Motorola BACKFLIP with MOTOBLUR

by Antonio Wells Feb 19, 2010 6:00 AM – 19 Comments

Hooray! AT&T launched its first Android phone, the Motorola Backflip with MOTOBLUR social sharing software. The Backflip literally does what it says, meaning the keyboard opens from the back, the keys light up while orienting the touch screen display in horizontal mode. There is an added bonus with a track pad, similar to laptops, on the rear of the phone that you can use to control the touch screen display called Backtrack. You’ll find AT&T Navigator powered by TeleNav for GPS navigation preoloaded. Bummer that it launches with Android OS version 1.5 (upgradable to 2.1), however does have cool features like HSPA 7.2 capable (able to reach higher 3G speeds if available), 5 megapixel camera with flash, and Motoblur makes updating social network statuses or even finding your phone a breeze!

It will launch on March 7th for $100 bucks after $100 rebate and 2 year contract with data plan.

Enter to Win a Free AT&T Motorola Backflip from AndroidTapp.com

Also check out 20+ best Backflip apps!

Photos: Motorola Backflip

: Motorola Backflip Side

: Motorola Backflip Flipped

: Motorola Backflip

Video: Motorola Backflip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=120CQd8fPes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FliIeZ-SOlo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfuH5h-B9w0

Below are technical specs for the Motorola Backflip:

General
Experience	Social messaging
Form Factor	Backflip with Touch and QWERTY
Social Messaging Service	MOTOBLUR™
Operating System	Android v1.5 (upgradable to Android 2.1)
Android API Level	3
Input Types	Capacitive touch screen QWERTY keyboard Virtual keyboard BACKTRACK™ navigation pad behind screen
Display
Physical Resolution	3.1 in. 320 x 480 (HVGA)
Display Type	256k TFT
Connectivity
WAN: Voice Bands	WCDMA 850/1900/2100, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps (category 7/8), EDGE Class 12, GPRS Class 12, aGPS, v2.0
Wireless LAN	802.11b/g
Bluetooth Version	Bluetooth ® Specification Version 2.0 +EDR supporting the following profiles: Hands Free Profile (HFP), Headset Profile (HSP), Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) and Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP). Listen to music with stereo Bluetooth® headsets.
USB	Micro USB connector
Headset Jack	3.5 mm
Media
Camera Resolution	5 megapixels
Flash	LED
Camera Features	Autofocus Color effects Geotagging White balance
Camera Digital Zoom (max)	4x
Image Capture Formats	JPEG w/EXIF 2.2
Image Viewing Formats	All Android formats
Video Recording Resolution	320 x 240 (QVGA)
Video Recording Frame Rate	25 fps
Video Recording Formats	All Android formats
Video Playback Formats	All Android formats
Video Playback Frame Rate	30 fps
Audio Recording Formats	All Android formats
Audio Playback Formats	All Android formats
Streaming Formats	MPEG-4 3GP
Speakers	Receiver speaker Stereo speakers Dual microphone with noise cancellation
Processor and memory
Processor	N/A
Processor Clock Speed	528 MHz
RAM	256MB
Flash ROM	512MB
User Storage Available (max)	N/A
Memory Card	2 GB microSD pre-installed
Memory Card Size Supported (max)	32 GB
Sensors
Accelerometer	YES
Additional Features
Location Services	Assisted GPS E-Compass Standalone GPS w/internal antenna
Voice Activation	Voice Commands
Messaging	IM MMS SMS Facebook™, MySpace and Twitter Direct Messaging
Email Protocols	Corporate (Exchange), Gmail™, IMAP, POP3, attachment and browser document viewer (Microsoft Office® and pdf), HTML email composer

Are you on AT&T, plan on joining the Android movement? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

Tags: Android Phone, Best Backflip Apps, MOTOBLUR, Motorola, Motorola Backflip, Motorola BACKFLIP with MOTOBLUR

Categorised in: Android Phones

19 Comments

By memory cards on February 25, 2010 at 12:19 am:

The Motorola Backflip is a quad-band GSM phone with support for the 850/1900/2100MHz 3G bands (coincidentally, AT&T’s 3G bands), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. The smartphone’s design is really what sets it apart, however. At first glance, the Backflip looks like a sleeker, smaller version of the Motorola Cliq, but instead of a slider design, the phone opens up like a book. In addition, in its closed state, the full QWERTY keyboard is located on the back. For those concerned about durability, Motorola said the keyboard is strong enough to take a beating and keep on clicking, but of course, that remains to be seen.

