Digital Trends

Motorola Q

October 15th, 2006 | by Stewart Wolpin

Conclusion

In many ways, the Q is a missed opportunity. To really differentiate the Q from other Smartphones, Motorola ought to have included a higher resolution camera, a dedicated 3.5mm stereo headset (or at least included a 2.5mm stereo/inline mic ear set), and/or Bluetooth stereo for music listening. We wouldn't recommend the Q if your primary purpose is e-mail and texting, unless you really want to save some dough. If money and e-mail are minor issues, we'd recommend the more powerful Palm-powered Treo (700p) or the Windows Mobile version (700w), especially now that they're on sale. But the Q exudes a lot more fun and style than both the Blackberry and the Treo, which, in our aesthetics-driven, form-over-function society, seems to count for a lot.

Pros:

• Less than a half-inch thick
• Less expensive than competitors
• Bright 2.5-inch, 320 x 240 pixel screen
• Verizon EV-DO broadband network
• Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition operating system
• E-mail with attachments
• Hotmail MSN Messenger compatible
• Digital music/video player
• MiniSD memory card slot

Cons:

• "Only" a 1.3 MP camera
• Slightly awkward keyboard for text input
• No docking cradle
• No included headset