The Q - Motorola's Super Thin Smartphone

[Jerry Raia]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=1299' target='_blank'>http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=1299</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Motorola tonight announced the Q, the smartphone that has long been rumored as the RAZRberry. This super thin, extremely small device only measures ; 4.6 x 2.5 x 0.45 inches despite its 240 x 320 widescreen display and full QWERTY keyboard. The Q will be one of the first Windows Mobile 5.0 devices, and will be running the Smartphone version."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Q.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/><br /><br />I'm scared. Are you scared? Look at this thing. It looks beautiful doesn't it? Sleek, sexy and stylish. Why am I scared you might ask? Motorola is making it that's why! This thing looks so good I will forgive Moto all prior sins if they do this right. The question is, will they? What do you think?

[Kris Kumar]

This thing looks so good I will forgive Moto all prior sins if they do this right.

Me too!

The question is, will they? What do you think?

Let's check out their Window Mobiling history: they launched the MPx200. Could not launch the MPx100. Botched up the MPx220 launch. And the MPx has disappeared. :roll: But you know what, I am still rooting for Moto. Pleeeeeeeeeeease Moto.

[Mike Temporale]

Oh, this is hot! Look at the screen on this thing?! and the keyboard! oh man... I have yet to own a Motorola phone, but I think I see this changing in the not too distant future. :mrgreen:

[Jerry Raia]

Slow down! Don't get sucked into the abyss yet. This is Moto we are talking about. Breath into a paper bag for a moment.

[David Conger]

Gotta give them mad points for style. Looks like it could have an interesting feel...both the buttons and the size of the device. But I wish that it was Pocket PC Phone Edition instead of Smartphone. Windows Mobile 5.0 has on-handed use for PPCPE as well so it would be just as good but with the added options of a touchscreen and Office Mobile.

http://www.davespda.com/special/motoq02.jpg (http://www.davespda.com/index.php?itemid=464)

[Jerry Raia]

The darn thing really does look right. The question is can they get the insides right?

[mbranscum]

Will it have Edge??? If so, I'll take one!!!! :lol:

[Janak Parekh]

Gotta give them mad points for style. Looks like it could have an interesting feel...both the buttons and the size of the device. But I wish that it was Pocket PC Phone Edition instead of Smartphone. Windows Mobile 5.0 has on-handed use for PPCPE as well so it would be just as good but with the added options of a touchscreen and Office Mobile.
Except, with a touch screen, you need screen protection. Without it, this device should theoretically be pocketable "naked". Since they were directly targeting the Blackberry crowd, I can see why they designed it this way.

Oh, and I want one. ;)

--janak

[Jerry Raia]

Oh, and I want one. ;)

--janak

Yes we all want one. The question is will it have what we want inside or is it just another empty promise?

[cortez]

i see this and the first thing i think of is internet dating/chatting: someone paints a pretty picture of themself, but when you see the person live, it's a huge disappointment.

moto is good at hype/marketing but after going through 6 MPx220's, i'll will not be an early adopter this time around (read: purchasing this device)... now, if someone was to give this as a gift, i'd certainly play with it. :)

i must admit, though, its a nice looking (picture of a potential motorola) device.

[Stinger]

I preferred the V3-style keyboard that one of the mock-up pictures had. The big, round keys look a little odd on such a slim and metallic device.

Still, I'll save judgement for when I see one in the flesh. Living in Europe, and after the MPx and MPx220 fiascos, that could be never though. :(

[Darius Wey]

I posted this at PPCT as well. Basically, style's great, but in my opinion, the form factor would get a mad appeal boost if the space beneath the keypad was compacted down to a mere:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/13148/MotoWM-Mod.jpg

Your thoughts?

[Mike Temporale]

I posted this at PPCT as well. Basically, style's great, but in my opinion, the form factor would get a mad appeal boost if the space beneath the keypad was compacted down to a mere:

Your thoughts?

That does look a lot nicer. However, I'm not going to be overly picky. It is just the second keyboard based Smartphone - and a damn fine looking one at that too. :mrgreen:

[Darius Wey]

It is just the second keyboard based Smartphone - and a damn fine looking one at that too. :mrgreen:

Agreed. My glands have all worn out. Darn droolworthy screen. ;)

Oh yeah, I want one as well. :P

[encece]

eh. it's okay.
- Kinda wide.
- Dont like the Landscape screen though the resolution is nice. This is going to make sharing custom homescreens a bear with all of the new and different resolutions. We'll probably need to go back to the PPC today-type screens.
- I dont need a keyboard on a phone. If I did I'd get a ppc. And I probably still wouldnt need one thanks to handwriting recognition.

