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[smeg36]

Holy freggin crap this thing is beautiful. I woke up and went to the local VZW store at 9AM this morning. Calling around to the Circuit City stores yesterday I found one that had them delivered yesterday and would reserve one for me to come pick up today at 10AM. It's 10 miles from my house. I figured why not call the VZW store first as it's only 3 miles away and opens at 9AM. The person I talked to went to the back to check if they got any in the inventory (they aren't supposed to sell them until June 5th in stores). He said they did, so I drove over there, and somehow managed to avoid a speeding ticket on the way.

When I walked in the first person said they didn't have any, but the person I spoke with on the phone overheard and came over to get me. He went back and got one. I also got an extended battery for only $20, a limited time deal on the battery. It does stick out a little more, but will be nice for those emergency power situations. So I got home from the VZW store with only 1 hour to play with it before I had to go to work. I got all the initial setup, like sycning with the Exchange server and BT Activesync.

The cool things - Probably most cool for my day today is the BT PC Remote app. I used it while teaching today to control my PPT presentations. My students were amazed, and I was able to leave my BT mouse at home, thus avoiding the pairing and repairing I do with it between my notebook and desktop daily. The screen if freggin amazing! Bright, crisp, clear, clean, simply amazing. The buttons are very well laid out and easy to use. The thumb board is excellent, better than any I've used ever, including the Voq, Samsung i730, and Palm Treo 700w. The d-pad works very well. I was worried it would sit flush and be hard to use like the d-pad on a RAZR. But it is slightly raised, and works great.

Man, I'm just so completely overwhelmed with this phone right now. It's so amazing, has so many cool features and functions, and works better than any I've used thus far (for the first day at least). My BT headphones should be home when I get there (hopefully), so I can play around with them some as well. In summation, WOWY WOW WOWZER!

[exchguy]

I have to ask o' why did Verizon/Motorola see fit to release such a device without the MSFP/AKU 2.0 at this day and age?

Seems like such a crime to release this device that will go head to head with BB not to have it. Sure, there will be an upgrade at some point in the year, but a bad decision to rush this device out the door without it in my opinion. I've been using the Imate AKU 2.0 ROM on my 8125 and cant live without it.

Hopefully, they sell lots of them and this is Moto's chance to hopefully 'redeem' themselves after several missteps with the previous showings of the MPx 200 and MPx220 both of which were devices that had their series of troubles and bugs.

I think Verizon has a great service, but as a GSM fan I am against their practices of proprietary standards (i.e. CDMA) that block devices like this from the rest of the world and their practices to lock you into a single device with expensive contracts.

[smeg36]

Yeah, that was kind of a disappointment. But other than that, it really seems to do everything. AUTD will hold me over just fine until AKU2 is released. I'd prefer AKU2, but that isn't a deal breaker for me. My email still gets to my device seconds after it arrives.

I originally though VZW and CDMA carriers were bad, making it more difficult to switch devices. Since I got VZW I've owned 3 different phones. It isn't as easy as swapping a SIM from one phone to the other, but it is as easy as signing in to my account and activating the new phone. I've been growing quite fond of the faster data speeds and better coverage of CDMA.

[The Undude]

I have to ask o' why did Verizon/Motorola see fit to release such a device without the MSFP/AKU 2.0 at this day and age?

Seems like such a crime to release this device that will go head to head with BB not to have it. Sure, there will be an upgrade at some point in the year, but a bad decision to rush this device out the door without it in my opinion. I've been using the Imate AKU 2.0 ROM on my 8125 and cant live without it.

Of course, one could argue they hardly rushed the release. (IMG:http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[The Undude]

Smeg - Congrats on playing with the newest and baddest device in the world!

I'm curious about your impressions of the thumbwheel -- is it working for you? What kinds of capabilities are linked to the thumbwheel?

[smeg36]

I'm still not in the habit of using it, but the few times I have it works very well. You can use it to scroll though pretty much anything, menus, web pages, emails, etc. When on a call it acts as the call volume. It feels very solid and works very well in the limited use I've put into it.

