I’ve forgotten when was the last time I saw a phone with a unique form factor. Most phone are either candybar, clamshell, slider, Qwerty or full touchscreen.

The Motorola Backflip doesn’t fall into any of these category. OK, it may looks a little like a clamshell. But the thing is, the flip is backwards. Which means when closed, the keyboard and screen are at the exterior. I understand from Motorola that the reason why they choose this unique design is to allow a large keyboard without compromising on the size. Here is a photo of the Motorola Backflip next to the Motorola Dext. As you can see, the Backflip has 4 rows of keys while the Dext has only 3. But when closed, both of them are almost the same size.

But this design also means that the keyboard is not protected when closed. Which is why the material used for the keyboard is scratch resistant. And since the keys aren’t individual buttons, there is no gap for dust to enter. But this design does has it compromise. The keyboard isn’t that comfortable to type with and take some time to get used to.

The Motorola Backflip runs on Android 1.5 which is a little disappointing since Android 2.1 is already out and we are expecting Android 2.2 anytime soon. 5.3 x 10.8 x 1.53 cm and weighs 133 g. It has a 3.1 inch screen, 3.5mm headphone jack and MicroUSB port for charging and data transfer. WIFI, Bluetooth, A-GPS, Digital Compass and a 5 megapixel camera. The Backflip has 256 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM and a microSD slot.

Another interesting feature on the Motorola Backflip is the Backtrack located at the back of the screen. The Backtrack is like a touchpad for scrolling. You might be wondering, since the Backflip has a touchscreen, why is there a need for a the Backtrack. Well, its more like convenience. You can hold the Backflip with your 2 thumb on the keyboard and index finger on the Backtrack. The Backtrack is also good for scrolling on a website. But it might be a problem for those with smaller hands (or shorter fingers) as they can’t reach the Backtrack easily. For me, there isn’t any issue.

The unique design of the Backflip also makes it good as a table top device. Great for watching video without the need to hold the phone or find something to make the phone stand. The Motorola Backflip also looks good as a table clock. Haha.

The Motorola Backflip comes with MOTOBLUR like the Motorola Dext. MOTOBLUR is a widget-based system which combines various social networking portals such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter all in one place without the need of logging into each service separately. On top of that, MOTOBLUR also does have services to help you locate your phone. If your phone is lost, you can even remote wipe all data from a computer. Cool feature.

As a whole, the Motorola Backflip is a pretty decent mid-range phone with an affordable price. MOTOBLUR helps keep you connected with your social network easily. But if you don’t like the MOTOBLUR widgets, you can always download other applications from the Android Marketplace. One thing I notice is that the battery life seems to be rather short. That might be because I set MOTOBLUR to refresh my social network too frequently.

The Motorola Backflip is exclusive to SingTel in Singapore. Customers who sign up any 3G Flexi plans will receive mSocial and AMPed service for free.

In short:
A phone with an unique design

Likes:
MOTOBLUR services
Unique design

Dislikes:
Android 1.5
Keyboard

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2. Singtel brings the Motorola Dext to Singapore
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