5 Responses to “ Motorola CLIQ Android Phone, Titanium ”

1. Always Samsung on July 8th, 2010 6:24 pm

   The best review from a former iPhone and Blackberry user.

   I have been in love with the G1 since it came out a year ago, but I couldn’t get over that ugly chin sticking out! I was beyond ecstatic when the MyTouch 3G was released, but after playing with the device for 3 hours I realized what a piece of crap it was and returned it. The screen wasn’t that big and it made texting and instant messaging a living nightmare. In addition to that, the phone was not multi-touch capable, so if you’re a fast texter and really quick with the emails then the MyTouch 3G is not for you. The virtual keyboard could only handle one letter at a time and I found myself hitting the wrong letters on so many occasions. I would hit a letter and the phone would pick up the surroundings letter. This really is ashame because the thirty-five dollar data plan is mandatory and its travesty that one can’t even use it to the best of their ability. The lack of a keyboard also made the MyTouch 3G a big downer. Anyway, I digress.

   Now, let’s get to the Motorola Cliq. This phone is everything that the G1 and MyTouch 3G should have been, but better. This device doesn’t come with Eclair (Android OS 2.0), but it functions just fine. Hopefully a mandatory upgrade will be made available to all Android users soon. This is a great PDA smart phone for anyone who is heavy into texting, emailing, and surfing the web. It’s a full featured phone, but at the same time it’s nothing groundbreaking. There is definitely some acclimation when it comes to the Cliq because I am so use to my Blackberry 8900 and I think its one of the best built devices with a very responsive well built OS.

   If you’re looking for a device that is very similar to the iPhone on the T-Mobile network then this is probably the closest that you will ever get. My initial impression of the phone was not a good one because it kept asking me to create a user name and password. I thought it was asking for an email address (Yahoo, AOL, Gmail), but it wasn’t. It was asking you to create a MotoBlur account. I did, but kept getting an error message. T-Mobile customer service didn’t know what to do and [...] has an area to sign into MotoBlur & an option to create a motoblur account, but when you click it there’s nothing on screen that lets you create a name/password.

   Android OS – Many people have said that the Android OS is a game changer since its release back in the fall of 2008. It seemed like the only thing at the time to combat with the forces of the iPhone. To some extent it is and to some extent it’s just not quite there yet. To be honest it’s a bit on the clunky side. It does take a few seconds to exit out of certain applications, or to even get to the main home screen menu when exiting out of email and texting. When you become so use to using your cell phone for just about everything – speed is everything. That also includes how responsive and quick your phones OS is. My only gripe is that I wish there wasn’t that few second lag in-between operations.

   Motoblur – The Cliq includes MotoBlur which lets you connect your Facebook, MySpace, and twitter accounts directly to the advice, so whenever your friend writes a new comment it immediately goes to the homepage of the phone. This is a great idea and saves you time from going into the web browser and having to log in each account in order to check for updates. However, this feature is a battery killer. I have mine turns off, besides if you lend your phone to someone else to use (To make a call or use web browser) they will all be up in your business. I could careless about this feature.

   Email – This is also not an Android device that has Google branding with it. It’s just a Motorola phone using the Android OS. There is NO G1 branding logo anywhere. However, you can still sync up your Google email address, but the Gmail feature is such a disappointment. Synchronization has to be turned on for the Gmail to function to the best of its ability & that’s a BIG battery draining feature. You can also sync your Yahoo & AOL email addresses. The AOL and Yahoo email feature is way better then Gmail and doesn’t require synchronization to be turned on. This helps save tremendous battery power. When you send an email from your desktop it doesn’t come to the phone right away, but you can set the phone to check for new emails every 15 mins, 30 mins, or manually, etc. It doesn’t work the same with Gmail which is a big let down. I am a big fan of the Blackberry and it’s the only device on the market that gets an email within 2 seconds of sending it. The same can’t be said for the Android OS. Much work needs to be done.

   Web Browser – One of the best features on any android device including the Cliq is the web browser. Surprisingly, it doesn’t launch [...] as the main homepae when you click browser. The Android Browser is probably one of the best browsers on the market right now and is up there with the Safari Browser and the Palm Pre’s browser. You cant pinch and zoom to enlarge the way you can on the iPhone, but there are zoom in controls which are easy to use. You also get a dedicated YouTube app that lets you watch Youtube videos. Though the video clips aren’t as sharp as the iPhone – There is a setting and option when you are watching the YouTube clip where you can see the videos in “Higher Quality” so its crystal sharp and less blurry.
   