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By April on March 20, 2010 at 10:49 pm:

I have a Moto Backflip & I love it. It took me a few hrs to figure out how to set my own contact list, but once i did it was awesome. I like the touch pad its so handy. It also takes really cool pictures plus it uploads them super fast. It came in handy while @ Yo Gabba Gabba Live.

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By lorelei on March 22, 2010 at 12:11 am:

This phone is so awesome. My favorite phone ever, it never lets me down. Definite recommend for anyone who likes a touch screen.

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By elnetho on April 8, 2010 at 12:44 am:

what fantastic phone its amazing

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By Bob on April 18, 2010 at 3:43 pm:

How do you record audio and set it as your ringtone, if its possible

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By jroakcliff214 on April 19, 2010 at 7:44 am:

i just got this phone and its better then i thought i would be…still learnin how to work it.

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By Samantha on May 6, 2010 at 3:30 am:

I am liking it. I dont know about recording voice for a ringtone think i seen a app for that I downloaded mabilo ringtones its free and found some great ones. My problem is I set a ringtone for my notifications and it still plays when on a call. I posted a question on how to change this but was told there is no way to do it I would have to download a text message app and use that instead of basic text messaging. Battery life could be a little longer. went dead kinda fast when out and about listening to music. Other than that I give it a thumbs up

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- By Android Tapp on May 6, 2010 at 3:36 am:
  
  Download Rings Extended to allow for separate ringtones for notification that are different from calls.
  
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By Maricella on May 26, 2010 at 9:29 am:

I love the Backflip. Only major problem is that it doesn’t connect completely with bluetooth devices. I have a motorola car kit and even though I can talk through the speaker, I have to dial from the phone. It’s illegal in my state to do that.

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By dmchambers4196 on May 26, 2010 at 8:41 pm:

Ditto on Maricella’s comment about the Backflip not fully syncing with bluetooth devices. My car has bluetooth built in and with my old Samsung phone, was a device I truly grew to like quite a bit. I bought the car in October and now the bluetooth device is useless. Sucks!

I love the phone though. Still learning about all the apps available; I’ve only had it a little over a week.

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By Jonathan on June 30, 2010 at 4:37 am:

while I love this phone, it is seriously limited by the stupid decision to keep it at OS 1.5. They are saying it will go up to 2.1 in Q3, but forums are saying plenty of other phones were delayed 2 full quarters from when they were “supposed” to go to an updated OS from Motorola.

The market does not allow outside apps and this really sucks since it is a limitation by AT&T & the whole idea of andriod is to not have limits on apps and keep it completely limitless open source within rules of hacking the phone per Google. It also has a lot fewer apps it can use due to the stupid 1.5 OS.

I found I quickly had to reduce the number of apps due to insufficient memory and I believe froyo allows install to SD so that will free up tons of room – when they get around to it. This phone requires a lot of battery so I am always having to charge it even after I kill all the extra TSRs. If I had one thing I would change is the ability to “exit” apps and not just back out because a lot of times you’ll find they are still running & slowing the phone down + draining it.

One of the main reasons I chose Android oS is to get the USAA App with the deposit mobile where I can deposit a check through my phone – only for 1.6 or higher – do you see why I keep saying 1.5 was a STUPID choice since most things require at least 1.6??

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By ellen on July 30, 2010 at 12:44 am:

i downloaded handcent sms and i want it as my default and i don’t know how to make it that way. help?

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- By amber on September 27, 2010 at 12:55 am:
  
  i just stopped my regular text messages notifications from the phone, so there for, only my handcent notifications would pop up.
  
