At a time when most smartphone manufacturers are sticking to standard candybars, Motorola’s Flipout brings the swivel design and square shape to handsets (we do not remember too many having it, apart from the Micromax Bling). Android 2.1, a 2.8 inches touchscreen and a full qwerty keyboard that swivels out from under the screen are the features that make it stand out, making it a great example of the fact that all good things come in small packages. And do not necessarily cost the earth.
Motorola has been on an Android overdrive launching phones in the mid price segment, and this one costs Rs 15,990 – which might feel steep for some, but is definitely not a bad deal for what is on offer. For texters who do not want to give up on the touchscreen experience and also want a phone to turn heads, this is surely one of the best devices around. Here are our first impressions.The phone comes in a medium sized classic Motorola packing with the part containing the handset sliding out from under the cover, and a picture of the device displaying the Android UI on the cover. ‘Something to flip over’ says the box, very appropriately..
Pulling the cover back reveals a solid square chunk sitting in its place waiting to be picked against a bright yellow background. And we could not wait to get started.
The accessories accompanying the Flipout were placed neatly in the compartment below the handset. Unpacking the accessories brings out the earplugs, a USB cord, a two pin charger, a headset and three changeable back panels in black, green and white to change the looks of the device. Shades of the Xperia Mini Pro, eh?
And now to the Flipout itself. This square chunky phone has a great feel to it. It fits well into one hand, with the square screen seeming big enough to view files, apps and browse comfortably. The home button, return and menu buttons are the only three buttons below the display, which gives the phone a fairly clean look – no dedicated search button here, and no call make/receive or end buttons either. The Motorola logo has been given a little shine to appeal to female users, we suspect. If the phone seems a bit on the thicker side, that is because of the keyboard beneath the display, which we will not flip out. Ah, now you see how the handset gets its name.
And here comes the swivel. The Flipout’s QWERTY keypad swivels out very smoothly over the right edge of the keyboard below. Very solid and with no sound at all – there appears to be truly quality engineering here.
Once flipped out, the QWERTY keypad comes out and the phone appears to be slightly larger. The volumes keys are placed on the left side panel. But it is the keyboard we are really interested in, so let us zoom into that.
A close up of the keyboard makes it clear why we think it’s among the best QWERTY keyboards on any phone we have seen in this segment. The keyboard buttons are of good quality plastic that seem a bit hard, but are easy to press, well spaced and should work well for those with small as well as stubby fingers. There is a very clear distance between the edge of the phone and keyboard that makes typing more easy and comfortable.The D-pad lies to the left, a little unusual that is, especially for BlackBerry and E Series users who will expect it just below the display and in the center.
And the view from the right, showing that the USB charging point of the phone which appeared to be below it when the keyboard was tucked in is now actually on the right side, courtesy the swivel.
And finally, the back panel of the device, with the keyboard tucked in, to prevent imbalance. It might appear a bit plasticky but is very solid indeed and well, if you do not like the colour, you can go right ahead and change it. You can also see the 3.0-megapixel camera on the back and that is not a flash you see alongside it, but a simple mirror in which to see yourself for those self-portrait shots. Also, there is no auto focus here.
All in all, the Flipout combines touch and QWERTY and brings back swivel out keyboards in a new form factor, topped off with the power of Android. And it does not exactly cost a bomb either, going toe to toe with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro, which has a vastly superior camera, but a much smaller screen and keyboard. In fact, it is the larger screen of the Flipout (it is as big as that on the Micromax A60 Android phone) which gives it the edge on most smaller QWERTY-touchscreen combinations out there – you can actually operate the phone without opening the QWERTY. Call quality is expected to be good (hey, this is a Moto) and as for the rest, we will let you know in a review. As of now, we expect this phone to do very well indeed. It has got the looks and the specs to do so.
