Working Clicks Communicator unveiled in ‘first look’ as launch date gets closer [Video]

Clicks released a “first look” of the Clicks Communicator in working order after months of designing and teasing the new phone.

The Clicks Communicator isn’t a finished product, just yet. The company is still in the final stages of developing the product, which is a productivity-focused Android device with a physical keyboard. The phone is commonly compared to a new-age BlackBerry, but Clicks wants to show off its own unique touches.

This video is the first time Clicks has shown off the phone in working order. That means both hardware and software are in an operational state, though there’s room for change before launch towards the end of the year.

The initial portion of the first look dives into the Android build that the Clicks Communicator is using. In the custom Niagara launcher, the Communicator’s homescreen is populated by a user-defined apps list. There’s an alphabetical app ribbon on the side that takes you to every other installed app. Those favorites can be rearranged, as you’d expect, and searching is as simple as typing with the physical keyboard.

Clicks designed the device to feel familiar, and touches like app navigation look no different than using any other Android device with a keyboard connected.

There are subtle differences that make the experience special, though. For instance, notifications from favorite apps will integrate with the homescreen, rather than appearing in a banner that takes up the limited screen space available. A swipe on that app opens a bigger preview, with reply and other actions.

As for hardware, Clicks has shown off the Communicator’s removable rear panel in previous demos, but it gets another look in the latest update. The detailed look shows off switching SIM and MicroSD cards, which is something that falls in line with the headphone jack as something users miss having on new devices.

There are a number of features mentioned that will get a deeper dive in future updates:

• Signal light
• Message hub
• Touch-sensitive keyboard
• Prompt key

For now, it’s just cool to see the device turn into something usable from a neat concept shown off at CES.

Clicks says more updates will come “in the weeks to come.” Nothing seems to have changed about its shipping date.

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