The BlackBerry is back, sort of. Mobile keyboard maker Clicks Technology last week announced its debut phone, the $499 Communicator, which sports a physical keyboard. The company is also offering a separate $79 slide-out physical keyboard that fits on any device.
At CES, TechCrunch chatted with Clicks’ chief marketing officer and co-founder, Jeff Gadway, and went hands-on with the latest prototype of the upcoming smartphone.
The device offers a BlackBerry-like keyboard and messaging-focused touchscreen, and runs Android 16 under the hood, which means the Communicator can run any Android app. The company has partnered with the minimalist launcher, Niagara Launcher, to display apps on the homescreen. Other apps are within easy reach via a scrollable list.
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Reception for the new devices has been better than expected, Gadway told TechCrunch. Although he declined to share sales numbers, he said that over the past week, the company was making a sale every 6.5 seconds between both devices.
While the prototype we tried was not a fully functional phone, it’s the same size and weight as the device that’s preparing to ship later this year, giving an initial feel for what it would be like to use the Communicator. Onboard storage lands at 256 gigabytes, with expandable microSD storage of up to 2 terabytes of data. The device will also sport a 4000mAh silicon-carbon battery and is currently weighing in around 170 grams (or 6 oz). Underneath the back is where your nano-SIM card will go.
The phone also comes with interchangeable back covers that you can pop off to change its look. While not present on the prototype, the cover will have a small notch at the top and then a little finger pick at the bottom.
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In our hands-on test, the phone felt good to hold — not too heavy or light, and was easy to grip. Gadway told me the company settled on the device’s final form after dozens of 3D-printed shapes. The winning design for the phone features a contoured back that makes it easy to pick up and hold.
The device’s screen is also somewhat elevated off the body, and its chin is curved up to create a recess that protects the keys when you place it face down.
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