Motorola Q – Now this is a Smartphone
First Impressions
When I first got this phone, I could not help but compare it to my very first PDA - the Palm V. I know that the MOTO Q and Palm V are totally different platforms (Palm vs. Windows Mobile WM5), but the size and weight were very similar to my old faithful Palm V. The MOTO Q is so light that you forget you have it in your pocket. If you like a smart device that is thin and light, then this is the PDAPhone for you.
The second thing that struck me about the MOTO Q was the clarity and crispness of it bright 320 x 240 display. Of all of the PDA’s and PDAPhones that I have owned, the MOTO Q has the best display that I have used. The color, brightness, and resolution matches that of my desktop display very closely. For example, I chose to add an outdoor scene (a sunset over the ocean) as the background for my Today screen, and I found that the scene very closely matched the same scene on my desktop monitor.
Easy set up
In order to synchronize your desktop comuter with Windows Mobile 5 (WM5), you must upgrade Activesync to version 4.1. The upgrade is definitely worth the effort. Once you have this version installed, you simply plug the device in using the supplied USB cable and you are off and running. If you are syncing the device with Outlook, you will find the 4.1 interface very similar to that of Outlook. You will be prompted with straightforward questions regarding how you want the various items to sync. Activesync will then setup your profile for you after you have completed the questions. However, if you are using Microsoft Exchange Server, the new interface gives you much more control over the device. Previous versions required the setup to be done on the device, with all user feedback from the syncing process residing only on the device. The new interface allows the setup to be done on the desktop, with the status of the syncing process residing in the Activesync form on the desktop. If you are remotely syncing, you get a similar interface for the syncing process on the device.
The Today / Home Screen
The default font sizes are designed to maximize the screen's real estate. The phone comes with several themes that you can experiment with, just like WM 2003 did. However, with the 320 x 240 screen size, you have a lot more flexibility now in setting up your display. I personally like to get as much on a screen as I can, so I started with the default theme provided by Verizon Wireless. To change the theme, you simply press the Start menu soft key, then scroll to Settings, and then choose Home Screen. You can then test the water with various layouts, background picture, and color schemes. I will admit, that I like to have a larger font for displaying the time. I accomplished this very easily by changing the default time display in the VZW Full Layout to have a bigger font for the date and time. You can also have your own backgrounds by either downloading them from various theme sites or simply using a picture that you've taken with a digital camera. To use your own picture, you copy the image to your \Application Data\Home folder and then use the Home Screen menu item to select it.
Calendar and Task Applications
There are no real changes to the MS Calendar and Task apps since Wm 2003. I highly recommend that you consider using one of the third party calendar apps that are available for Smartphones. I personally use
Papyrus from SBSH at
http://www.sbsh.net/. They have not come out with a version for 320 x 240 yet, but are working on one which should be available in the next few months. The current version does work pretty well for most views and is definitely usable until the new version becomes available.
Office Applications
Nothing has changed from WM 2003 with regard to office applications - there are no office applications on the phone out of the box. The MOTO Q does have a viewer that can read various file types, mainly for viewing email attachments. This viewer has a clever scrolling and zooming feature which helps maximize the device for viewing. However, if you are looking to do typing and editing on the phone, you will need more. I have found a good spreadsheet application that works very nicely on the Q called PTab from Z4Soft at
http://www.z4soft.com/ptab-spreadsheet/.
As with WM 2003, SmartphoneNotes from SyncData at
http://www.syncdata.it/sphnotes.html, is a nice note taking application that syncs with the desktop Outlook notes. They have released version 2.0 that works well on the Q.
Email
The email application that comes with the Q is very usable. The changes from WM 2003 are nice, bringing it closer to the PPC version. You can now switch folders easily, using the soft Menu key while looking through your email. Working with attachments is also easier, with the ability to add attachments to a new email (this could not be done in WM 2003 without a third party application). The MOTO Q also has the ability to work with MMS, which is nicely interfaced with the Camera application that is built in.
QWERTY Keyboard
I must admit, I was a little skeptical about the QWERTY keyboard on such a small device, however, I was pleasantly surprised with the MOTO Q. Motorola has done a very good job at making good use of the slightly wider format of the phone. The keys are nicely spaced and angled slightly away from the center (left for keys left of center and right for keys right of center), to allow a better feel when typing with one hand. The keys also have a raised surface which allows adequate separation when pressing the key, thus preventing two keys from being pressed at the same time. I find that I can easily match the speed for entering text type data that I had achieved previously using the stylus on a PPC phone. However, with the MOTO Q, this can be achieved with one hand instead of two. Some people may prefer to use two hands, which works well also when using your two thumbs to press the keys. WM5 has added a “type ahead” feature similar to what has always been on PPC. This can be turned off in Settings if it is not desired. The "type ahead" function allows the device to “guess” at the word you are typing and then allows you to simply press the right arrow to accept it.
