A&T Releasing Voq Smartphone with Windows Mobile 2003 OS?

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mpx200.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=466&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0' target='_blank'>http://www.mpx200.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=466&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0</a><br /><br /></div>MPx200.org has some juicy rumours that got me all excited:<br /><br />"The next SmartPhone for AT&T is the Voq (which has been reported by many others before) and it falls in the first category. What is new about this phone from the early reports is that it was originally billed as a 2002 OS device (but no carriers would buy it) so Sierra Wireless re-worked it and now will be 2003. This is still not set in stone but it has been approved by the FCC for release in the Feb-June timeframe."<br /><br />Not much more info than that, but it's cool to see the Voq actually coming to the market. Go AT&T go! It's nice to see a carrier aggressively rolling out Windows Mobile devices.

[pdaisdead]

Man, who would carry that phone around with them? Is Motorola going to be the only Smartphone manufacturer that understands style?

[Mike Temporale]

ME! :)

The built in keyboard is a large factor. Style... bah. It's all about functionality for me. The only thing that I don't like is the missing camera and bluetooth. I think I could live without those features.

[pdaisdead]

ME! :)

The built in keyboard is a large factor. Style... bah. It's all about functionality for me. The only thing that I don't like is the missing camera and bluetooth. I think I could live without those features.

Well, it defeats the whole purpose of the Smartphone platform. Why not then go and get a Pocket PC Phone Edition device?

[Robert Levy]

What I like about the Voq is that the keyboard isn't obtrusive. Most of the time it seems like a regular Smartphone with a one-handed user interface. But when you *do* want to type up an email message or IM, the keyboard flips right out and away you go. It's very possible that I could go back to being a 1-device man if a keyboard were intergrated into a Smartphone in a way that is useful without complicating things when I don't need the keyboard. I haven't actually seen the Voq, but I have high hopes for it filling that gap.

[Mike Temporale]

ME! :)

The built in keyboard is a large factor. Style... bah. It's all about functionality for me. The only thing that I don't like is the missing camera and bluetooth. I think I could live without those features.

Well, it defeats the whole purpose of the Smartphone platform. Why not then go and get a Pocket PC Phone Edition device?

defeats the whole purpose?? What does? having a keyboard? the only PPC with that is a 4350 which isn't a PPCPE. Maybe you're referring to the size of this device, but it's not even available yet, and I don't think I've seen anything that outlines the size.

The device will still be a phone first. PPCPE devices are a PDA first, and a phone second. This will be good phone with a great input method. T9 sucks, and the VOQ will be the first serious alternate.

[pdaisdead]

What I like about the Voq is that the keyboard isn't obtrusive. Most of the time it seems like a regular Smartphone with a one-handed user interface. But when you *do* want to type up an email message or IM, the keyboard flips right out and away you go. It's very possible that I could go back to being a 1-device man if a keyboard were intergrated into a Smartphone in a way that is useful without complicating things when I don't need the keyboard. I haven't actually seen the Voq, but I have high hopes for it filling that gap.

You're right, it's not the keyboard that obstrusive. It's the whole phone!

To be fair, I haven't seen it yet either, but my guess is that it's the brick that it looks like (even if it's small, it's still ugly though). I wouldn't count on this thing being a big seller.

[pdaisdead]

ME! :)

The built in keyboard is a large factor. Style... bah. It's all about functionality for me. The only thing that I don't like is the missing camera and bluetooth. I think I could live without those features.

Well, it defeats the whole purpose of the Smartphone platform. Why not then go and get a Pocket PC Phone Edition device?

defeats the whole purpose?? What does? having a keyboard? the only PPC with that is a 4350 which isn't a PPCPE. Maybe you're referring to the size of this device, but it's not even available yet, and I don't think I've seen anything that outlines the size.

The device will still be a phone first. PPCPE devices are a PDA first, and a phone second. This will be good phone with a great input method. T9 sucks, and the VOQ will be the first serious alternate.

I dunno' know, I think T9 plus standard input works pretty well (in fact, I'm quicker with that than any graffitti type input I've used).

Again, the MPx200 has been a big seller. Incidentally, it's the only smart phone on the market (running Windows Mobile) or otherwise that has sold so well in its initial few months of availability. I think there's a reason for that.

[aristoBrat]

To be fair, I haven't seen it yet either, but my guess is that it's the brick that it looks like (even if it's small, it's still ugly though). I wouldn't count on this thing being a big seller.

Check out VOQ's photo page at http://www.voq.com/site/news_events/gallery.voq

You can see higher-res shots there, but to get an idea:

http://www.voq.com/site/media/images/gallery/thumbnails/SCAN_12_1rtREV.jpg

http://www.voq.com/site/media/images/gallery/thumbnails/SCAN_13_3rtREV.jpg

[pdaisdead]

To be fair, I haven't seen it yet either, but my guess is that it's the brick that it looks like (even if it's small, it's still ugly though). I wouldn't count on this thing being a big seller.

Check out VOQ's photo page at http://www.voq.com/site/news_events/gallery.voq

You can see higher-res shots there, but to get an idea:

http://www.voq.com/site/media/images/gallery/thumbnails/SCAN_12_1rtREV.jpg

http://www.voq.com/site/media/images/gallery/thumbnails/SCAN_13_3rtREV.jpg

Yes, those are the ones I've seen and the phone looks pretty brickish and unattractive.

[aristoBrat]

Personally, I consider the Treo's and Kyocera's brickish -- where they try to squeeze the full keypad on the front of the phone.

This thing doesn't look too much larger than my SPV e100...

[Mike Temporale]

Check out VOQ's photo page at http://www.voq.com/site/news_events/gallery.voq



The forth picture (with the guy holding it) makes the phone look HUGE. However the third picture (with the thumbs on the keyboard) give a better idea of the phones size. Either she has massive thumbs, or it's a nice size phone. :lol:

[aristoBrat]

Yeah, I don't think that the 4th pic is doing them anything good. :)

Assuming the the screen-size is the same as my SPV e100, the other proportions look correct. It doesn't look like it'd be much larger. Granted, compared to a folded MPx200, it's huge, but if you don't mind candybar phones, it doesn't look bad.

[pdaisdead]

Personally, I consider the Treo's and Kyocera's brickish -- where they try to squeeze the full keypad on the front of the phone.

I would agree with that. I don't get what Handspring has been thinking either by making such a brick. The Kyocera seems like technology from 2 years ago.

I really think all smart phone manufacturers should take notice of the MPx200. It shows that shrinking a smart phone down to the size of a standard phone can be done.

Once this can be done, look for ALL phones sold to be running some flavor of a smart phone (with a small "s") operating system.