CLIQ XT an easy choice

While the iPhone is oftentimes seen as the must-have, all-doing tech device for college students and young professionals alike, it is currently only available on the AT&T network. Sure, there has been talk of it being available for other networks as early as this summer, and jail broken iPhones are available in abundance on Craigslist, but there are many other alternatives, too. One of which, the Motorola CLIQ XT, is quietly but surely segmenting a niche market for itself.

The CLIQ XT is a revamped version of the original CLIQ; the two phones look almost identical, but the XT is sleeker and slimmer. It has done away with the slider keyboard and now has a touch screen for input. While reviewing the phone, I used the T-Mobile network and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of service. I never had to ask anyone to repeat themselves or say, “Slow down. You’re breaking up.”

The touch screen may have replaced the slide-out keyboard, but the soft touch navigation pad, located directly below the phone’s screen, gives users the option of scrolling through websites, search results and text messages instead of having to try and touch the miniscule item they wish to pull up. It also keeps the screen clean, which has always been a pet peeve of mine.

Like most phones are now expected to, the CLIQ XT provides a seamless web browsing function. The home page, which is fully customizable, has Twitter, Facebook and Gmail synced to update automatically whenever users receive a message on any website. Of course, this can get somewhat annoying if you’re on all the social networking websites like me, but the function can also be turned off or set to only notify you for certain things. I set it to notify me when I received a text or an e-mail, leaving Facebook and Twitter updates on my to-do list for when I had time.

The CLIQ XT seems to cater to a younger, more Internet-savvy audience. It’s much more fun-oriented than any other phone I’ve ever used, and the 5-megapixel camera, which, unlike many other phones, has a flash (a bright one, at that) along with the video capture/playback option make capturing moments and sharing them with friends and family easier than ever.

Despite the similarity in size and weight to its competitor, the iPhone, and its big brother, the Droid, the CLIQ XT’s screen is 0.4 and 0.6 inches smaller than the other phones’, respectively. It might not seem like much, but the difference is noticeable, and it took some time to get used to the text-messaging function. Turning the phone on its side and taking advantage of the wider keyboard is the best option. But that’s my only gripe, really.

The phone is wrapped in a textured, plastic shell that provides grip for the phone both in your hand as well as on your desk or on your dash in the car. I have owned an iPhone, and my least-favorite aspect of the phone was its slippery feel. I always had to hold it tight, because I feared that it would slide out of my hand like a bar of soap if I didn’t grip it firmly.

The CLIQ XT’s battery life is impressive, too. One day, I made a point to use the phone for everything. I was constantly checking Facebook updates, tweeting, reading e-mails and catching up on the latest College Humor videos. And in case my mom reads this, I wasn’t doing it while in class. The phone lasted for 13 hours before it prompted me to charge the battery.

Unfortunately, the battery and SIM card are located below the shell, which may very well be the most difficult case I’ve ever removed. It took me two days to get up the courage to do it, because at first, I thought it wasn’t supposed to come off and was afraid I was going to break the phone.

Overall, the CLIQ XT is a solid phone. It’s cheaper than the Droid or the iPhone, but it does everything they do and is perfect for someone who’s looking for a reliable, sleek, user-friendly interface without the big price tag. College students might want to check it out.

[email protected]