March MotoBlur madness is upon us: The (pricing to be announced from T-Mobile, which also hosts the ) is Motorola's third MotoBlur phone to touch down on a carrier this month, along with the (AT&T) and the (Verizon). The Cliq XT is the only MotoBlur phone that lacks a full QWERTY keyboard. Though I missed having a physical keyboard, the Cliq XT made up for its absence with the full-featured Connected Music Player, which combines a handful of excellent music services in a single seamless interface.
The Cliq XT's drab gray and chrome color scheme doesn't make it the most eye-catching phone on the block, but it is very comfortable to hold, thanks to a slim, light body; rounded corners; and a textured rubber back. Measuring 2.3 by 4.6 by 0.5 inches and weighing just 4.6 ounces, the Cliq XT is certainly the most pocketable of the MotoBlur phones (chiefly because it lacks a QWERTY keyboard).
The 3.1-inch display is a bit small by today's smartphone standards, though it matches the size (and at 320 by 480 pixels, the resolution) of the other MotoBlur phones' screens. Colors looked bright and accurate, but the display falls short of those on top smartphones such as the . Unfortunately, the device's responsiveness was hit-or-miss. Tapping on an icon usually prompted immediate action, but scrolling was a bit sticky. In long lists, such as my contacts and my media files, the screen sometimes stuttered.
Motorola has been experimenting with different styles of navigational controls on its MotoBlur phones. The uses a behind-the-display touchpad. With the , you get a small optical mouse oddly located in the lower left corner. But the Cliq XT has the best control arrangement of the three: a large, centrally located touchpad. You can use this touchpad to flip through multiple homepages or to navigate within a homepage. I found the touchpad responsive overall, and I liked how easy it was to use with one hand.
The handset's four standard Android hardware buttons--Menu, Search, Home, and Back--lie below the display. Occupying the left spine are a microUSB port and a tactile volume rocker. On the right, you'll find a Power/Lock button and a dedicated camera key. A standard 3.5-mm headphone jack sits at the top of the Cliq XT.
I'm usually not a fan of Android phones that lack physical keyboards, because the native Android keyboard isn't especially user-friendly. But Motorola tweaked the Cliq XT's keyboard, spacing the keys out and making them a bit wider for easier, more-accurate pressing. In addition, haptic feedback helps make the keyboard feel more natural in your hand. You also get a nice visual confirmation of your keystrokes via magnified versions of the letters that you press (as with the iPhone's keyboard). My one gripe is that the keyboard felt a bit slow, introducing a slight delay between when I typed and when it appeared on the display.
The Cliq XT's keyboard uses Swype, a feature that is quickly taking over full touchscreen phones (Swype can also be found on the and the new ). Using Swype requires a bit of practice; but once you get the hang of it, it's a useful alternative to tap typing. Swype technology lets you type faster and more easily with a continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard.
