Motorola Backflip
Manufacturer	Motorola Mobility
Type	Flip smartphone
Operating system	Android v1.5 (Cupcake), 2.1 (Eclair), can go up to 2.2.1 (Froyo), and 2.3.7 (Gingerbread) via CyanogenMod
CPU	528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A processor (overclockable to 768 MHz via root and overclock kernel)
Memory	RAM: 256MB, ROM: 512MB
Storage	Flash memory: 256 MB, 199 free; microSD slot: supports up to 32 GB
Removable storage	microSD (TransFlash), up to 32GB, 2GB included
Display	320 × 480 px, 3.1 in (79 mm), TFT LCD, HVGA
Input	Capacitive touchscreen, virtual keyboard, flip QWERTY keyboard
Camera	5.0 megapixel with auto focus, geotagging
Connectivity	Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, Micro USB, A-GPS
Dimensions	53.00 × 108.00 × 15.30 mm
Weight	133 g (4.7 oz)

The Motorola Backflip (also called the Motorola Motus in some regions) is a touchscreen smartphone released to the U.S. for the AT&T Mobility network on March 7, 2010, and for other countries on Telus and Optus networks. It runs the open source Google Android software.

General features

• The phone is built on the Android platform 1.5.Motorola features Motoblur, which integrates multiple social network service sites on the homescreen. This cannot be uninstalled or disabled unless the phone is modified.
• It has a full QWERTY keypad with a "reverse flip" design. When the device is closed and the screen is visible to the user, the reverse side is the keypad itself. Opening the device causes the screen to flip so that it rests above the keypad.

Specifications

The specifications according to the Motorola website in June 2010:

Hardware

• Model MB300
• Screen size: 3.1-in.
• Screen resolution: HVGA (320 × 480 pixels)
• Weight: 4.7 oz
• Size: 53.0 × 108.0 × 15.3 mm
• Input devices: QWERTY keyboard, touchscreen, Backtrack navigation pad behind screen
• Battery: 1400 mAh Li Ion 3.7v Motorola BN80
• Talk time: 350 min, 6 hrs
• Standby time: up to 315 hrs, 13.5 days
• Processor: 528 mHz (overclockable to 768 MHz via root and overclock kernel)
• RAM: 256MB
• ROM: 512MB
• Memory: up to 32 GB microSD
• Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth: 2.0 + EDR and A2DP
• GPS receiver, accelerometer
• Dual microphone with noise cancellation
• Five megapixels with 4x digital zoom
• LED flash and automatic focus
• Video capture rate of 24 fps

Applications

Users may customize their phones by installing apps through the Android Market; however, some carriers (AT&T) do not give users the option to install non-market apps onto the Backflip (a policy they have continued with all of their Android phones). This has created some controversy with users, as the non-market apps are often seen as a useful way to expand a phone's capabilities. Users can circumvent this limitation by manually installing 3rd party apps using the tools included with the SDK while the handset is connected to a computer.

Reviews

Reviews are generally mixed to unfavorable. Michael Oryl, of "Mobileburn.com," likes the "Backtrack" trackpad on the back of the phone, but points out that large hands often activate it accidentally. Victor Godinez, of The Dallas Morning News, suggests that the phone is aimed towards social networkers, and points out that the price is higher than other options with additional features such as the iPhone.

System upgrades

On November 9, 2010, a downloadable update, Android OS 2.1 (Eclair) and a compatible version of MotoBlur was released by Motorola for AT&T Backflip customers, U.S. only. The update is unavailable over-the-air (OTA). Since then Eclair is available for phones outside U.S. that are rooted with custom recoveries installed and radio updated. CyanogenMod 7.2 (Android 2.3.7) is available through official releases. Other custom roms are also available.

Overclocking

Overclocking is possible via overclocking kernels and direct overclocking. Overclocking is available up to 768 MHz on the official cyanogenmod 7 rom.

Multitouch

Since this phone lacks the multitouch feature, a patch was made available for the froyo rom. However many testers have reported problems with the touchscreen which becomes jerky and eventually ceases to operate.

Gallery

Front side and keyboard

Rear side and touchpad

Front side and Flip side

Back to Motorola Mobility
Last updated on 14 November 2014 at 18:27.

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Left: A clamshell phone, open
Center: A clamshell phone, closed
Right: Closed and open Ericsson T39 was a compact flip phone, not clamshell

The flip or clamshell is a mobile phone form factor which is in two or more sections that fold via a hinge. If the hinge is on a long edge the device is more likely to be called clamshell than flip phone (e.g., Nokia Communicators).

When the clamshell is open, the device is up and ready to be used. The interface components are kept inside the clamshell, which offers more surface area than when the device is closed. Interface components such as keys and display are protected when the clamshell is closed, and it is shorter and narrower, making the device easier to carry around. A disadvantage of the clamshell design is the connecting hinge, which is prone to fatigue or failure.

The clamshell form factor is most closely associated with the mobile phone market, as Motorola used to have a trademark on the term "flip phone", but the term "flip phone" has become genericized to be used more frequently than "Clamshell" in colloquial speech. The design is also used on some landline phones, particularly cordless phones. Other devices using the flip form include laptop computers, subnotebooks, the Game Boy Advance SP, the Nintendo DS, and the NVIDIA Shield, though these are less frequently described as "flip" or "clamshell" compared to cellular phones.

History

The form factor was first used by the laptop manufacturer GRiD (who had the patents on the idea at the time) for their Compass model in 1982.

The first Motorola model to support the clamshell design was the StarTAC, created in 1996, although General Telephone & Electronics (GTE) held the trademark from the 1970s for its Flip Phone (one of the first small hand-held electronic phones), until 1993.

The design has since been copied by virtually all mobile phone manufacturers many times.

Motorola is best known for its clamshell models such as the RAZR.

The clamshell design has also been used in the Nokia Communicator series, with the first model released in 1996. Early models were very expensive and Nokia did not adopt the traditional clamshell phone design until 2004.

Clamshells were, as of early 2009, the most popular form factor for cellular phones in the U.S. However, with the advent of smartphones, they have lost ground to phones with slide-out keyboards, and touchscreen slate phones.

Other uses

Cellular phones are the most popular use of the clamshell form factor. The design is also used on some landline phones, particularly cordless phones. Other devices using the flip form include laptop computers, subnotebooks, the Game Boy Advance SP, the Nintendo DS, and the Nintendo 3DS, though these are less frequently described as "flip" or "clamshell" compared to cell phones.

Other appliances like pocket watches, waffle irons, sandwich toasters, krumkake irons, and the George Foreman Grill have long utilised a clamshell design; a very similar concept is used in racing and road legal cars, like the Ford GT40 and Ferrari Enzo, where the whole rear end can be lifted to access the engine compartment and suspension system.

Bookbinders build archival "clamshell" boxes called Solander cases, in which valuable books or loose papers can be protected from light and dust.

It is also an informal name for General Motors full-size station wagons, manufactured from 1971 to 1976, that featured a complex, two-piece "disappearing" tailgate, officially known as the "Glide Away" tailgate.

Last updated on 29 September 2014 at 20:38.

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