Bluetooth
The Bluetooth implementation in the MOTO Q is well done, and includes five profiles - Hands-Free (for working with a car kit), Personal Network, Stereo Headset, Keyboard Input, and Bluetooth PC Remote. I personally am looking forward to using the Hands-Free profile with my car.
Camera Application
The camera functionality is actually quite nice. The above picture was taken at 320 x 240 resolution. The menu gives you the ability to set both the Brightness and White Balance. This has been useful when taking photos in auditoriums, where the overall lighting is darker than that on the stage. By lowering the stage brightness using the Brightness control, I was able to get a clear picture of the faces which had the stage lights directed on them. For “indoor” shots, the MOTO Q has a bright light on the back of the device (bright enough to be used as a flashlight), which can be turned on and off using the menu in the camera application. I have taken many pictures with the camera, and taking into account it is only a 1.3 meg pixel camera, you can take some pretty good pictures, saved at various resolution levels.
The video camera option is nice, but the sound is not ideal, using the MOTO Q's built in microphone. As long as the sound is not critical, the video comes out adequately for being included in an "all in one" converged device. Video is stored in 3G2 files which will not play (by default) using Windows Media player on a desktop computer. You need to use QuickTime 6.4 or above to play these videos on your desktop. Interestingly though, you CAN play them directly using the Media Player that comes on the MOTO Q.
Storage Card
The MOTO Q uses a small Mini SD storage card, an I immediately purchased a Mini SD card for the unit used in the review. You will find this to be a good investment for storing pictures, video clips, and music. Mini SD cards are quite inexpensive for 1 gb. They can be found for around $50 at the time the review was done, and that will surely continue to drop over time. I purchased a Sandisk card, which came with an adapter to plug the card into a normal SD slot. This can be useful for copying data to your desktop computer using its SD slot or an older adapter that doesn't support Mini SD directly.
Ringtones
The phone comes with a healthy selection of ringtones to chose from. You can also add your own by simply copying them to the \Application Data\Sounds folder on the device and then selecting them. It appears the MOTO Q prefers for your custom ringtones to be MP3 files. It does not allow WAV files like my Samsung i600 required. This is a good change since MP3 files are compressed and WAV files are not. Uncompressed ringtones can chew up a lot of your precious memory.
Sound Quality
The built-in speakers do reproduce stereo sound, but you need to have the device really close to your ears to get the “real” stereo effect of separation. I purchased a conversion adapter from Radio Shack for $5 that converts my headphones adapter to be compatible with the headphone jack on the MOTO Q. I recommend this approach for anyone that is serious about listening to music or videos on the MOTO Q. However, for simply talking on the phone, or using as a speakerphone, the built in speakers do a great job. The scroll wheel on the MOTO Q makes it very easy to adjust volume level when you are talking on the phone.
Broadband Access<o:p></o:p>
Probably one of the most useful features of the MOTO Q is the broadband access from Verizon Wireless. After using 2 PPC phones (Thera and i700) and my i600 Smartphone, which all used the older 1X service (averaged 60-90 mbps), I was pleasantly surprised by my experience when accessing the internet using the MOTO Q. I am now getting speeds of 200-400 mbps, which is like “light speed” on a handheld device. I suspect the speed you get will depend on the area of the country you are in and the number of people using the service in your area. Hopefully, people will post their speed results, so we can all benefit from each other’s experiences.
Battery Life
I found the battery life to be pretty good on the MOTO Q. As with all Smartphones, the more you use it, the less time it will last, so it is hard to be precise on the actual length of time you will get from a full battery charge. If you are a typical user of a Smartphone, you will likely be able to make it through the day without having to charge the battery, while charging the phone at night. All in all, I would rate this as better than any of the previous PPC phones or Smartphones that I have used in the past in terms of battery life.
Summary
Overall, I would rate the Q very high when compared to other Smartphones. I am finding it the most useful PDAPhone device I have owned. It’s light weight, thin size, and extremely crisp screen certainly place it near or at the top of PDAphone devices that are available today. The keyboard is much easier to use than the T9 approach I have been using on my i600, and I like it better than using a stylus. When you add in WM5, which is a substantial improvement over WM 2003, you get a powerful device. The broadband feature is what pushes it over the edge for me. If Verizon Wireless continues to price it near $200 (no pricing was available at the time of this review) with a two year contract and rebates, I think the MOTO Q has the potential of being one of the best selling Smartphones for the near future.
I will be recommending the device to my friends and colleagues.