The Cliq isn’t just the third Android phone in T-Mobile’s lineup. This device represents Motorola’s first major step in its effort to make a comeback with consumers. And if this phone is a sign of things to come, we think Motorola is definitely on the right path. Thanks to a highly customizable user interface and an ambitious Motoblur service, which puts all your social networks—such as Twitter and Facebook—front and center, the Cliq is an excellent smart phone. Add in a 5-megapixel camera, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a comfortable keyboard (not to mention tight integration with Google’s services), and you have a device that runs circles around the myTouch 3G.
Design
The black, reinforced stainless steel body of the Motorola Cliq (also available in Winter White) measures 4.5 x 2.3 x 0.6 inches and weighs 5.7 ounces. The myTouch 3G, by comparison, is a bit smaller at 4.4 x 2.2 x 0.6 inches, and weighs a much lighter 4.1 ounces. To be fair, though, the myTouch 3G doesn’t include a physical keyboard, and the new Storm2 (which lacks a keyboard) weighs 5.6 ounces.
The front of the Cliq features a 3.1-inch, 480 x 320-pixel capacitive touchscreen display, as well as three navigation buttons: a menu key, a Home button, and a return key. Unfortunately, the device does not currently support multitouch gestures. Volume controls, a mini-USB charging port, and a silent mode toggle switch are on the left side of the phone. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on top, and a camera quick-launch button and lock/power key are on the right side.
The back of the Cliq is textured with plastic ridges to prevent it from slipping from your hand. The entire device feels sturdy, and was able to stand up to a regular beating inside our pocket or bag. In fact, the build quality on the Cliq makes the older T-Mobile G1 feel relatively chintzy. Keyboard
A full QWERTY keyboard slides out from below the screen on the Cliq, and it carries the black color scheme around its border. The keys are titanium-colored with white lettering, and there’s a five-way navigational pad marked by a red circle to the left of the keyboard. Aside from a miniature spacebar, we found the keyboard to be a pleasure to type on. The keys offered good tactile feedback, and are spaced appropriately to help avoid errors. Our only gripe is that it can be tricky to click the Alt key and a number simultaneously.
The on-screen QWERTY keyboard, available in portrait and landscape modes, was not nearly as accurate. Trying to type “nygiants” resulted in several typos. Using the on-screen keyboard in portrait mode is fine if you need to enter something quick, but in general we prefer using the HTC-designed keyboards on the Hero and myTouch 3G; the layouts are easier to type on, and there’s a better autocomplete feature.
