As promised, I’ve been playing with one of the Motorola CLIQ’s we still have in the house, and that I recently updated to Android 2.1 (Éclair). I have the following to say about this update. Some of it is good, but some of it is quite critical.
- Turn by Turn Directions – Its wonderful to have this capability now with this device. TbT directions is a must have for me; as I am directionally challenged. Éclair
- Updated Google Apps – Speech to Text, Google Voice Search as well as an updated Google Maps and Navigation app (see above) are just part of what you’ll see. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t use speech to text (I can read well enough and quickly enough that a computerized voice isn’t going to get me much. As I’m not vision impaired, I find having a device read my text messages and e-mail to me, just laziness… Just sayin’. I also won’t use the Voice Search, as I find that the technology isn’t quite there as far as voice recognition is concerned. I’m looking for "local rock bands," not ways to recycle cans or ways to cure hams. I can type faster than it will take to delete, correct and/or respeak the command.
- The new Android Market – This was a winner from the get go. The new Market app with its Update All and Auto Update features are pretty cool. This is a clear winner.
- Multimedia Apps – If you have an iPod (or other MP3/media player) use it. Even my Nexus One doesn’t get used like this. The CLIQ has a very anemic processor. You’re going to need some punch to make this work while multitasking other apps.
- MotoBLUR 2.1.5 – The early reports I got on this update, about 6 months (or more) or so ago, indicated that the Motorola finally realized that MotoBLUR was nothing more than a big drag on the device’s resources (which it is…). I had thought that they were going to make the CLIQ less BLURRY. I guess I was wrong. The 2.1.5 version of the CLIQ’s OS is still very MotoBLUR driven and dependent, and its almost as bad as the previous 1.x.x versions you had before the upgrade.
My best recommendation to existing CLIQ users is to update your software and then root the device with Super One Click. I did, and I was able to put a different Launcher on the device. At least this way, you can get rid of MotoBLUR and have a more "stock android" experience. This is the easiest way to get a new ROM experience on the CLIQ, as there are little to no custom ROM’s available for the device.
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| The CLIQ’s home page | RSS and Music widgets | Google Search & RSS widgets |
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| Landscape – Mail & Happenings widgets | Social networking in MotoBLUR | You still have to review ALL statuses in Happenings |
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| The Universal Inbox | The Universal IM Client | The New Lock Screen |
