Click technologya startup about to launch its own version of the BlackBerry smartphoneshows what he has in store for us in a new video, released today.
The device, known as Clicks Communicator, was introduced at the January Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to meet the needs of people who do a lot of work on their phones, such as texting and emailing. It’s particularly intended to appeal to those who miss the BlackBerry’s physical keyboard, which some say is better for these types of tasks.
Priced at $499, the Communicator looks a lot like a modern BlackBerry, with a screen for viewing and responding to messages, and a touch-sensitive keyboard underneath.
The phone goes beyond simply being a dupe of the BlackBerry, however, by innovating in other areas. For example, its smart “Signal Light” feature offers an illuminated button on the side of the phone that can be customized with different light colors and patterns to indicate when you’ve received messages from certain people, groups or apps.
It also offers customizable back covers that can be removed and swapped, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a physical SIM card tray (in addition to an eSIM), expandable microSD storage (up to 2TB), and a touch switch to turn airplane mode on or off.
The Clicks Communicator may also appeal to the growing number of users who are looking to move away from modern smartphones, with their addictive social apps and games. (The company has partnered with Niagara Launcher to provide access to the Android apps it runs). With the light signal, you can safely ignore your phone unless you see a critical notification coming.
In the new video, the company shows off its pre-production hardware and internal software as a preview of what’s to come when the phone begins shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
At CES, TechCrunch was able to get an idea of the Communicator by handling a prototype of the same size and weight as the device that is about to ship at the end of this year. We found it comfortable to hold, not too light or too heavy, and easy to grip. The keys were also quite clicky, giving them a BlackBerry-like feel, although the team then planned to adjust the pressure slightly to make the device work better for fast hitters.
Future videos will delve deeper into specific features of Clicks Communicator, such as beacon, prompt key, message hub, touch keyboard, and more.
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