Review: Motorola CLIQ XT
Unbelievably, the Cliq XT is one of the first Android devices I've reviewed that makes any sort of changes to the native music player. T-Mobile and Motorola call it a "Connected Music Player." I don't really know what the heck that's supposed to mean, but I can tell you that the music application has more features built in.
The new menu features five selections from which to choose: My Music, FM Radio, Music Videos & News, Community, and Song Identification.
The My Music selection takes you where you expect it to, your music library as stored on the microSD card. Here you can sort by artist, album, song or playlists, or you can just hit shuffle. What I really like is that you still have access to all the other selections via a dock at the bottom of the screen.
There are two radio functions: an FM radio and SHOUTcast internet radio. To use the FM radio, you need to insert a headset. The SHOUTcast application streams internet stations to the Cliq XT via 3G. The selection of channels is more than sufficient, and the quality of playback was pretty good, considering this is a streaming service. Through any regular pair of stereo headphones you won't notice any issues with the sound quality. I had to break out my Bose headphones before I noticed any concerns.
The Music Videos & News offering includes ways to search for music videos on YouTube in addition to GoTV channels. The YouTube search client worked out just fine. The GoTV channels bundle together collections of music videos based on artist and genre. It's not the widest selection I've seen, but it's a whole lot better than nothing.
The Cliq XT also offers the ability to search directly from the music player itself. If you're listening to a new tune, hit options --> Search and you'll be taken directly to a selection of YouTube videos matching that artist.
Shazam, Slacker, and the Amazon MP3 store are all pre-loaded on the Cliq XT, as well.
I am glad to see that T-Mobile and Motorola at least tweaked the music experience on the Cliq XT a little bit. Those who choose to do so may download Motorola's Media Link software, which makes the process of transferring music a hair less painful.
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Motorola Cliq XT / Quench
