Motorola pulls off its Backflip

MOBILE HANDSET MAKER Motorola has announced its latest handset to run the Android OS, the Backflip with Motoblur.

The phone, which is set to be on sale in the first quarter of this year, includes a flip design letting the user choose between either a video or keyboard display. Motorola expects the display side to be used by the sort of people that feel it necessary to inform friends of their every moment and is trotting out the social notworking marketing pitch.

Motoblur is a tool, powered by Android, that lets users stream their social networking updates, feeds and twits into one place, in this case the Backflip's screen.

Introducing the phone, Sanjay Jha, co-chief executive at Motorola and chief of Motorola Mobile Devices, said, "Since introducing our first Motoblur-based device, we've remained focused on differentiating the Android experience and bringing it to new carrier partners around the globe. Backflip maximises the multi-tasking and multi-functional potential of Motoblur with its unique design elements, making it as smart as it is social."

On the flip side of the Backflip is the QWERTY keyboard which actually looks pretty usable. Again on the usability front are some touchscreen features that let you cycle through applications, and check emails without intruding on the 3.1" HVGA screen. Of course then there is a browser, along with 3G and WiFi connections.

Making the most of the screen are what Motorola calls the tabletop mode. This basically involves keeping the phone screen side up and looking at your photos - it has a 5MP camera - listening to music, or lying in bed, asleep, and waiting for its alarm to go off.

The use of Android has its own benefits, including access to its Apps marketplace which has some 18,000 available for download. Other additions include GPS and stereo bluetooth. µ