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"Good phone, Top three that T-Mobile offers..BUT.." on by frontheadlock
Pros: Great access to social networking sites, good camera, Android runs much faster than on G1, Size and weight are much better than G1, 5 home screens is great, Works as advertised for the most part, LOUD external speaker
Cons: Very few customization options on the MOTOBLUR software, some apps do not run well, Camera pixelates on close-up shots, might not get Eclair update for a while longer than normal due to BLUR software, keyboard doesn't always light up in dark areas
Summary: My wife and I got this phone during the pre-order time. I got the White one, she got the Titanium. I kind of like the titanium one more, but it's not a big difference to me. The phone opens and closes with ease. Touchscreen is vibrant. The system is still Android, though, and it is not an iPhone-killer by any means. The MotoBLUR software allows you to lump together your social networking sites and your messages (such as e-mail, texts, etc) and give you constant updates. They even include some widgets for popular sites like Facebook. However, I don't really use Twitter often, and definitely want to keep my school e-mail separate from my regular messages. This isn't an option, yet.
The keyboard is supposed to have a sensor which can tell when it needs to be lit or not. However, it's not always functioning properly, and I sometimes have to blindly text on it. Some people LOVE the keyboard. I personally don't. This is one area where the G1 totally dominates the CLIQ. I don't like sharing the number keys with the top keyboard row (although a concession can be made). The keys on the physical keyboard "jut out" like little keypad bumps, and it causes me with bigger fingers to CONSTANTLY press other buttons. The virtual keyboard is not as nice as the iPhone's, but it works. This is more of an Android issue, than a CLIQ one.
I really don't like losing the Call and End call buttons. You now have a slider bar to answer calls, and more than once, I've been unable to answer calls because the software was too bogged down with BLUR information. However, I do like that it is a capacitive touchscreen like the iPhone. You can put it up to your ear and it will pause the menu so you don't "cheek dial". The G1 didn't have this feature.
I love having the physical switch to go to silent mode or regular mode. I like having a 3.5mm headset jack, but it's placed awkwardly on top of the phone. I would have figured it was the perfect spot, but alas it's not.
So.. Big topic.. BATTERY LIFE. Every review I've read tells me that the battery is terrible. Here's what the truth is.. If you use Wi-Fi, or leave it on all the time, you will have less than a day's use. I don't normally browse, I just like to scroll through facebook maybe once or twice a day, and I text an average 25 year old's amount. I use about 800 minutes a month in talk time, so average that out. I leave my GPS on, and I leave my 3G on all the time, although GPS is only used sparingly, and when Google Latitude uses it. I get a full day's charge, usually without coming close. This battery, at its worst, is much better than the best my G1 ever had. Do not let the battery issues worry you. The BLUR software I use pushes me 2 email accounts, Twitter, Myspace, Google, Facebook, and Last.fm every 15 minutes. The battery is not that bad.
Another big topic.. CALL QUALITY.. I guess this is, after all, a phone. I have had no complaints. I did have perhaps 1 or 2 phone calls that sounded like there was an echo, but I was driving and so was my calling party. It hasn't been a complaint of mine or my callers. Take it as an isolated experience, but for what it's worth, I have had little to no problems.
Last talking point.. WIDGETS.. The major widget is the Happenings widget. It's pretty much where your updates are put. Not your e-mails or texts.. Those are in the Messaging widget. You also have a Facebook widget, and a Music Playlist widget. Minor annoyance to me is that the Facebook widget and the Happenings widget will not notify you of when your status has been posted on, or when you've spoken on anyone else's and someone has responded. You have to go into the browser and access mobile Facebook to see anything like that. Would love to get that changed. Anywho, they update pretty regularly, and I enjoy having them. I would just like to be able to customize them a bit more.
Bottom line - This phone is not for people who do not use social networking. I see it doing really well with teenagers to young adults. Although it has wonderful features, and is a significant upgrade from the G1, it's pretty much a MyTouch3G with a physical keyboard and a few extra widgets if you want them. If you are using a G1, it is worth it to upgrade, if you can handle the keyboard. I don't believe the G1 can get the full Eclair update, which you will be wanting so badly when it comes out, you'll upgrade then. Might as well get the CLIQ now. It doesn't beat the 3GS, and I'd put it at a close second to the N900 and new Xperia for potential phones on T-Mobile. Still, not too bad! -
"Best t-mobile phone in my opinion" on by mcfarjc
Pros: Nice physical keyboard. Good performance. Good quality camera. Can accept 32G micro SD card.
Cons: Turns off randomly on occasion. Video recording could be better
Summary: Relative to all other T-mobile phones I think this one is hard to beat. A lot of complaints I read before purchasing centered around the belief that the Android customizations were only for young people who constantly used social networking sites. You have the option of not syncing these sites if you don't want or don't have accounts. I choose to only sync my Facebook account. Since I am not a huge social networking person I choose to move the Happening widget to my secondary home screen. Saving valuable real estate on my primary homescreen for the items I use most often. Seperate widget for updating your status is pretty cool and you can set it to work across FB and Twitter.
