A closer look at the Cliq XT

Watch this: Motorola CLIQ XT

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BARCELONA, Spain--Motorola made just one handset announcement at Mobile World Congress, but the new Cliq XT is holding its own. Also called the Quench in Europe--we don't know where Moto came up with that one--the Cliq XT offers a functional feature set and an intuitive design. The handset runs Google Android 1.5 (couldn't Moto at least given us 1.6?) and MotoBlur.

Though it's related to the existing Cliq, the Cliq XT is hardly an identical twin. As it lacks a physical keyboard, the XT is much thinner and it sports a relatively drab gray skin. Yet, we like how solid the device feels in the hand and we appreciate the textured back cover. At 3.1 inches, the touch screen is just big enough, but it's bright with sharp colors.

The trackpad is especially interesting. It's a large OK button, but you also can swipe your finger across it to switch between displays. It works well (it's supposed to compare with Backtrack on the Moto Backflip), though we might just stick with the touch screen. Surrounding it are four touch controls, and physical keys, the volume rocker, and the headset and charger ports rest on the spines.

The virtual keyboard is relatively spacious and comfortable and we're intrigued by the Swype feature. For a deeper look at the Cliq XT, check out our slideshow.