{"id":417803,"date":"2026-01-18T18:21:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T18:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/417803\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T18:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T18:21:09","slug":"i-tried-turning-my-unihertz-titan-2-into-a-clicks-communicator-sort-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/417803\/","title":{"rendered":"I tried turning my Unihertz Titan 2 into a Clicks Communicator \u2014 sort of"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no secret that I\u2019ve missed BlackBerry phones.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m encouraged that 2026 is bringing not one, but two new physical keyboard devices to the market: the Clicks Communicator and Unihertz Titan 2 Elite. But I\u2019m as impatient as they come.<\/p>\n

I turned my Google Pixel Fold into a Windows Phone<\/a>because I wanted to experience Live Tiles again, and I\u2019ve come up with a similar workaround for my Unihertz Titan 2. <\/p>\n

When I heard Clicks was working with Niagara Launcher for the UI of the Clicks Communicator, I got curious.<\/p>\n

What if I skipped a step for now and tried out Niagara Launcher on my Titan 2?<\/p>\n

I learned a lot about how I use my smartphone, and I\u2019ll be more open to experimenting with different launchers in the future.<\/p>\n

I turned my Unihertz Titan 2 into a Clicks Communicator (sort of). Here\u2019s what happened.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Clicks Communicator: A purpose-built smartphone that breaks the mold in 2026
\n\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

I’m all for a physical keyboard in 2026<\/p>\n

Niagara Launcher took some getting used to<\/p>\n

Muscle memory was completely broken<\/p>\n

\"Niagara<\/p>\n

When I first set up Niagara Launcher, my fingers were at a loss. I\u2019m so used to swiping and selecting my apps a certain way that it felt like my brain was short-circuited.<\/p>\n

After a few minutes, I started to settle in, and Niagara Launcher is more intuitive than I thought. I selected the apps I wanted on my home screen and dove right in.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth noting that I immediately signed up for the seven-day free trial of Niagara Pro.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll wind up paying the $14 for the year, and I think the $43 lifetime license is worth it if you like using it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve paid more for less, and while you can get by with the free version just fine, I wanted the extra customization options.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t add too many widgets to my home screen.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re available if you need them, but I figured that if I\u2019m opting for a launcher designed to simplify my user experience, I should probably let it do just that.<\/p>\n

I picked out a relatively clean theme (with a cat wallpaper, of course) and started using it.<\/p>\n

2026 is going to be the year of simplicity<\/p>\n

I enjoyed having a cleaner layout<\/p>\n

\"Niagara<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not for everyone, but I\u2019m glad I gave Niagara Launcher a chance, and I can see why it\u2019s ideal for keyboard phones like the Titan 2 and Clicks Communicator.<\/p>\n

The capacitive keyboard works well with the Niagara Launcher on the Titan 2, so I can scroll through my list without touching the screen.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t take long to see the appeal. Notifications are displayed cleanly right by the app, and there\u2019s a distinct lack of clutter.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m awful at customization, but it doesn\u2019t take much effort to bring Niagara Launcher into a good spot.<\/p>\n

I can clear notifications by checking the app or swiping down and dismissing them; either will remove them from the home screen.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s definitely less noise, and I feel less overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

I enjoy the flexibility of having my most-used apps right on the home screen, while knowing the rest aren\u2019t far away.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve used focus-oriented launchers before, but they\u2019re a little too focused. It takes too much effort to get to the other apps I need or to break out of the focus shell.<\/p>\n

That may be the point for some, as you want to limit the temptation of distractions, but I\u2019d rather be able to get to my full app list more easily, since I don\u2019t want to list everything on the home screen.<\/p>\n

I can simply drag my finger against the right edge of my home screen and get my entire list.<\/p>\n

If I drag all the way to the bottom, I can pull up my Niagara settings to change my layout or widgets.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m even more excited about the Clicks Communicator<\/p>\n

Solid software is essential to the user experience<\/p>\n

\"clicks-communicator-hand\"
\n Credit:\u00a0Clicks<\/p>\n

I love seeing a return of purpose-built devices in 2026.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m tired of compromising with expensive slab smartphones. I want a phone for communication and light social media use. It\u2019s fantastic to see companies start to cater to niche markets again.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m already enjoying the Unihertz Titan 2<\/a>, and I\u2019m looking forward to what Clicks and Unihertz have in store for their upcoming phones. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m encouraged that Clicks understands that BlackBerry was about more than just the physical keyboard.<\/p>\n

Software played an integral part in the experience, and working with Niagara Launcher is a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n

The old BlackBerry Hub and Inbox don\u2019t work as well for me as they used to, so I\u2019m loving that there is a suitable replacement around the corner.<\/p>\n

2026 is a great year to reevaluate why you use smartphones<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been trained to buy the most expensive flagship with all the power and features, whether we use them or not.<\/p>\n

A new year is a fantastic opportunity to reevaluate how you use technology<\/a> in your life.<\/p>\n

Maybe you\u2019re better served carrying around a $400 phone and a $500 camera, instead of settling for compromises in the name of convenience.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a lifestyle for everyone, but I think more people would enjoy it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s no secret that I\u2019ve missed BlackBerry phones. I\u2019m encouraged that 2026 is bringing not one, but two…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":417804,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[49,48,61],"class_list":["post-417803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}