Clicks announces Communicator phone
It's time to bring back BlackBerry.
Yesterday, Clicks, a smartphone accessory maker, best known for creating a BlackBerry-esque keyboard case for iPhones and Androids, announced two new devices: an updated smartphone keyboard and a new smartphone, the Clicks Communicator. The Clicks Communicator is what caught many peoples' eyes, as it is the company's first foray into actual devices, not just accessories.
The Communicator is positioned clearly as a secondary device to the smartphone that is already in your pocket and it is clearly meant for serious business. In its announcement video, Jeff Gadway, CMO and co-founder of Clicks, says that "Clicks Communicator is to a smartphone what a Kindle is to an iPad." He goes on to explain that the versatility and lightness of a Kindle is what separates and differentiates it from an iPad, and so Clicks has made conscious efforts to separate the Communicator from the likes of the iPhone or Androids.
This is important because it helps to negate a common pitfall of a lot of new smartphones and devices where it is unclear what the device is targeted for. Smartphones like the iPhone already exist, so creating a new phone with the same purpose is hard since it is so well established. If a new phone is created with no clear or new purpose, it makes it hard for people to be captivated by it, since it is almost like they have seen it before.
By positioning this phone clearly as a secondary phone mainly for business and getting things done, it captures a new market that has clearly been left untouched, or at least somewhat unchanged, since BlackBerry left a number of years ago.
The new phone is also not slyly trying to be the next BlackBerry, which is confirmed by the fact that Clicks worked with Joseph Hoffer, a designer known for "some of the most iconic BlackBerries." This is honestly not a bad decision, since BlackBerry was, and frankly still is, known for being the "work" phone, especially in its dying days.
The design clearly takes after the Blackberry with its almost shockingly similar exterior and keyboard design. This is not a bad thing, given that many BlackBerry phones were very comfortable and easy to hold. The back covers are replaceable and can be swapped out for almost any color and design. It's not necessarily a thin phone, but the thickness may contribute to a more comfortable feeling for typing.
The typing is obviously a main point of the phone, since it is what separates the design from other smartphones on the market. It features a full hardware keyboard, like old BlackBerry phones. They have done this before with the original Clicks keyboard, and it was responded to well. It was, and most likely still is, a very good keyboard with good travel and feel. The only issue is that it is still very small, especially now given how big phones have gotten in comparison, so it will be interesting to see how easy it really is to type on it.
The phone opens to a streamlined view to just messages from all of the different apps on the device. This is nice, as it brings together the ideas of the device being literally just for communicating (as it is in the name). The launcher is very minimalist and is reminiscent of iPhone or Nothing Phones. It is very sleek and looks to be easy to navigate.
Another feature reminiscent of BlackBerry phones is the indicator light on the side for unread messages. It is on the side and it flashes for unread messages and users can set different colors for different people, groups, or even apps. It also has a physical killswitch on the side to turn off the light entirely. Some BlackBerries had similar light for unread messages, but this can be read whether the phone is face up or not.
The Communicator also has a MicroSD card slot that is compatible with up to 2TB of storage, adding on to the 256GB of storage already on the phone. It also has a headphone jack, a feature that is definitely a nice-to-have, but not a must-have, as most people have moved on from wired headphones.
The phone starts at $499, but the early bird pricing up until February 27th is $399, either as a full $399 upfront, or a reservation cost of $199, with the rest billed later when the device is "converted to an order," according to the Clicks Communicator website.
The biggest issue with the Communicator is almost the same as its biggest upside. It is a very well-designed phone, with great features and ideas, but it still falls into a small niche that not everyone has. They clearly know that, since they emphasize that having a clear goal when creating a product is what makes it good and what makes it stand out. But falling too far into that hole may hurt the product more than it helps it.
Either way, the Clicks Communicator is an interesting new smartphone with a clear goal of business set for it. We will have to wait and see what Clicks does soon.