   There is a big difference that one will notice when switching from standard to HIGHER QUALITY.

   3G – TMobile recently launched their 3G network about a little over a year ago, so they are still building from the ground up while the other networks are already moving into 4G. It’s great that the CLIQ has 3G, but it does get spotty and unresponsive sometimes. There were many times that the 3G would switch between 3G and EDGE. I didn’t have that big of a problem with it, but I am sure over time it will get better. Wi-Fi is also included, so this is a great alternative for someone who might be at home and only has EDGE access.

   Instant Messaging – The CLIQ comes with Yahoo Messenger, Google Talk, and AIM pre-installed. My Blackberry 8900 came with all 3 and included ICQ & Windows Live. Another thing about the IM that was such a disappointment is that synchronization had to be activated in order for you to sign into the messaging client, which in turn drains the battery power like crazy. This was such a disappointment. My BB never had this issue. You sign in and start chatting. There was no extra setting that had to be activated in order to chat, but on the CLIQ it’s a requirement. The extra requirement only means that you have to charge you phone twice in one day because of heavy unnecessary usage.

   Motorola really could have done a better job with the CLIQ, especially for the price. But I think most of the minor flaws have to do with the Android OS. I was originally an iPhone user that became a Blackberry user and I have to hand it to the Blackberry because it’s quick, responsive, and built in such a way that its function is superb. Everything from Email to text to instant messaging is just so quick. There is hardly any lag and it’s easy to learn how to use. The Blackberry so far is the best PDA I have ever used, but its web browser needs work. Pick up the CLIQ phone because it’s a winner. There are some minor flaws, but the pros outweigh the negative.

   Pros:
   
   Android OS (Can be a pro & a con)
   
   Full HTML Web Browser
   
   Threaded Text message
   
   Email sync
   
   Android Marketplace
   
   Full qwerty keyboard
   
   YouTube Application
   
   5.0 camera/camcorder
   
   Big vibrant screen
   
   3.5 MM headjack
   
   Decent call quality (No issues yet)
   
   Mini SD up to 32GB
   
   Use your songs as ringers
   
   Wi-Fi
   
   Personal Email (Up to 10 accounts can be added)
   
   IM
   
   My Favs
   
   Excellent Multimedia Player
   
   Includes 2 chargers (Wall Charger & USB charger)
   
   T-Mobile offers the best minute and data plans on this planet

   Cons:
   
   Poor Battery Life (Lower light setting and turn off Motoblur to save power)
   
   Gmail is a disaster (Not push capable)
   
   Needs better notification options when next text/emails come through
   
   No PUSH email capability
   
   Trackball (I miss you)
   
   Occasional lag time when entering/exiting a screen/app
   
   Micro USB (No more Mini USB)
   
   No ear phone or free carry case
   Rating: 5 / 5

2. "Leo" on July 8th, 2010 8:31 pm

   I received my Motorola Cliq during the presale, so I have had it for about 2 weeks. I really enjoy this phone. It is so fun to use and it does so much. I love that I can have all of my social network sites on the home screen (facebook, myspace, twitter, etc). You can also comment on your friend’s updates and update your status very quickly.

   I enjoy the Market feature, where I have downloaded several applications, such as, pandora (a radio), a calendar, a reminder feature, a few games (hang man, tic tac toe, pegs), a dictionary, the Bible (finds the exact passage in church very quickly) and a spell checker to name a few. There are thousands of free downloads available.

   There are five home screens, I can email, text and browse the Internet all while talking on the phone. Google maps is installed, so it’s like having my own personal GPS. Now I never get lost. Google maps automatically finds your exact location if you are lost. You can zoom in and out of the google maps. This feature works well with “Places” to find everything that is located near you (hospitals, hotels, shopping, food, etc). The camera is 5 mega pixels, and there is a video recording feature as well.

   The only negative about this phone is the battery life. It’s very short, since several applications are running at once. You can extend the battery life by only having your phone check for updates every hour vs. every 5 minutes, reducing light on the screen, turning off the GPS and wifi features.
   Rating: 5 / 5

3. T. Tse on July 8th, 2010 11:25 pm

   I had been using the Motorola Cliq since a week after its release. I think it is a great smartphone. The touchscreen is large and easy to read, even in bright sunlight. The sound quality is great and reception is good too; I have not experienced any drop calls. The phone is on the heavier side. The weight actually gives the phone a solid feel, but I am suprised the battery cover is a very thin plastic piece. I am happy the phone uses a 3.5mm headset jack. I like the slide out keyboard; since I do a lot of texting, this is a big plus. The keyboard is very usable; it isn’t as good as the keys on the Motorola Q9, but still offers a good feel. I have read posts questioning the navigation key on left side of the keyboard. I actually like using the navigation key; I find it easier than using the touchscreen. Placing on a hard gel phone cover did reduce the space between the top row of keys and the slide back screen. The 5 megapixal camera is great; the lack of a flash for the camera is a surprise.

