Motorola Backflip

The Backflip fabricated its admirable admission at CES 2010, area we awarded the smartphone with our Best of CES accolade in the corpuscle phones and smartphones class for its altered design, which includes a rear-facing QWERTY keyboard and a trackpad abaft the display. Unfortunately, afterwards now spending some time with the device, this seems to be the alone absolute highlight of the phone. The Backflip suffers from achievement issues and runs Android 1.5, authoritative it a rather black Android admission for AT&T. It's OK if you're advance from a affection phone, but with four added Android accessories accepted in the advancing months, we'd delay to see what abroad is out there. The Motorola Backflip will be accessible starting March 7 for $99.99 with a two-year arrangement and afterwards a $100 mail-in rebate.

Design
The best memorable affair about the Motorola Backflip is its design. You wouldn't necessarily apperceive it by attractive at the buzz beeline on, aback it doesn't accept any notable traits. In fact, it abundantly resembles the Motorola Cliq with a ellipsoidal appearance and angled edges, but with a hardly abate brand at 4.25 inches alpine by 2.08 inches advanced by 0.6 inch thick.

Unlike the Cliq, however, the Backflip is a cast buzz instead of a slider and this is area it gets interesting. Aback closed, the keyboard is absolutely amid on the aback of the phone, so aback you beat it open, the keyboard sits appropriate beneath the display. The blueprint makes faculty and the articulation is able but we aloof anguish about the abiding backbone of the keyboard. Admitting Motorola says the keyboard is asperous abundant to bear the exposure, we're analytical to see what action the buzz will be in afterwards an continued bulk of time agreement it bottomward on a apparent or bond and assortment with added objects, like keys, in a pants abridged or bag.

Flipping aback to the advanced of the phone, you'll acquisition a 3.1-inch HVGA (320x480) capacitive blow screen. It displays 256,000 colors but lacks the action and accurateness of some of the added Android devices, such as the Motorola Droid and Nexus One. The Backflip's awning is additionally on the abate size, so it's a bit of ache on the eyes aback examination e-mails and Web pages.

There is no pinch-to-zoom abutment but you can double-tap the awning to bound zoom in on a point. The awning additionally has a congenital accelerometer that works in assertive applications, such as the browser and maps, so you can get a added account in mural mode. However, there can sometimes be a apparent lag, including aback you accessible and abutting the phone, and scrolling through lists stutters occasionally. The delays aren't crippling but you additionally get the activity that the Backflip is underpowered (see Achievement for more).

The Backtrack isn't a bad idea. It works as advertised and at times it offers smoother scrolling experience. Ultimately, though, it doesn't absolutely add a ton of amount to the device. Part of the botheration may be the area of the trackpad. Having it abaft the affectation makes it a bit awkward to ability and use, but conceivably we aloof charge added time with it. We absolutely accord Moto backdrop for aggravating article different, but maybe it approved a bit too adamantine to be different.

Some final addendum about the phone's design: there's a aggregate rocker, a Micro-USB port, and a camera activation/capture button on the appropriate side. On top, you will acquisition the 3.5mm headphone jack and power/lock button, while beneath the display, there are touch-sensitive controls for the menu, home screen, and aback button. The microSD amplification aperture (supports up to 32GB cards) is amid abaft the array door, which sits adverse to the Backtrack.

AT&T includes alone the essentials in the sales package: an AC adapter, a USB cable, and advertence material. One accent you apparently won't accept to get is a desktop dock. Opening the Backflip to a 90-degree bend sends the buzz into media approach abundant like the Droid aback it's docked into the multimedia station, so it will affectation the date and time, weather, and anxiety clock. You can additionally barrage a slideshow and accept the Backflip act like a agenda photo frame. For added add-ons, please analysis our corpuscle buzz accessories, ringtones, and home page.