Click Technologya startup preparing to launch its own take on the BlackBerry smartphone is showing off what it has in store in a new video released today.
The device, known as the Clicks Communicator, was first unveiled at January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to cater to people who do a lot of work on their phones, such as texting and emailing. It’s especially intended to appeal to those who miss BlackBerry’s physical keyboard, which some argue 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 replying to messages and a tactile, touch-sensitive keyboard underneath.
However, the phone goes beyond being just a BlackBerry ripoff by innovating in other areas. For example, the smart “Signal Light” feature offers a light button on the side of the phone that can be customized with different colors and light patterns to indicate when you’ve received messages from specific people, groups or apps.
It also offers customizable back covers that can be removed and replaced, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a physical SIM card slot (plus an eSIM), expandable microSD storage (up to 2TB), and a touch switch to turn airplane mode on or off.
Clicks Communicator can also appeal to the growing number of users who want to distance themselves 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 Signal Light, you can safely ignore your phone unless you see a critical notification.
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 starts shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
At CES, TechCrunch was able to get a feel for the Communicator by handling a prototype that was the same size and weight as the device set to launch later this year. We found it held well, not too light or heavy and easy to grip. The keys were also quite bumpy, giving it a BlackBerry feel, though the team then planned to adjust the pressure slightly to make the device work better for fast typists.
Future videos will delve into specific Clicks Communicator features such as Signal Light, Prompt Key, Message Hub, Touch Keyboard and more.
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