Motorola Backflip Phone: An overview

The Motorola Backflip, announced at CES 2010, and now available through AT&T (see below for prices), is an unusual design for a cell phone. It has a full physical flip out keyboard, but unlike most phones with keyboards, when the two halves of the phone are folded together, the screen is exposed on one side, the keyboard on the other.

The keyboard can flip all the way over so that it is usable below the screen. When used that way, the appearance is similar to the Motorola Droid, which uses a slide out keyboard. Most observers prefer the feel of the Backflip keyboard, believing that it feels sturdier.

What the Backflip provides that the Droid does not, is that the half with the keyboard can be held in place partially opened. This allows the keyboard half to serve as a stand for the phone. The phone can be placed on a flat surface, and the screen used as an alarm clock, or as a viewer for videos, photos, or monitoring of incoming messages and e-mail.

Which brings us to another feature of the Backflip. Motorola's MOTOBLUR. This provides a streaming service for your e-mail and social networking sites. E-mails and social site updates are immediately displayed on your Backflip screen. Information delivered this way is always backed up on a MOTOBLUR secure server, providing security that your information will not be lost.

The Motorola Backflip will use Google's Android operating system, version 1.5. Updates to the newest version, 2.1, have been promised by Motorola. Android is a relatively new cell phone operating system, positioned by Google as a competitor to Apple's iPhone. Android brings with it the significant advantages of being an open platform, that is being widely supported by third party developers, resulting in a rapidly growing body of available applications. Google hosts an "app store" where these can be easily obtained.

Other Google services to be included include Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Talk.
The Backflip comes standard with WiFi, Blutooth, and a 5 megapixel camera. A 2 GB memory card is also standard. Up to a 32 GB hard drive is available To some, the screen's 320 x 480 3.1 inch screen seems a little crowded for the sophisticated interface.

AT&T is offering the Backflip without any service contract for $349, or for $199 with a new 2 year contract for $199 and a $100 mail-in rebate bringing the cost to only $99. A $30/month data plan is required with the Backflip, as is common for many smart phones, including the iPhone.

Now with the release of the Motorola Backflip, AT&T has a foot in all of the major camps when it comes to smart phones. If the advantages of the Android platform is appealing, along with a keyboard, the Backflip may be the phone for you.