Until now, AT&T has been without a phone sporting Google’s Android Operating System. Android has finally joined their line-up, with the new Motorola Backflip being the first chosen to sport the OS in AT&T’s wide list of smartphone models.
The Backflip, which is slated for a March 7th release date, features Motorola’s Motoblur, which delivers contacts and social media and networking content directly to the homescreen. There is a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard (in a “reverse flip design” that leaves the keyboard exposed when closed), as well as a BACKTRACK™ navigation pad behind the screen.
Other notable features are a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, GPS navigation, 802.11 b/g WiFi connectivity, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, meaning no need for adapters for music listening. Motorola boasts a battery life of 13.5 days on standby and 6 hours talk time.
Rachel King at ZDNet says that the price for the phone will start at $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and will require a contract with a smartphone data plan. AT&T’s smartphone plans start at $30.00/month for unlimited data usage with no texting, and go up to $50.00 monthly for unlimited data and messaging.
Another good thing about Android? BeerCloud was available for the Android OS before it was available for the iPhone. Typing out your search for the nearest brewpub is so much easier on a QWERTY keyboard than the iPhone’s touch screen. Sounds like a win-win combination!
View the full list of specs for the Backflip on Motorola’s website.
