MotorolaQ
Latest
Sprint's Motorola Q left out of WM6 party?
Shelled out for the newer Sprint Motorola Q with Windows Mobile and EV-DO goodness? That's great -- but don't let the next sentence steam you. Word on the street is that Sprint is not going to be providing a Windows Mobile 6 update for its version of the Q. It's already a bummer that Sprint's Q doesn't have some of the carrier's flagship features (Picture Mail, Wireless Backup, Video Mail, Sprint TV, and so on) four months after release; now, the unit may never even see Windows Mobile 6 in its Sprint lifetime. Ah, what could have been, eh?[Thanks, Ice Cold]
Verizon to bring LBS to PDAs
Are you tired of seeking out third-party nav applications for your Palm 700wx or Motorola Q? We hear you on that -- and it turns out Verizon does, too. Word has it that The Network is testing navigation service for PDA devices (a la VZW Navigator for dumbphones) and it should be available some time in the third quarter of this year. For everyone's sake, let's just hope it's made to support new and old devices alike.[Thanks, HTC Kid]
Alltel to get the black Motorola Q
Just like the Sprint boys before them, it seems CDMA carrier Alltel will be getting the Motorola Q sometime soon based on the rather blurry (but legible) cellphone cam shot of the above box. Yes, that's the black version of the Motorola Q in a trademark purple Alltel box. Dates? We can only guess, but with this full box in plain view (somewhere), we're guessing pretty soon enough. Specs? The standard specs from Sprint's recent Q unveiling most likely, which means everything we know about the Q already along with sweet EV-DO data speeds.[Thanks, Ray D.]
Apple iPhone sized up and compared to Treo 750, Moto Q, and BB Pearl
Thanks to the ever-convenient sizeasy.com, we've been able to get an idea of how big Apple's new iPhone is in comparison to other smartphones in a similar class to Apple's first cellular device. As you can see, it's pretty much in the middle of the pack: it's practically equally as thin as the Motorola Q, but ain't quite as high; it's nowhere near as thick as the Treo 750, but it is slightly wider and taller; and it bests the Pearl in terms of thinness, but loses out on width and height. Hopefully this gives you a better idea of how the iPhone sizes up against its competitors. Check out some more size comparisons from different angles after the break.
Moto Q in Black hits the Great White North
Well folks, it appears that our friends to the north have greased Motorola's palms with a few extra loonies, eh. Indeed, the northerly division of Motorola will be the first company to launch the new Moto Q in Black, available exclusively from Bell Canada. This new piece of ebony elegance comes with all the same features you'd expect from the previous Q: EV-DO, 2.4-inch screen, 65,000 colors, 64MB RAM / 128MB ROM, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. It's basically the same as the old Q, except that it's black (duh), with a soft touch finish. It's available for C$150 ($132) with a new voice plan, and minimum C$60 ($53) data package on a three-year contract. To our American countrymen and countrywomen who are already making a run for the border, a word of advice: that same trick with the loonies probably won't work with US Customs when you try to smuggle it into the lower 48. Instead, just sit tight and wait until this handset hits Verizon -- sometime soon, we hope.
Motorola Q Pro confirmed. Sort of.
Details are WAY sketchy (for now), but buywindowsmobile.com has what appears to be the first confirmed evidence of an upgraded version of the Motorola Q called the "Motorola Q Pro". No word yet on specs (HSDPA fans keep your fingers crossed), but they're reporting that it will come in black and sport Motorola's MOTOPRO Mobility Suite, which is a software package aimed at enterprise users. We had heard some earlier rumors about an HSDPA-enabled Q getting out the door by Christmas, but according to these guys the release of the Q Pro is set for the first quarter of next year.
