AT&T today confirmed prior speculation regarding their involvement with Android by announcing the Motorola Backflip.
“Since introducing our first MOTOBLUR-based device, we’ve remained focused on differentiating the Android experience and bringing it to new carrier partners around the globe,” said Sanjay Jha, co-CEO of Motorola and CEO of Motorola Mobile Devices. “BACKFLIP maximizes the multi-tasking and multi-functional potential of MOTOBLUR with its unique design elements, making it as smart as it is social.”
The Backflip is so named because of its unique folding design, complete with QWERTY keyboard and a rear touch panel, which enables users to navigate the screen without touching it.
While official specifications for the phone remain unavailable, early information suggests that the internals merely reflect the budget design of the device:
- 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A (T-Mobile G1’s CPU)
- 512 MB ROM
- 256 MB RAM
- 3.1″/320×480 display
- 5MP camera with LED flash
- 802.11b/g
- Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
On the software front, the Backflip features the disappointingly outdated Android 1.5 masked by a Motoblur skin. Motoblur is Motorola’s way of connecting email, messaging and social media on Android. It syncs contacts, posts messages, photos, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Gmail, Picasa, Last.fm and so on.
Available on March 7 for $99 after $100 MIR and two-year contract, the Backflip is the first of four Android phones AT&T has committed to in 2010. Could the Nexus One be next?
Additional reporting by Robert Hallock.
Articles RSS