They should have made this a ppc and made a smaller version for the Smartphone OS.

[encece]

Hmmm...maybe I take that back. I just went to davespda and saw the actual pics. Size isnt that bad. And maybe I could learn to love the keyboard. I wish it had GPS built in. Oh what the hell...I'll take one! :)

[Kris Kumar]

I hate Moto for announcing products early. Other manufacturers announce only a month or two ahead of the real launch. :evil: And I sure the 1Q 2006 does not mean Jan 2006. It most likely means March end 2006.

[Mike Temporale]

Hmmm...maybe I take that back. I just went to davespda and saw the actual pics. Size isnt that bad.

I'll say! If my photoshop skills are any good (and they usually aren't) here's what it should look like against the Audiovox SMT5600.

http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Temporale-20050726-MotoQvsAudiovox5600.gif

Anyone want to confirm my sizings are right?

[chandler]

I posted this at PPCT as well. Basically, style's great, but in my opinion, the form factor would get a mad appeal boost if the space beneath the keypad was compacted down to a mere:
(snip)
Your thoughts?

Don't take this as authoritative but I think that space includes, among other things, the antenna. If you look at the pictures on the back from the Motorola site it's not the battery. The antenna on the RAZR is at the bottom of the phone so they may have done this as well with the Q.

In other words, lopping off the bottom might leave you with a Pocket PC running on the Smartphone OS :wink:

[rdecker]

Looks like this puppy is aimed at the business users. As such, I hope it has the following:

1. Edge (Yeah OK but UMTS will be out in the fall and this is an early 2006 beast - give us GPRS and Edge but don't forget the future)
2. UMTS
3. NO CAMERA OPTION (Hello MOTO - listen up)

Many business' do not allow cameras in the workplace....

[mpaquette]

If this thing actually sees the light of day, I'm all over it.

[Darius Wey]

Don't take this as authoritative but I think that space includes, among other things, the antenna. If you look at the pictures on the back from the Motorola site it's not the battery. The antenna on the RAZR is at the bottom of the phone so they may have done this as well with the Q.

In other words, lopping off the bottom might leave you with a Pocket PC running on the Smartphone OS :wink:

Yeah, I worked that out eventually. Pity though, it would have been sweet with a much more compact form factor, but then again, you can't get the best of both worlds.

I still want one. Wait, did I say that already? ;)

[Jerry Raia]

I aleady have a visual of me buying the thing and then filling a thread on here about buttons falling off or something. :lol:

[egads]

Nice, but no clamshell no $$$ from me.
How come no one wants to make clamshell SamprtPhones???

[ptaavs]

keep in mind: Moto is making this one.

None of the other moto "windows mobile" phones were made by moto. They were made by Chi Mei. CM is the one who flubbed those phones, not moto.

[Jerry Raia]

keep in mind: Moto is making this one.

None of the other moto "windows mobile" phones were made by moto. They were made by Chi Mei. CM is the one who flubbed those phones, not moto.

This is the one factor that is giving me hope. Are we sure of this though? Let's not forget also that Moto made the decision to let CM make it. :?

[holmjn]

Sorry Moto... the device looks pretty cool and well designed, but before I shell out any more money on your Windows based products, I want to see some high scores in the reviews department. I waited a long time for the last firmware upgrade to finally come around, and to me it missed the mark. I switched to the Audiovox 5600 and haven't dropped a call or been muted out of one since.

Hopefully you'll remember to build a smart PHONE this time around rather than a small pda.
:twak:

[me]

Looks nice (similar to the Treos), but not at all like the RAZR, even though it's thin.

I wonder what happened to the MPX design? I understand they had problems with the device, and didn't release it, but are they working on a better version of it, with more memory, and without the bugs? I liked that design much better--folded not much larger than a normal flip phone-opened vertically worked pretty much like a normal flip phone, opened horizontally a PDA with landscape screen and QWERTY keyboard. And ran PPC OS, rather than the inferior SP OS! What happened to that idea? To me much preferable to this Treo-like design.