Bell Canada gets some Moto Q action
Telus may have already had the Motorola Q for a couple of months now, but it's no longer the only carrier in Canada to offer the EV-DO smartphone, with Bell now jumping in to give them a little competition. Bell's deal looks to be a tad less attractive than Telus' though -- the Q will cost you the same $249 with a three-year contract, but you'll need to get a minimum $60 data plan, as opposed to just $45 with Telus. Unfortunately, not all Bell customers can get their hands on one right away, with folks in B.C. and Alberta having to wait until October 16th to get theirs, while customers in Ontario and Quebec can get their QWERTY kicks right now.[Via Smartphone Thoughts]
PSP still one of the "top 10 must-haves"
Need ammunition for the strange YouTube video flame war building between PSP Fanboy and DS Fanboy? Well, here's one for you guys: CNET's constantly updated "top 10 must-haves" still has your beloved handheld on the list. The PSP joins other gadgets, such as the incredible Motorola Q, Toshiba Gigabeat S, the Slingbox, the Xbox 360 and Canon PowerShot S80. Here's what the CNET folks had to say:"The Sony PlayStation Portable was the portable gadget of 2005. If you haven't gotten yet, you must not have seen one in action. The screen alone will make you salivate. So much more than a portable gaming console, it also plays music and movies. Not only does it look hot, it also has outstanding sound and graphics, a built-in Memory Stick Duo slot, and Wi-Fi."You get a lot of bang for your buck with the PSP. Considering how the PSP costs only $200, that's a lot cheaper than most of the items on this acclaimed list.[Via 1UP Boards]
Samsung's SGH-i600: an HSDPA and WiFi Smartphone at last
Sure, you like the Motorola Q but hate the fact that it's missing WiFi. And the lack of 3G on the HTC Excalibur is also a deal breaker. Well, look no further for your QWERTY fix brother, 'cause our favorite maker of boxy black devices is showing off their SGH-i600 Smartphone at IFA in Berlin. This tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 baby brings it all: HSDPA, EDGE, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel cam with another up front for video calls, a 2.3-inch, 65k color, 320 x 240 TFT display, Microsoft's Push Mail, and 128MB ROM / 64MB RAM with MicroSD expansion all powered by Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone on a TI OMAP 1710 processor. The phone looks small enough for single-handed operation, can pull double-duty as an HSDPA modem and can even be switched into USB mass storage mode for easy drag-n-drop data transfer off your PC. And yeah, it's FCC approved so the estimated Q4 2006 release date is certainly do-able. Now sop-up the drool and click-on for more pics.[Thanks, Martin]
Rejoice, for Motorola Q's AKU2 update is at hand
After a bit of a false-start with AKU2 a couple weeks ago, Motorola is busting it out for reals this time, and we're thinking most Q owners should be plenty pleased. Naturally, MSFP, with its Exchange-based push email, global address book lookup and added security features should be a big hit with the suits, but we've got our eyes set on the new Dial-Up Networking (DUN) capabilities that'll allow us to get our tether on via USB or Bluetooth. There are other little enhancements, but we're sure you'd rather find 'em out for yourself by peeping the read link and downloading the update. [Via Mobility Site]
i-mate sheds HTC for Pocket PC Q-killer?
With info and pic originating from Hungary, you know it's gotta be good. Someone over at HowardForums just spotted this new, unconfirmed i-mate model, the i-mate Jaq, at Hungarian site PDA Mania, and were kind enough to share. Notably, i-mate doesn't appear to be relying on HTC (who has that little Q-killer of their own brewin') for the design here, and while their in-house designers might take a little while to warm up, a bit of diversity in the market never killed anyone. Also of note is that this phone purportedly runs the full-fledged Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition, allowing pen input on its QVGA screen and the software advantages that OS provides. As for the rest of the specs, the phone is a quad-band GSM, GPRS and EDGE unit, with 64MB of RAM, 128MB of ROM and a miniSD slot for expansion. There is IrDA and Bluetooth 1.2, but no WiFi, and the 1.3 megapixel camera is a bit lackluster these days, but with that QWERTY action this just might turn out to be a decent contender from i-mate.[Via HowardForums]
AKU2 for Motorola Q is / is not available
Manufacturer posts OS update, manufacturer discovers update wasn't quite ready for prime time, manufacturer pulls update from web. Sound familiar? Moto teased us with the long-awaited AKU2 update for their Q, but pulled it from their website a scant two days later after "realizing" that it was still in beta. Needless to say, the prerelease cut's still floating around the web and shouldn't be terribly hard for hardcore Q users to get their hands on, but the faint of heart might just be better off for the real deal to drop since it wipes your device clean -- not to mention that Moto's hinting the beta does nasty things to your warranty.
HTC's Q killin' Excalibur depicted?
We've gotta take this one with a grain of salt, thanks to an unconfirmed source and that sketchy paste job on the screen, but if this pic and its accompanying deets prove true, we're in for a treat. Codenamed "Excalibur," we heard about HTC's attempt at a Q/i320 killer last month, and it seems to be shaping up nicely. Beyond the obvious QWERTY action, the quad-band phone will supposedly feature WiFi, and will be 2mm thicker than the i320. To the side of the screen is an interesting touch-jog strip for scrolling (in lieu of the Q's jog dial) with top and bottom touch buttons to open the Start menu and go back. Looking good HTC, now if you'll just confirm the device, mix in some HSDPA and ship a few to the States at $150 each we'll be all set.
