Topics Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture More from TechCrunch Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Crunchboard Contact Us Clicks Technology, a startup that’s 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 introduced at January’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to cater to people who do a lot of work on their phones, like texting and emailing.It’s particularly meant to appeal to those who miss the 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-day BlackBerry might, with a screen for viewing and responding to messages, and a tactile, touch-sensitive keyboard below.The phone goes beyond being just a BlackBerry dupe, however, by innovating in other areas.For instance, its clever “Signal Light” feature offers a light-up 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 certain people, groups, or apps. It also offers customizable back covers that can be popped off and swapped, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a physical SIM card tray (in addition to an eSIM), expandable microSD storage (up to 2TB), and a tactile switch for turning on or off airplane mode.
The Clicks Communicator may also appeal to the growing number of users looking to distance themselves from modern-day smartphones, with their addictive social apps and games.(The company partnered with the Niagara Launcher to provide access to the Android apps it runs).With the Signal Light, you can safely ignore your phone unless you see a critical notification come through.
In the new video, the company shows its pre-production hardware and internal software as a preview of what’s to come when the phone begins 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 that’s preparing to ship at the end of this year.We found it felt good to hold, not too light or heavy, and was easy to grip.
The keys were also fairly clicky, giving it a BlackBerry-like feel, though the team was then planning to slightly adjust the pressure to make the device work better for fast typers.Future videos will go more in-depth into specific Clicks Communicator features, like the Signal Light, Prompt Key, Message Hub, touch-sensitive keyboard, and more.Topics BlackBerry, Clicks, Gadgets, Hardware, smartphone, Startups When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission.
This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.Sarah Perez Consumer News Editor Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011.She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb.
Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T.across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software. You can contact or verify outreach from Sarah by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at sarahperez.01 on Signal.View Bio X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct SpaceX IPOAnthropicCursorSnapFable 5Tech LayoffsChatGPT TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite MapTerms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of ConductSpaceX IPOAnthropicCursorSnapFable 5Tech LayoffsChatGPT
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