Hardware

Once you get past the fantastical experience of opening the box, you're immediately presented with the CLIQ itself resting atop a cardboard cradle. Even though this phone represents the first volley of a wholly, genuinely reinvented Motorola, there's something... well, still very recognizably "Motorola" about the industrial design, and whether that's a good or a bad thing is largely a matter of personal opinion. For one thing, that means that virtually every part of the phone looks and feels over-engineered, which leaves you with a device that's both heavier and bulkier than it realistically had to be. For us, that wasn't a problem -- it generally gave the phone a substantial, reassuring, high-quality feel -- but for fans of tight jeans or svelte, sexy handsets, it's important to remember that the CLIQ clocks in over a millimeter thicker than the keyboardless myTouch 3G. That sounds like an insignificant difference, but between the added weight and girth, we found that the CLIQ was much more noticeable in a pocket (both to you and to people who happen to be glancing at your pocket for whatever reason).The slider on the CLIQ is definitely rock solid. While we felt a tiny bit of give on screen presses when the phone is closed, generally the two-piece device still feels like a connected whole. Sliding open the keyboard produces an enthusiastic "chunk" sound, while it snaps back in place with a reassuring tightness. Compared to other slider phones of this ilk, it's a major step up.