Moto Backflip thoughts?

[Jeremy]

Just curious to see what you think about this device? Can it be successful for AT&T or will it be a huge failure?

 

[darreno1]

I think with the success of the Droid, many on At&t will at least want to see what it's all about. That could lead to good sales and some Android converts. Also At&t could even get a slight boost to their image.

 

[Jared DiPane]

I think it will perform average. I think it'll intrigue because its the Android OS, but then once people use it, the design wont be liked. I think you will see these all over for sale forums and exchanging many owners hands.

 

[jhamilton3#CB]

I have a feeling its too much of a mid-level phone to have a lot of success.

 

[kennethmsmith]

I was tempted, but think I will hold out for the HTC device that is coming to AT&T. I just hope it is as good as, or better than the specs of the Nexus One. (Maybe an AT&T 3G version of the Nexus One)

The 99 dollar price point is very tempting for the backflip, but I don't like the fact that it is releasing with 1.5 instead of 2.X

 

[vanityeverlastingbonet]

It will flop the backflip is ugly
and why would they go with the ugliest of the androids ?
like uh whatever
I am ready to leave at&t anyways it sucks

 

[Dapke36]

I agree with Kennethsmith - Its ok, but with a proven mid-range android handset manufacturer like HTC possibly coming to AT&T, I don't see a reason to get the backflip.

It's cool, and who knows how the form factor will be to use. The touch pad on the back of the screen is ok, but seems awkward. If I was going for a mid range device, I would much rather use the new Devour.

 

[Jeremy]

I've been reading some pretty lame reviews for this device... feels slightly better than a Cliq, Everything is Yahoo by default (go figure), laggy out of the box, bloated with AT&T software, etc... all = FAIL.

 

[kennethmsmith]

I have this vision of AT&T hanging onto the bumper of the Android band wagon with their feet dragging along the ground behind kicking up dust. They are holding up the Moto Backflip and yelling out "hey guys .. we wanna play too!" LOL.. I mean come on AT&T. If you are serious about jumping on the Android Train, you need to launch with a serious flagship device like the DESIRE or at least the N1. Don't half-a$$ it with an outdated device (sw version and processor speed) like the moto bf. LOL...

I do hope they brind the Desire stateside this summer though. I have no issues with AT&T's service (so far) but need a worthy android phone to upgrade to when my contract is up.

 

[xXgator_coreXx]

I don't think this is going to be a huge device for AT&T, but I do think that it's about time they finally got in the Android game! After playing with the device it is certainly a good all around device for beginners, certainly not something you'd want to try and push on a power user by any means. AT&T is supposed to have 6 new Android devices out before the end of June so for those looking for something a little higher end keep your eyes open! Maybe we'll see the long rumored Nexus One with AT&T's 3G bands come out soon, that would be a killer device with the network to stand behind it!

 

[mwirtz]

We just got our shipments of backflips in today (best buy) and I pretty much have to agree with everyone. the phone is really just an entry level android phone. the touch pad on the back has promise though, but it just not quite there yet. i also think the camera placement is kinda poor, its really easy to let your finger hang over the lens when your holding the phone but it does take fairly decent pictures. I dont know yet what the price will be, but i dont think i would pay much more than 50-80 bucks on a 2 year contract.

 

[YourMobileGuru]

We just got our shipments of backflips in today (best buy) and I pretty much have to agree with everyone. the phone is really just an entry level android phone. the touch pad on the back has promise though, but it just not quite there yet. i also think the camera placement is kinda poor, its really easy to let your finger hang over the lens when your holding the phone but it does take fairly decent pictures. I dont know yet what the price will be, but i dont think i would pay much more than 50-80 bucks on a 2 year contract.

Without Google on it I think it's gonna be a bomb myself lol and yes it's just entry level like Droid Eris/Hero. If they were serious about Android, AT&T would have picked up the Milestone (GSM Droid).

 

[pbrennan42]

As for that no sideloading issue, have any of you guys tried Spare Parts from the Android Market yet to see if that adds sideloading capabilities?

Just a thought...

Phil.

 

[wezra]

We just got our shipments of backflips in today (best buy) and I pretty much have to agree with everyone. the phone is really just an entry level android phone. the touch pad on the back has promise though, but it just not quite there yet. i also think the camera placement is kinda poor, its really easy to let your finger hang over the lens when your holding the phone but it does take fairly decent pictures. I dont know yet what the price will be, but i dont think i would pay much more than 50-80 bucks on a 2 year contract.

