From CNET: One of the more interesting devices at CES 2026 is a phone that doesn't really want to be a phone -- at least not in the modern sense. The Clicks Communicator harks back to the BlackBerry phones of old, featuring an integrated clicky hardware keyboard below a screen that's smaller than most of today's phones. And it's designed primarily to be a distraction-free complement to your existing do-everything smartphone.
With the tagline, "doing, not doomscrolling," Clicks Technology envisions the Communicator as a kind of back-to-basics smart device focused on communication and work. It says the device essentially pares down all of the distractions that come with today's large-screen, social media-centric smartphones. Many people have already started carrying a second phone for privacy or to set boundaries, the company said.
The retro-styled Communicator, priced at $499, links up to your main phone so you can get emails and texts on it. To be clear, you still need a separate smartphone for this device to work.
Jeff Gadway, the company's chief marketing officer, describes the Communicator's relationship to your smartphone as what a Kindle is to an iPad. "It's a complementary product that stands on its own, optimized for a specific purpose," Gadway said in the Friday announcement.
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