So, Motorola. I hold them in particularly high regard, now, ever since they made their triumphant comeback with the Motorola DEXT and the Milestone/Droid. I even said that their phone, the Motorola Milestone, was the phone of 2009. They are, at the minute, rocking so hard that it’s ever so slightly unbelievable. That’s quite a big turnaround, considering I’d almost written them off at the start of last year.
Suffice to say I was wrong. And today, they’ve proved the old me from the start of 2009 wrong again, because they’ve just announced the Motorola Backflip.
And it’s funky as all hell.
In terms of spec, it’s not massively dissimilar to the Motorola DEXT, with the same screen, the same 5MP camera, the same MOTOBLUR interface and the same version of Android. None of these things are in any way bad, but what really makes it unique is its design. The Motorola Backflip is, essentially, a sideways-opening clamshell, but what is genuinely unique is the fact it opens backwards.
So, the screen is always on the outside, but, crucially, if you look at the back of the phone, so is the keyboard. And that is unique. And eye-catching. And pretty pretty clever, too, since the whole concept of things being backwards gives the Backflip its other cool feature. Y’see, in addition to the touchscreen, it’s got a touchpad, like the touchpad on a laptop, that you can control the phone with.
Only it’s on the back of the screen…
I cannot wait to see what that handles like. I get excited by things being different and new, and the Motorola Backflip ticks both those boxes. Plus, of course, I reckon it’s going to be a properly nice phone, as well. Which means, since I want to play with one, you can guarantee it’s only been launched in America so far. Just as with the Motorola Milestone, we have to wait for it, while you lucky yanks get to play with it first.
Not that I’m bitter, or anything…
So, yes, basically, I have gone from writing Motorola off at the start of 2009, to now only having one complaint about them: Whenever they announce a new phone, it’s ages before I get to play with one. That’s the mark of a good comeback, that is, and of a manufacturer right back on the top of their game.
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