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By Stephanie Blood on August 19, 2010 at 9:01 pm:

Soo the phone seems great and i have had it for a week, but today it decides to basically delete all my twitter “contacts” from the contacts part of the phone and on the Motoblur the tweets will show up but the pics and who it is written by is not shown. Its sincerely aggravating and has happened twice to me today. I was wondering if it is just my phone or if its just today or what i should do? Im just purely frustrated especially cause its not even a week old. So if anyone could help me that would be great. Thanks

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By mohamed on September 16, 2010 at 11:45 pm:

iwant change my message type qwetry to normal please help me motrola backflip

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By Mike C on November 13, 2010 at 3:34 pm:

Most of the complaints that I have heard about the Backflip have to do with battery life and the lagging that tends to occur in its OS. I have had those same issues in the past with mine, mostly because this is my first forray into the Android maket and I was not familiar with the operation of the system. I have learned a great deal over the past six months of Backflip useage.

1. The lag that is experienced is usually because there are too many apps left open. Just because you exit out of an app does not mean that it is closed. A task killer is a must on this phone, I have tried several and the one I like the best is called “Fastest TaskKiller Free” and I found it in the Android Market. Very simple and fast.

2. As for the background of the text, there are apps to take care of that as well. Several versions of Handcent are to be found in both the Android Marketplace or App Brain. The text messages should be deleted every day or so to prevent the hesetation so many folks complain about. If you have a message you want to keep, just download SMS Backup and Restore, also available in the market for free.

3. All the widgets are cool that are available for this phone, but folks be realistic, they are a drain on the battery. Limiting the number of widgets goes a long way toward making the battery last longer. As does turning off WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS when not needed. If all those things are left on simultaneously, you’re going to have a dead battery in just a few (and I mean very few) hours.

Now that I used the word Bluetooth… there is absolutely no reason to use it, it is completely and utterly USELESS!!! My car, a 2010 Kia Soul, has built in bluetooth which worked wonderfully with my old phone (the old obsolete Samsung Sync). I loved it! Since buying the Backflip, I have learned that handsfree must be a subjective term to Motorola, because this feature of this phone SUCKS!
It will sometimes sync up with the Kia, while other times it gets stuck in a loop and disconnects and reconnects constantly. While waiting for the 2.1 update to come out, I decided to use my bluetooth earset, syncs fine, but in the middle of the call it just goes dead for a few seconds, long enough to miss what the other person is saying. Thus requiring a lot of repetition in the conversation. ANNOYING!
Not to mention, trying to deal with this phone while driving is quite dangerous. I have never used a cell phone that was such a distraction. It takes too much time to look through all the contacts, even when they’re broken into groups (a cool feature by the way), it is a pain. All the more reason that the bluetooth should be more functional. What gives?

Other than my bluetooth complain, I really do like the phone, however the bluetooth is a BIG issue with me. Enough to make me swith the phone. Samsung has some nice offerings in the Android arena, I will probably return to that brand.

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By Reputation Managers on December 28, 2010 at 12:31 am:

The smartphone’s design is really what sets it apart, however. At first glance, the Backflip looks like a sleeker, smaller version of the Motorola Cliq.

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By tobyskylar on December 28, 2010 at 11:28 pm:

I switched from my Iphone G 18g today back to my backflip because my lovely hubby used my update renewal to renew to Iphone 4. So I am waiting until August of 2011. I’ve been an avid Iphone user, but I have to admit the backflip is a bit intimidating. It’s a bit more difficult than Iphone which is very easy. One great thing is the ringtones for the most part are free. I haven’t figured out if the music downloads are possible. Love the pop ups for Facebook and emails. The combined emails help with work and home. I also like the google mail adapts with my google aps calendar from work. Sure helps me remember because my minscule ADHD mind can’t handle remembering what my hubby says CRS (can’t remember shit – dementia). All 38 years old of me. All in all, it was slow at first but I went and bought 8g memory at walmart and probobly will get a bigger memory shortly. That helped tremendously with the speed. Any suggestions on the music player would be great… happy texting!

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By Mack on January 3, 2011 at 10:11 am:

i live in switzerland and i want to get the motorola backflip. i dont now if i really want to get it. is it compatible with all the apps and games if it is upgraded to android 2.1?
if anyone could answer my question it would be great

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