I am trying to avoid commenting on items that are applicable to all Android phones and focusing on Cliq specific commentary. There are things to like and dislike about Android versus Iphone's (it's only competitor in my opinion). Battery life is another issue which a lot of people bring up. I keep GPS turned on all the time and use the internet pretty frequently throughout the day including Gtalk. It's no problem getting 8-9 hours use for me. In reality I hardly ever stretch it out that far since I charge it at work or when at home. So for me it's a non issue. I also have the locale app which comes in handy. I set instructions for the app to reduce the brigtness of the display and turn off wi-fi when the battery goes below 50%.
The music player is good..by my standards at least. It plays all my files flawlessly, allows you to select music based on play lists, artists, albums, or song. Not sure what else people want so maybe thats a negative for some. Nice widget on the home screen where you can see the title of the song, skip to the next song or pause.
Hardware performance is good but I think everyone should get a task killer app. Every so often I kill unnecesary apps and have no complaints about the phones performance.
Two major annoying things about the phone. It doesn't get Android updates as quickly because of the complexities of making it work with the motoblur add-ons. The phone has turned it self off several times randomly. After speaking with a T-mobile rep it sounds like it is a known issue and will be fixed with an update. Hopefully soon. Video camera quality is ok and I guess I should not expect too much from a cell phone but the audio quality could be a little better.
As a general note I would also get a task manager app. Good way to manage files on SD card. I also like how this phone can accept up to 32G micro SD cards. Most phones do not. -
"Fooled me once; shame on you, won't fool me twice ..." on by Lifescriptz1
Pros: Apps, motoblur is cool, camera is awesome, and the idea of the phone is perfect all around. Stylish and comfortable to use.
Cons: Keyboard is unresponsive and my text msgs keep getting garbled on the other end about halfway thru the msg (different language). No easy sync to computer to transfer files. Can't sync with Outlook. Speaker sucks and is mounted on bottom.
Summary: This is my second Cliq, and both have done the exact same thing. For those with large hands, the top row of keys is extremely difficult to type on and creates numerous mistakes. The contact location process is just that ... a process that is difficult to navigate and takes a while if they are way down the list. This phone is a little too smart for its own good and will be the best phone of many, once the quirks are worked out. The idea was awesome, but the execution needs much work.
There is no way to file photos or videos separately, like the BB, and I still can't figure out how to sync the phone to my computer. I don't think it can be synced, only transfer some files. When I did hook it up, I couldn't find the pics I had just taken and saved on the phone.
If you ever change phones, there is no way to maintain information because the motoblur is only available on the Cliq and operates independent of any other phone on the market.
I could go on. The first day or so, I was mesmerized by this phone, until I began to see it for what it was really worth, at this time. I am not bashing the idea or the system itself, just this early version of a good idea. If you can live with these problems, by all means purchase the phone. If bells and whistles are what makes you happy, this is the phone for you. If you want functionality, wait until the 2nd generation. I must say that I am impressed with the message thread it keeps.
I'm taking mine back for the much improved G1. If I don't like it ... back to the BlackBerry.
I am not disgruntled or angry; just trying to give the truth. Happy hunting... -
"last time ever" on by terrycanfly
Pros: great phone horrible review
Cons: the con is everything the reviewer had to say
Summary: i'm going to stop reading cnet. the people who work for them apparently know nothing at all about technology or so biased that they cant give a fair review. the android operating system is the only one that has absolutely no limitations. only the hardware does. to make a comment like, "Its performance also could be better and the Android OS saddles the phone with a few limitations" is completely ignorant. it is an open OS that with time will rival desktop OS's. the only thing it cant do is flash which it will do very shortly. better OS than the iphone, better hardware and now that tmobile has increased their 3g and has better pricing it now has better carrier than the crappy at&t wireless. the iphone is going to end up how the moto razr eventually ended up, a fad. while android phones are going to end up as windows did through the 90's with an open system that can be used by any manufacturer and carrier. time for the price wars of phones and plans begin.
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"The honeymoon phase is over" on by jjtuttle
Pros: Liked the app market, liked the layout and was easy to figure out.
Cons: Battery life is less than a day, unresponsive, unreliable.
Summary: I don't know where to begin in warning people not to buy this phone. This is the first review I've ever done for a product. The battery life is less than a day and I don't use wifi or gps very often. I live in an area that just recently got 3G so I don't think that was it either. I've had many occasions where I can't slide to answer my phone, causing me to miss many calls. The phone has more lag than a dial up computer. I often wonder what would happen if I needed to make an emergency call but the phone was unresponsive. It sometimes takes 2 or 3 minutes to open a text message or to respond to one. As far as storage, I have 5 apps and about 100 pictures and it runs so slowly. Not sure if there is a connection there or not. It has no flash causing it to take awful pictures. The phone takes a lifetime to boot up. I've had many instances where it would lose data connectivity. All in all, please do not purchase this phone. Save yourself lots of headaches and frustration and look into something else.
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