Motorola Q broken down by the numbers
iSuppli's back doing what they do best -- ripping apart your favorite piece of hardware, adding up the component costs, and letting you know how much you're getting taken when you whip out the plastic. Today's victim is Motorola's text-tastic Q, and though the margins are pretty slim, it looks like Moto and Verizon are in the black on every unit they push. All told, iSupply totals the cost of the Q's guts to be $150; tack on another $8 for manufacturing and you're looking at $158 out the door. The most expensive component, not surprisingly, is the device's 320 x 240 display at $25, with memory and the XScale rounding out the top three. If you've invested in one of these bad boys lately you know that Verizon's charging $199 on a two-year contract, meaning that in the worst case, the two companies are splitting $41 -- and if you opt for a one-year at $349, well, they're just rolling in fat city.
Runthrough with Samsung's Q-killing i320
Slim, wide, full keyboard-packin' WM5 Smartphones might be out and about this side of the pond, but our European friends have yet to get in on the Motorola Q -- making Samsung's release of the i320 even more interesting for them, not to suggest there aren't a few Americans that'll be reading PPCReviews' first impression with bated breath. Unfortunately, the outcome isn't exactly a love fest, with the reviewers knocking the i320's sluggish response, odd speakerphone positioning, under-battery microSD slot and lackluster camera. On the positive side, well, it's a WM5 Smartphone with a full keyboard if you're into that sort of thing, and the QVGA display gets high marks. They were also a bit confused about the inclusion of two batteries, suggesting that the i320 might eat some serious power. We'll wait for a couple more reviews before issuing a final judgment, but the HSDPA Q is looking better every day.[Via Smartphone Thoughts]
Motorola Q with HSDPA and WiFi by Christmas?
QWERTY smartphone fans on GSM carriers, cautiously rejoice: our Italian is admittedly a little rusty, but Italy's Cellulare Magazine seems to be reporting some unconfirmed, wildly speculative deets regarding the forthcoming (?) GSM Q. Not only might it drop in time for Christmas (in Europe, anyway), but when it does, it might be bearing gifts of WiFi and HSDPA for its patient buyers -- up from the previously reported plain-vanilla UMTS -- while maintaining the same lovely form factor. They're also reporting the device will rock quad-band GSM, meaning anxious North Americans should have little trouble jumping the gun if it launches in Europe first. Of course, if the HSDPA support doesn't come in all the right bands, the US will get left out of the 3G fun and we might just end up with another E61 / E62 debacle, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Samsung launches SGH-i320 in France
We haven't heard many peeps out of Samsung about their QWERTY "Q killer" SGH-i320 ever since we noticed its FCC approval a couple of months ago. Well, now it looks like they're ready to bust this thing out, and they're starting off with a launch in EDGE-friendly France. The EDGE smartphone isn't as wide or tall as the Motorola Q, but the phones both share that thinner-than-a-RAZR 11.5mm thickness. There's 120MB of included memory, along with a microSD slot, so Windows Mobile 5.0 should have plenty of room to play, but the QVGA display is a mere 2.2-inches, so some squinting might be in order. The phone includes Bluetooth, dual-speakers and push-email support, but we're still without a clue as to the actual launch date or specific carrier. We're also curious if Samsung can manage to compete with the Q at that $200 (with subsidies) price point, but we guess we'll find out soon.
Engadget Mobile's got a Q
We thought it might interest you to know that we snagged our little selves a Motorola Q over at Engadget Mobile; while we haven't had it around long enough to really put the spurs to it, we gotta say that we're a lot more encouraged than we though we'd be. We know a lot of you are pretty stoked to see this phone though, so check out the unboxing ritual next door.
Unpacking the Motorola Q
Check it, we just got our hands on a brand new Motorola Q yesterday evening and we figured we'd snap a few pics of the unpacking ritual.
Motorola Q is set for launch next week
Remember a ways back when we told you that the Motorola Q was due for May 22nd? Well that might not have been so far off after all. Turns out Motorola has just announced that they will be releasing the Q "next week," a week which turns out to include May 22nd among its numbered days. The EV-DO phone will be out first for Verizon and Sprint, but there should be a Cingular UMTS version out by the end of the year -- a bit earlier than they previously stated -- and possibly even a HSDPA version if we're really lucky. They're billing the Q as a "BlackBerry killer," which is fine, but we're just glad they finally realised that releasing a product is an important part of the BlackBerry killing process.[Via Phone Scoop]
