Verizon Expected to Release Q This Week

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/smartphones/verizon-to-release-motorola-q-next-week-156814.php' target='_blank'>http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/smartphones/verizon-to-release-motorola-q-next-week-156814.php</a><br /><br /></div><i>"We’re not sure how reliable the source is, but in an interview this week, a Motorola design manager told one of your faithful Gizmodo newshounds that the Q could be released as soon as next week. What makes us think it might be legit? He was holding a working model in his hands, and it was up and running on Verizon’s network."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/Temporale-20060227-MotoQ.jpg" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/> <br /><br />I don't know that the reasoning is all that sound. After all, I was holding a working Q in my hands back in December of last year. I'm also not too sure how many people care about the Q anymore. Hopefully the launch is coming this week as Gizmodo projects. I'm sure that will help bring back some interest. Here's hoping.

[lagsun]

I'm also not too sure how many people care about the Q anymore. Hopefully the launch is coming this week as Gizmodo projects. I'm sure that will help bring back some interest. Here's hoping.

I agree with you Mike. If they launched it last Fall after talking about it in mid-Summer then it would have been a different story. However in the almost 6 months since first announcing it, many other attractive options have been brought to market (i.e Treo 700w, HTC Apache/Wizard, T-Mobile SDA, etc) and/or announced at CES/3GSM.

For some reason, Moto's smartphone efforts take too long (or never) materialize...

[xultar]

I expect to yawn when Verizon releases this unimpressive device later this week.

[Jerry Raia]

You people are so unreasonable. Don't you know Moto is too busy coloring Easter RAZRs? They can't be bothered with a new phone that's already outdated!

[cmorris]

You guys sure are a tough crowd. :wink:

I will still take a close look at this device, depending on the price point that they can hit. The main competitor with a similar form factor is the 700w but with a thinner form factor, no touch screen (i.e. lower price?) and higher resolution screen I think the Q still has some potential advantages.

[xultar]

You people are so unreasonable. Don't you know Moto is too busy coloring Easter RAZRs? They can't be bothered with a new phone that's already outdated!

I know where they can hide those Easter Razrs too.

Maybe they will do a Christian version for the fundie crowd. It will have Jesus laser etched into the back plate.

[mikestew]

I'm also not too sure how many people care about the Q anymore.

I cared when it was announced. I cared when it looked like we might get it in the US sometime soon. Then I quit caring when the Cingular 8125/HTC Wizard ended up in my hands instead. Actually, I quit caring when the Treo 700w came out, and only didn't buy one of those because I was waiting on the Wizard. So IOW, the Q has been off my radar for a while.

Given the crap that Moto has turned out in the last few years, an HTC in the hand is worth crateloads of Motos in the bush. Snooze, you lose, Moto.

[coaldat6]

will the Q still have Windows PocketPC 2003? If so, the Treo will far surpass it just by the very fact it runs on Mobile 5...

[Mike Temporale]

will the Q still have Windows PocketPC 2003? If so, the Treo will far surpass it just by the very fact it runs on Mobile 5...

Still? It was never scheduled to have 2003. It's been a WinMo5 device since it was announced.

It's main competition is not the Treo 700w. The two devices are very different. The Q is aimed at the BlackBerry market.

[joan_fl]

Treo 700w a challenge to Q? I dont think so. Only competitor to the Moto Q is the Samsung SGH.. Which wont be released in the States for another 6 months. I think the Q is right on time, only problem is that Verizon has a lock on the phone for 6 months.

[xultar]

Treo 700w a challenge to Q? I dont think so. Only competitor to the Moto Q is the Samsung SGH.. Which wont be released in the States for another 6 months. I think the Q is right on time, only problem is that Verizon has a lock on the phone for 6 months.

The Q is just a 2125 with a QWERTY. That makes it a DUD. They are only marketing it for beginners who want to do the BB thing with the WM platform.

No 3G? What are they smoking? Who will pay that much for a device that doesn't have 3G right now?

Where's the A2DP?

[aristoBrat]

They are only marketing it for beginners who want to do the BB thing with the WM platform.
Right, because that's not a market. ;)

[chandler]

The Q is just a 2125 with a QWERTY. That makes it a DUD. They are only marketing it for beginners who want to do the BB thing with the WM platform.

No 3G? What are they smoking? Who will pay that much for a device that doesn't have 3G right now?

Where's the A2DP?

The Q is an EvDO device. It is 3G.

Final specifications have not yet been announced, so I can't comment on A2DP support. Pricing has not yet been announced either, so please don't make comments about paying "that much".

The Q is the only announced 3G Windows Mobile Smartphone device for the US right now. It is not a dud, nor will it be when it is released. It is very much in line with the features and specifications of other smartphones. It will also take the Windows Mobile Smartphone platform mainstream in precisely the way you've all been waiting for. Please don't write it off yet.

[xultar]

The Q is an EvDO device. It is 3G.

I stand corrected on the EDVO/3G. Though I have to stick with the dud part.

***message edited by mod JD. please trim your quotes***

[aristoBrat]

I'm still not following why you think it's a dud. Is it because it has a QWERTY keyboard?

[Mike Temporale]

It is not a dud, nor will it be when it is released. It is very much in line with the features and specifications of other smartphones. It will also take the Windows Mobile Smartphone platform mainstream in precisely the way you've all been waiting for. Please don't write it off yet.

