Clicks shows off its BlackBerry-inspired phone in a new hands-on video

Click technologyA startup company getting ready to launch on your BlackBerry smartphoneshows off what she has in store in a new video released today.

The device known as Clicks Communicator, It was submitted At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January in Las Vegas to meet the needs of people who do a lot of work on their phones, such as texting and email. It’s especially aimed at attracting those who miss a BlackBerry’s physical keyboard, which some argue is better for these types of tasks.

At $499, the Communicator looks a lot like a modern BlackBerry, with a screen for viewing and replying to messages, and a touch-sensitive touch keyboard below.

However, the phone goes beyond just being a BlackBerry rip-off, by innovating in other areas. For example, the smart “Signal Light” feature offers a light button on the side of the phone that can be customized with different colors and light patterns to indicate when you’re receiving messages from specific people, groups, or apps.

It also offers customizable back covers that can be flipped open and swapped, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a physical SIM tray (plus an eSIM), expandable microSD storage (up to 2TB), and a haptic switch to turn Airplane mode on or off.

Clicks Communicator may also appeal to the growing number of users looking to move away from modern smartphones, with their addictive social apps and games. (The company has partnered with Niagara Launcher to provide access to Android apps it runs.) With Signal Light, you can safely ignore your phone unless you see an important notification.

In the new video, the company shows off its pre-production internal hardware and software as a preview of what’s to come when the phone starts shipping in the last quarter of this year.

At CES, TechCrunch was able to get a feel of 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 nice to hold, not too light or heavy, and it was easy to hold. The keys were also somewhat clicky, giving it a BlackBerry-like feel, though the team was then planning to adjust the pressure a bit to make the device work better for quick typing.

Future videos will go more in-depth into specific Clicks Communicator features, such as Signal Light, Prompt Key, Message Center, Touch-Sensitive Keyboard, and more.