Introduction

Using a new technology from Motorola called MotoBlur, the Cliq streamlines social networking updates, emails, text, multimedia and instant messages -- plus photos, contacts and other items into one inbox, allowing users to pick which items appear on their home screen.

All of this occurs without the person having to go to a Web site, log into an account, or shuffle through applications.

The Cliq also runs on Google's Android platform, which is expected to offer lots of applications such as Apple's iPhone App Store.

The Cliq has a lot to offer to messaging-focused users, but could end up cluttered with too much information and too many applications. It also has disadvantages in traditional entertainment options, memory, and certain design flaws.

Design

The Cliq has classic black design, dominated by a screen with menu, home, and back keys lining the bottom of the face. But the handset is more unique around its sides, which have a white border. For the less-flashy consumer, there's also a black border version of the phone available.

The Cliq measures 114 mm long, 58 mm across, and 16 mm thick and weighs 163 grams, which is a bit hefty for its size.

A headset jack sits atop the phone, a power/lock key and a camera key are on the right side and ringer on/off switch, volume keys and a data port/charging port are located on the left side.

The gray back of the phone is also unique with a design of concave dots. The back is clear of other details except for a small camera lens at the top. The screen is reflective, but the back of the face, which is visible when the keypad is pulled out, is not, which is a wasted opportunity.

The QWERTY keypad slides out from beneath the face horizontally. Texters will have to take some time to get used to having navigation keys in a square on the left of the keypad. This creates awkward positioning for the letter keys.

Instead of being staggered in a stair step pattern, the keys all start at the same point on the left side. While the keys are large length-wise, they aren't very tall -- a sacrifice made by minimizing the phone's width.

The Cliq lives up to its name in two unfortunate ways -- the flimsy back panel makes a lot of clicking sounds when it's locking into place over the battery, and it will take a clique of particular people to secure the back panel on the first try. The thin plastic material that covers the battery isn't very durable, hard to lock onto the phone, and seems easy to crack if abused enough.

The Cliq stands out with its unique coloring, relatively compact design, and screen-dominated face. But some less fortunate things about the phone also stand out, including an odd keypad formation, flimsy back cover, and a color scheme that may not be for everyone.

Out of the box, the Motorola Cliq comes with a battery, charger, stereo headset, SIM card, microSD card, start guide and terms and conditions.

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