:04:05 - Motorola CLIQ Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
