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Hands-On: Motorola Cliq 2

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Jan 5, 2011, 9:34 PM by Eric M. Zeman

The Cliq 2 follows the path set by the Cliq and the Cliq XT. It's a sideways slider with a 3.7-inch touch screen and a unique hexagonal keyboard design. Here's what we think.

The Cliq 2 is a definite improvement over the original Cliq. Where the original felt a bit cheap and low-end, the Cliq 2 feels much more solid and — if not high-end — then at least well in the mid-range category.

The materials have a higher-quality feel to them, and the ribbed back surface is ultra-grippy. Despite the 3.7-inch screen and sliding form factor, it felt small enough in the hand to be comfortable, but not so small that it becomes unusable.

photo by Russ Hickman

The front of the Cliq 2 is almost all screen, with four capacitive Android buttons perched below. The volume toggle on the side felt good, as did the camera button.

The sliding mechanism separating the two halves was solid, and had just the right amount of spring resistance to it. It slid open easily to reveal the unique keyboard design.

Rather than follow the traditional grid-style layout, the keyboard is placed in a hexagonal pattern. The effect is honeycomb-ish, with the keys separated by orange lines. The keys themselves are mounds that stick up from the surface of the keyboard. The shape and feel of them is pretty good, but not the best. The travel and feedback is really good, though.

The user interface is the latest version of Motoblur, which is already in the market on several other handsets. It offers seven homescreens and Motorola's innovative Android widgets. Everything about the Cliq 2 was snappy and fast. I noticed no lag in the user interface or usability.

In all, the Cliq 2 is a worthy follow-up to the original, in that it improves on the Cliq in almost every way.

About the author, Eric M. Zeman:

Eric has been covering the mobile telecommunications industry for 17 years at various print and online publications. He studied at Rutgers Newark and University of Kentucky, and has a degree in writing. He likes playing guitar, attending concerts, listening to music, and driving sports cars.

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Motorola Cliq 2

3.7" display 480 x 854 pixels
TI OMAP3620 processor
1,420 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot, Hardware Text Keyboard, Headphone Jack (3.5mm)

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