I think, for the most part, a lot of this comes from 2 things. First, a lot of people feel burned by the MPx220, and second, this device has been "announced" for 8 or 9 months now. It's starting to smell like the MPx300/100. Both devices where displayed as great next gen devices and hyped beyond belief. They may have done pretty well in the market, but after a long public hype session, they ended up getting canned. I know that Moto claimed they were going to adapt the Apple way of announcing devices (leaving it until the day before it hits the shelves) but then they go and announce the GSM version will be released in Q4. Another announcement that's 6+ months out. :roll:

Further, there is also a lot of confusion as to what market this device is aimed. Most people think it's aimed at the Treo, when in fact that is not the case. The Q is focused on the always on, push email market that is currently owned by RIM. To this extent, it offers much more than RIM currently does. And that's a great thing.

Anyway, to end a long rambling post I will say that I like the Q. It has potential - if it ever gets to the market. I would buy one in a minute - if there was a GSM version. Unfortunately, I think the Samsung i320 will beat the Q to GSM in North America. (That's just a guess. currently the i320 is EMEA only)

[chandler]

I think, for the most part, a lot of this comes from 2 things.

I appreciate that the MPx220 was a disappointment for some US customers, and the folks working on smartphones certainly learned a lot about the platform in the process, as evidenced by the initial software release on the i930 (yes, it's WM2003, but the design constraints on iDEN phones are higher and it can take more time to get them out to market). Carriers in Asia and the high-growth markets have offered the MPx220 with a substantially upgraded software release including WMP10 and RIM Connect. Cingular has not validated this software for the US market, which is why you don't see it here. I have been using it (don't ask, thanks) and it fixes every issue I saw in the initial MPx220 software releases, including call volume. Hardware wise, I think Ed Z's substantial focus on quality will be evident in the Q. Ed's using one of these devices (and showing it off too - I saw him on a program on PBS demoing the device) and he's certainly been Jobs-ing the device as he has used it :-)

The whole device roadmap has been rethought since Ed joined, and the MPx100 and MPx (300) were products of the previous approach. They were designed based on what we could make, not as part of a larger roadmap and strategy. That doesn't mean they were bad devices. But they weren't wickedly compelling either. The Q is part of the same design family as the RAZR and SLVR. Anybody who has used these devices knows what that means in terms of hardware quality and attention to detail. As a flagship device for us there should be no doubt about whether it will make it to market.

Regarding announcements - I think there's pressure from all directions to give guidance on what's coming down the pipeline, but also to not announce too many products that may never make it to market (like the MPx100 - the MPx300 did make it to market in a limited fashion, but not in the US) or too early so that the design is copied quickly by competitors. Those two pressures are going to fight it out for a while. Note the conspicuous lack of announcements at 3GSM.

I'm sure that VZW would love to get you to dump GSM for the EvDO Q. I probably will when I can get one myself. My personal feeling (and take this for what it's worth) is that you won't see UMTS Windows Mobile devices sold on a UMTS network in the US until next year, just given the current coverage level of their UMTS network and the amount of work it takes to get good QoS across a number of subscribers on a HSDPA network. (Remember, UMTS without HSDPA is slower than EvDO.) If you aren't ready to leave GSM, I can understand. My feeling (again, grain of salt needed) is that a lot of users will go where the devices are if they're looking for messaging and internet access.

[Mike Temporale]

Carriers in Asia and the high-growth markets have offered the MPx220 with a substantially upgraded software release including WMP10 and RIM Connect. Cingular has not validated this software for the US market, which is why you don't see it here.

Ah, the never ending source of frustration, better known as "your carrier". It's too bad that Motorola couldn't apply more pressure to Cingular to release this update. For the most part, everyone likes the MPx220 from a hardware point of view. It has a great size, shape, and it's pretty solid phone. There are just too many headaches with the OS.

I'm sure that VZW would love to get you to dump GSM for the EvDO Q. I probably will when I can get one myself.

I'm sure they would like that too. But it's not going to happen and I realize that I'm a little different than most. As you can well imagine, I need the ability to test various different handsets. Switching phones is a lot easier on GSM. Not too mention that I'm not in Verizon's coverage area. I like the concept of the Q, I like what it has to offer. I was considering getting one myself when it was announced. However, now it looks like it will be a long time before the option is even available to me.

My feeling (again, grain of salt needed) is that a lot of users will go where the devices are if they're looking for messaging and internet access.

I think that's a fair statement. Most users don't even care to know what OS their phones run. They just want a phone that does X, Y, and Z. As such, they don't even understand the difference in carrier networks.

[chandler]

Ah, the never ending source of frustration, better known as "your carrier". It's too bad that Motorola couldn't apply more pressure to Cingular to release this update. For the most part, everyone likes the MPx220 from a hardware point of view. It has a great size, shape, and it's pretty solid phone. There are just too many headaches with the OS.

I think you misunderstand how this relationship works. Our customers pressure us, not the other way around :P

On the subject of the rumor in question - this (http://www.proteinwisdom.com/index.php/weblog/entry/19928/) is probably the right amount of salt to take it with :lol:

[Mike Temporale]

I think you misunderstand how this relationship works. Our customers pressure us, not the other way around :P

Motorola's name has been dragged through the mud with the MPx220. If something as simple as a ROM upgrade can fix these problems, and the upgrade has been made available to the carrier, but they refuse to release it, then Moto should be applying pressure to the carrier. People aren't walking around saying "Cingular messed up this phone". ;)