   The customizable home screen is great. I can rearrange, add or delete icons on the screen to my preference. The ability to use music from my file as ringtone is another plus. I found some Android applications to be very useful. Hopefully as time goes by, there will be more applications. The phone comes with many applications such as Google Map, GPS, AccuWeather, Amazon Music Store and Shazam. The Motoblur is something I don’t use much of. If you are into the social networking sites, this is something for you.

   The main drawback to the phone is the battery life. With Motoblur (Facebook, MySpace), gps, emails, widgets; the battery life is extremely short. I ended up shut off most networking applicatons to avoid charging my phone daily. Other minus is professional applications for Android is far behind Microsoft Mobile, iPhone, Palm OS and Blackberry. Again hopefully in time that will change.

   I have not experience any lags nor freezing of the phone as I had with Motorola ZN5 and E8. I have experienced the phone not hanging up calls, after I pressed the end call botton. The touchscreen is a bit too sensitive for me. But it is on par with the iPod Touch; in some ways it is better than the Touch.

   Pros:
   
   -Slide out QWERTY keyboard
   
   -Large HVGA screen
   
   -Ability to personalize home screen and ringtone
   
   -Google Map and GPS
   
   -5mp camera
   
   -Full web browser
   
   -Wi-Fi and 3G
   
   -Call quality with T-Mobile

   Cons:
   
   -Battery life (major drawback)
   
   -No Android v2.0
   
   -No flash for camera

   I am glad I got this phone. It has met and/or exceeded my expectations after reading the tech sites these past few months.
   
   I think Motorola came out with a very nice smartphone.

   Rating: 5 / 5

4. J. W. on July 8th, 2010 11:54 pm

   This is my first Android phone, being a Blackberry user for years. I really wanted to like the phone because it is not an iPhone (monopolized closed system), more fun than the Blackberry (wide choice of applications, widgets, nice screen), etc. Right after getting the phone, I was able to install a golf gps app, shopping app, unit converter, multiple games, setup all my emails, etc. In fact, I was even able to download the Pinyin IME (for chinese character input), which worked fairly well.

   Some of the phone features are very nice – going to the contacts app you can see ‘history’ of your contacts, which includes emails from them. However, phone dialer using the contact/address book is not convenient – if you have a large contact database (I have hundreds of contacts), you have to scroll thru them or slide out the keyboard to do a search. Without sliding out the keyboard, there’s no quick access to contacts such as typing in the first few letters of their name (Blackberry wins here).

   Then the bad news came…bad battery life means turning off most apps and 3G, running the phone on the slower EDGE network. In fact, the phone had a hard time getting thru 18 holes of golf (tried to use the golf gps app). Turning all this stuff off means losing a lot of the ‘fun’ factor of the phone, and not having the advantage of the faster 3G. Still, with a lot of widgets turned off and running in 2G mode, I was able to get about 1-1/2 day use before needing to recharge the phone.

   Other cons: GPS lock was real slow, and for gaming the touch screen was not always responsive or accurate.

   The real deal killer was Tmobile. My last month’s bill (using the Blackberry) had a wrong charge of $300 for international roaming – this was for using data for “days” in a country where I was in transit for 3 hours. After spending 40 minutes on the phone with a service representative, they reversed the charges but “warned” that the Cliq should NOT be used for international travel because it continuously tries to communicate with the Google server and WILL run up roaming charges. The combination of bad billing from Tmobile and a phone that uses the internet too much really made it impractical to use the Cliq.

   Since then I’ve gone back to the Blackberry, but still trying to get Tmobile to put my previous data plan (the Blackberry data plan and the Android data plan are different plans with Tmobile) in place so that my emails will come back on. What a big hassle to go thru all for nothing.

   Maybe the Cliq with a better carrier with better plan options would have worked. Until then, it’s being returned before the remorse period is up.
   Rating: 3 / 5

5. Leon Bussinger on July 9th, 2010 2:38 am

   Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R320GGVJTTPSRY Just my little take on the Cliq. I think it’s a great device and is a better contendor in the behold 2 vs motorola cliq fight.
   Rating: 5 / 5

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