New market for smartphones

[rgalliso]

This is just my ranting at 3 am, but I think that the Q, Blackjack and Dash represent a new trend in the wireless market. Obviously these smartphones were designed with the everyday consumer in mind. Anyone think that this is the direction that all mobile devices are going? I just recently switched a newly purchased LG VX8600 for the Moto Q because I felt that normal phones were too childish. I think its safe to assume that I'm right, since now there are more regular phones going QWERTY. I find that the Q and its counterparts are not fully business, not fully consumer, but a mix of the two to provide a unique solution for the buyer- a full communications unit coupled with gaming, media and internet.

[Mike Temporale]

I think they are business with a touch of consumer tossed in. They are aimed at doing everything you need for work and still letting you enjoy the device when you get home. something that RIM is missing.

[spdev]

As an independent Pocket PC application developer, I held off creating applications for the Smartphones due to the low numbers of cell phone carriers in the US who were selling such devices. Up until about a year ago, the number of such carriers have increased substantially such that a lot of people in the US are switching to Microsoft Smartphones (including myself). I've found that my Moto-Q phone suits me perfectly with synced email, access to the Internet via IE, and having a small compact size. Battery life could be improved, but in general I'm happy with this phone and I believe the trend is indeed to move from Pocket PC devices to Smartphones.

Although you don't have the touch screen capability on the Smartphones (as you do with a Pocket PC device) and you typically have a smaller screen, I think that many Pocket PC owners will be switching to Smartphones. Thus, I've been developing new Smartphone applications as of a year ago and migrating away from developing Pocket PC software.