At long last, the Motorola BACKFLIP has finally been made available to the starved customers on AT&T that have been eager to get their taste in Android’s goodness. We managed to get our hands on the Motorola BACKFLIP and pleased to already find AT&T going through with some of their commitments in being more green friendly as the packaging was extremely compact without all the usual hefty cardboard. Underneath it all was the Motorola BACKFLIP which really has this mystical aura surrounding it – seeing that it has been given the duty to launch Android’s push into the final frontier. You can check out our video below in our unboxing experience and get a first hand glimpse of what to expect with the Motorola BACKFLIP. Check back soon as our full in-depth review will be up shortly!
Eerily similar to the events that unfolded between Google’s Android launch in China, AT&T executed a move that makes some people scratch their heads – they opted to go with using Yahoo for the default search provider as opposed to Google. This is similar to how Motorola ended up choosing Baidu as the search engine of choice in its Android phone in China as Google and the country were still not in good terms over some recent events. As AT&T customers will soon have their chance in purchasing the Motorola BACKFLIP in stores, rumors also suggest that AT&T might take out some of the native Android apps in favor for their own – this would include AllSport GPS, AT&T Maps, AT&T Music, AT&T Navigator, AT&T Wi-Fi Hotspots, Mobile Banking, MobiTV, MusicID, Where, and YPmobile. It may seem a bit foreign to some customers as they begin to comprehend why a Google Android phone uses Yahoo as its default search engine – we’ll see how it all pans out as the BACKFLIP makes its way to Android starved AT&T customers.
source: Engadget via Android and Me
As we recently reported, AT&T is expected to launch it’s first Android flavored device this Sunday, March 7th. Engadget was able to get its hands on the Motorola BACKFLIP. With its unique form factor, the handset has the honor of being the carrier’s first phone with the green robot. When the device is closed, the display faces out on one side and the QWERTY faces out on the other side with a 5MP camera that is better than the DROID’s shooter according to the web site. When closed, the QWERTY keyboard shuts off to prevent accidental touches of the letters. Behind the display is a touchpad that allows you to use your thumbs to move things around the screen. The manufacturer calls it the BackTrack. Engadget calls it a waste, saying that it doesn’t add any value.
Engadget made some interesting comments. The phone, they said, is laggy out of the box-and that’s before you start downloading apps. Yahoo provides the default search engine on the device and yeah, AT&T has that blood feud with Google which is why the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro variants for AT&T didn’t have a YouTube client out of the box. Back to the BACKFLIP. Engadget says that one handed closing of the phone is a no-no unless you like bending over and picking up the pieces of the phone on the floor. The food is shoe-horned full of AT&T apps like AllSport GPS, AT&T Maps, AT&T Music (replacing the usual music app), AT&T Navigator, AT&T Mobile Banking, MobiTV and more. The unit is built solidly, a step above the CLIQ, and while MOTOBLUR looks and acts the same as on the CLIQ, the widgets-Social status, Messages and Happenings-have been moved to the home page one move to the left of the main one. In an hour of use, the BACKFLIP had one spontaneous reboot, which means this could be something to keep an eye on. The manufacturer has had problems with its firmware upgrade for the CLIQ, so let’s hope that this isn’t something that Motorola is having trouble wrapping its hands around. Anyway, let’s concentrate on the positive. March 7th, AT&T, Motorola BACKFLIP, $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a 2 year contract. Be there.
source: Engadget
Although our Canadian friends up to the north will soon be getting one nice piece of Android powered hardware in the form of the Acer Liquid e smartphone, US consumers may soon get a portion of that love from Acer as well. Despite lacking any serious power under the hood when compared to the Acer Liquid e, it’s still pleasant to see that the Acer beTouch E110 is attempting to get its name out there in the US market. There’s no denying that Acer has a strong presence in the PC market already, but they’ll need to do some extra work before winning over the hearts and minds of US consumers. The FCC just approved today the Acer beTouch E110 which surprisingly has support for AT&T’s 3G network and is considered one of the company’s latest Android smartphones. It’s an entry-level smartphone featuring a 2.8” QVGA touchscreen, GPS, 3.5mm headset jack, 3.2-megapixel camera, 256MB ROM, 256MB RAM, ST Ericsson PNX6715 416MHz processor, and Android 1.5. Our European friends will be getting a taste of this handset first when it’s expected to be available some time in March with an attractive low price. Still, there’s no confirmation when this handset will actually make an appearance in stores for consumers to purchase over here.