I was just over at AT&T and played with the Backflip... what a huge disapointment. It is totally plastic and very cheap looking in person. The screen is smaller and very cramped looking. The keyboard is completely exposed on the back... which I think will lead to major issues in the long run. And, it comes out of the box running 1.5. Obviously Motorola was looking to dump a low-end Android entry level unit on the market and the Backflip was it. When I mean plastic, I mean plastic. It weighs 1/4th of what the CLIQ weighs. It is so cheap feeling I can't believe it. Not good!

 

[naplesbill]

I was just over at AT&T and played with the Backflip... what a huge disapointment. It is totally plastic and very cheap looking in person. The screen is smaller and very cramped looking. The keyboard is completely exposed on the back... which I think will lead to major issues in the long run. And, it comes out of the box running 1.5. Obviously Motorola was looking to dump a low-end Android entry level unit on the market and the Backflip was it. When I mean plastic, I mean plastic. It weighs 1/4th of what the CLIQ weighs. It is so cheap feeling I can't believe it. Not good!

Not too sure how you can say it's plastic, it's almost completely alloy.

I admit I was skeptical on the the Backflip. I bought one on Sunday anyway and planned to return it in the 30 day window.

After using it for the last few days, I love the phone. I thought the keyboard being on the outside would be a bad thing, actually I like it. It gives the device a secure feeling when holding it. Because you are not just holding a plastic backing it feels very secure in your hand. The keyboard is slightly recessed and almost feels like a grip. The metal body also gives the phone a great feel and it doesn't show fingerprints. The display is incredibly responsive and is capacitive not resistive. The camera faces you when the keyboard is open and makes for great self-portrait shots. I have picked up typing on the keyboard very quickly and I have no issues with the keyboard at all.

All in all, this phone was a pleasant surprise for me. I do not play games and such on a portable device so the performance on this phone has been more than adequate for me. I like the narrow (candybarish) dimensions and the thickness is about right. This device is only ever so slightly thicker than the Pure I was using prior. I have owned three iPhones and two other Android phones (G1 and myTouch) and I am much happier with the Backflip than any other phone I have owned.

The whole Yahoo instead of Google is not of much concern for me. I already changed my browser to default to Google as the home page. I never really use the widget search bar anyway. I am also confident that some hacks will take care of changing the default back to Google soon enough. I also do most of my searches in wikipedia and there is an app for that.

I am pleasantly surprised by how much I am enjoying the blur interface as well. No real complaints there either. Sure, there are a few things that can improve but nothing is perfect. Time will take care of any minor issues.

Yes, it could have a faster processor but for my needs it doesn't seem to be an issue. The phone feels solid and the keyboard should hold up as well as any other candybar phone with a keypad does. I am definitely happy with this purchase.

I'm not trying to convince anyone to buy the Backflip, just wanted to give my opinion after using it for a few days.

 

[kennethmsmith]

it is good to see a solid review by an actual user of at least a few days with the phone. thanks for that.

 

[joe.riggie]

I agree

Not too sure how you can say it's plastic, it's almost completely alloy.

I admit I was skeptical on the the Backflip. I bought one on Sunday anyway and planned to return it in the 30 day window...

This is my experience exactly. I really like the phone and I feel that much of the criticism is unwarranted. As naplesbill pointed out, the phone is almost all alloy and feels completely solid. I don't see how you could knock it for being cheap, the hardware is top notch.

I think that AT&T users have to be prepared to find every Android device that gets released to have restrictions placed on it. I would suspect that all of them will use Yahoo as default search engines and have non-signed app restrictions.

That being said, I REALLY wish I could remove all the bloat (At&T Navigator, etc). Any ideas on that possibility?

 

[YourMobileGuru]

I've been reading some pretty lame reviews for this device... feels slightly better than a Cliq, Everything is Yahoo by default (go figure), laggy out of the box, bloated with AT&T software, etc... all = FAIL.

I think the whole everything Yahoo is probably a test bed for the fact that they are not going to be able to sell Google search on phones in China. I played with it for a few minutes the other day and was not impressed with anything but the keyboard, it's actually quite usable ;-)

 

[XIPHONER]

is it a true android device since att put there bloatware on it and removed google search and locked out apps?

 

[rustymetal]

I have had this phone for about a week. I am really enjoying it. As others have said this phone is actually build pretty solid.

The keyboard is frigging great when you need to use the phone. Though I do have problem of pressing buttons on the screen when opening the keyboard. And Vise/Vesa, Say you look up a contact with the keyboard press call and flip close, I end up pressing million buttons on the screen.

As others have mentioned, the scroll pad the back is quite handy. I use it just about every time I use the keyboard.

Yes it has ATT's bloat soft and the only thing that upsets me is the 'ATT Radio' the build in media player sucks. Im new to android so im not sure if there's any other good media player apps out there.