Mobile operator AT&T is finally getting its first Android-powered device in the form of the Motorala Backflip, featuring a “reverse flip” design, QWERTY keyboard, and a “backtrack” touch panel that lets the display be hands-free while a user’s fingers work behind the screen. Plus, the entire phone can be propped up in a “table mode” for easy viewing of the display on a desk, table, or nightstand. The Backflip also features Motorola’s Motoblur communications and social networking tools running on top of Android, bringing together email, instant messaging, and social networking services like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter all in one place.
“Motorola Backflip brings together the best of social networking with the nation’s fastest 3G network,” said AT&T Mobility’s chief marketing officer David Christopher, in a statement. “With the ability to ride on our newest and fastest 3G network, access to more than 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots, and the ability to talk and surf at the same time, Backflip boasts a better 3G experience.”
The Backflip features a 3.1-inch 480 by 320 touchscreen display, a unique “backtrack” touchpad that enables onscreen navigation with fingers behind the screen, a 5 megapixel camera, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, 2 GB of onboard storage with microSD expansion, and of course the full complement of Android capabilities like Google Maps, a full HTML Web browser, messaging and email, and support for a broad variety of audio and video formats. The Blackflip will also tap into AT&T’s 7.2 Mbps HSPA 3G technology for mobile broadband, and AT&T customers will be able to get Wi-Fi access from more than 20,000 U.S. hotspots at places like Starbucks and McDonalds.
AT&T will be putting the Backflip on sale March 7 for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate—with a two-year agreement and smartphone data plan.