source: FCC via Unwired View
A couple of FCC filings from Motorola could be pointing the way toward a new Android device for both AT&T and T-Mobile. Both filings are for GSM devices. One offers quad band 3G support for T-Mobile, the other offers the same for AT&T. For those who want to know, the ID numbers are IHDP56KZ1 and IHDP56KZ2 respectively. Both come with Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.1 ( As a point of reference, the DROID and CLIQ had respective ID numbers of IHDP56KC5 and IHDT56KV1). Considering that the manufacturer has promised 20 Android models this year, the odds favor that this is one of them with two different destinations. Another 56x Motorola ID number, IHDT56LC1, code named WX404 has been filed. This model supports CDMA and features EV-DO and Bluetooth which would make it a candidate for Verizon or Sprint. .Obviously it is very early in the life cycle for whatever phones these are, but we will continue to be on the lookout for more info.
source: ThesearetheDroids
According to BGR, sources close to HTC have revealed that the HTC Desire is headed to AT&T sometime in May or June and will offer up some HTC Sense UI goodness for its owners. The model that will hit the shelves is likely to look slightly different than the one pictured, with some minor cosmetic changes.
Rumor has it that Sprint will get a new Android handset of their own from HTC – the Hero2. The Hero2 is actually the new HTC Legend but will also undergo some cosmetic changes as it makes its way to Sprint. There is no timeframe at present for Hero2 availability on Sprint, but as we learn more details and as rumor becomes reality, we will post it here.
Since the first announcements about the Motorola BACKFLIP were made, there are probably many AT&T customers waiting off from buying or upgrading their current phone. When it’s finally made available starting on March 7, there’s going to be no telling what kind of demand it’ll garner as it finally makes itself ready for sale. If you really are intent of snatching up the Android powered handset, you may want to check out your local Best Buy Mobile location – they’re at it again with their usual pre-order offering. Dishing out $50 to them, which in turns gets placed onto a gift card, will guarantee yourself a unit on day one of launch. If having to wait on long lines isn’t your kind of thing, we’d suggesting following this alternative route to make the whole buying process less strenuous on yourself – we know you’ll be saving up more energy on getting acquainted with your new smartphone anyways.
Rumors had been circulating the last few days that AT&T was planning on crippling the Motorola BACKFLIP upon the launch of the carrier’s initial Android device on March 7th. AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de La Vega started the rumors by telling the San Francisco Chronicle that the Android OS needed to ” open up even more” to accommodate non-Google applications. AT&T had also put the kibosh on the HTC Lancaster which at one time, was expected to be the operator’s first phone sportin’ the green robot. Quoting from Android and Me, one source passed along a report that the only Google app on the BACKFLIP was Google Maps. But luckily, this is not true. All Google apps will be on board including some AT&T exclusives. That includes the YouTube client which AT&T left off their Touch Pro and Touch Diamond variants supposedly due to bad blood with Google. But if you are going to use Google’s open source OS, you certainly would only be shooting yourself in the foot by not having all the features that your competition offers.
source: AndroidandMe, SFChronicle, YouTube
АТ&Т seems to be really into social networking, as it has just announced the upcoming March 7 availability of the Motorola BACKFLIP via Facebook. We’ve been hearing rumors about this, and now it is confirmed. Congrats to all of you, AT&T users! Those of you who’ve been waiting for an Android smartphone will finally get what they wanted. It may not be the Google Nexus One or the DROID (or both of them), but hey, the Motorola BACKFLIP is a great Android phone with 3.1-inch HVGA screen, 5MP AF camera, 3.5mm jack, Wi-Fi and 3G. Quite impressive, we should say. What makes it even better is Moto’s MOTOBLUR interface, which pushes all kinds of social updates directly to your home screen. So basically, AT&T’s announcement in Facebook does make sense, after all, many of the users who’ll be getting this device are Facebook users too!
source: Facebook
UPDATE: The Motorola BACKFLIP will cost $99.99 after $100 mail-in rebate with a two-year plan.
Remember that AT&T commercial where diners had their AT&T smartphones replaced by Verizon branded models? There’s the shot of that lady waving the Motorola DROID back and forth, asking, “Where is my cool phone?” If web site ‘wireless goodness’ is right, that cool phone with the AT&T branding could very well be a GSM version of the Motorola DROID. The site just pointed out that comparing an FCC lab test of the DROID with a new Motorola device shows some positive connections between the two. First, both models use the same exact battery, SNN6843A. The DROID carries FCC ID# IHDP56KC1 and the mystery device is known as IHDP56KZ2. The latter unit is loaded with AT&T’s WCDMA frequencies and taking that into consideration along with the similarities of the two devices-including the battery-suggests a version of the DROID could be AT&T bound. Now this is obviously quite a long shot and it should be pointed out that the DROID shares the same battery as its stablemate Motorola CLIQ. The only thing is that the CLIQ is already quadband GSM and as the site points out, it is unlikely that Motorola would make a new CLIQ just to add AT&T’s bands. So for now, Matlock fans, we have us a mystery. The lady in the ad might be happy to know that her cool device might already be in her hands.
source: FCC via wirelessgoodness