[swissx]

Ok I am a dummy.... (IMG:http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) What is AKU2?

[smeg36]

AKU2 is the update that allows for push email instead of the pull email system of AUTD. With AUTD, a SMS is sent to the device from the server when a new message arrives telling the device to go check the server for new messages. When it does, it downloads the new messages. With AKU2, a SMS is no longer necessary to automatically get new messages. AUTD can get expensive if you don't have a good SMS plan. Luckily for me, VZW has a free 2000 SMS plan specifically for Exchange server syncing.

[smeg36]

Here are some comparative pics between the Q and the 700w:

 IMG_1202.jpg ( 65.73K ) Number of downloads: 348


Notice the cleaner, crisper, more true colors, text, an formatting when viewing MGN on the Q. The Q's screen is smaller, but there are more pixels making it look even better.

 IMG_1203.jpg ( 42.2K ) Number of downloads: 368


The Q with the $20 extended battery next to the 700w. For a limited time VZW is selling an extended battery for only $20!

 IMG_1204.jpg ( 44.35K ) Number of downloads: 351


Here it is with the standard battery. Quite a site to see.

 IMG_1205.jpg ( 45.73K ) Number of downloads: 331


Here's my Treo stacked on top of the Q. The Q's about half the thickness of the Treo. It doesn't have the nice rounded edges the Treo does, but with how thin it is it doesn't need them.

 IMG_1206.jpg ( 82.66K ) Number of downloads: 323


Just the two devices side by side.

[nickpoore]

Smeg.

Great write up.

You forgot to take the blue plastic off the earpiece.
hahaha.

-=Nick=-

[smeg36]

Haha, I didn't even notice the blue was plastic! I just thought it was blue. Funny. Thanks for pointing that out.

[cortez]

i picked up a "Q" today to test for 2 weeks. if i'm satisfied, i'll use my corporate discount to purhase the phone (for $150) and sell my 2 month old 6700. i must admit that the form factor and screen are impressive. phone call quality - compared to Moto's last wanna-be smartphone (MPx220) - is also good. in my opinion, it compares favorably to the Treo 700w.

Smeg - what's the specs on the extended battery?

time to test....

[smeg36]

The more I test the better it is. I got my Motorola HT820 bluetooth headphones today, and they work like a dream. I love the Q more and more every minute I use it. It's freggin amazing!

[Hightech]

The more I test the better it is. I got my Motorola HT820 bluetooth headphones today, and they work like a dream. I love the Q more and more every minute I use it. It's freggin amazing!

smeg36 I think I may just have to jump ship from t-mobile and go with verizon just for the Q.. I have never heard u so excited over a phone I am sure u will sleep with the moto Q next to you right. hahahaha

[abatis]

Smeg,

Have you tethered yet?

[smeg36]

Yes. I had PDANet from my 700w, and it supports tethering on the Q. Works great over USB. BT tethering doesn't work yet though.

[AlexY]

smeg, can you please post the version and the build number of the OS in the Q?

Thx... Alex

[smeg36]

The OS is 5.1.70. The build is 14523.1.3.0.

[smeg36]

Sorry Cortez, I completely missed you asking for the specs on the batteries. The standard battery is 1130mAh and the extended battery is 1640mAh. Hopefully Mugen will come out with a high capacity battery that gives more mAh in the same size as the standard battery.

[cortez]

no problem, i picked up the extra battery anyway

[jaward]

phone sounds great....but u guys dont care about WiFi? I cant live without it.

[smeg36]

Before I got a phone with EVDO, I would have thought wifi was extremely important. After getting a Samsung i730 with both wifi and EVDO, I realized I rarely ever use wifi if EVDO is an option. I used it on my Samsung probably once a month. Even when I was at home with wifi available, I'd use EVDO instead. It's much easier because it's part of the phone instead of connecting to an AP, it's almost as fast, and it uses less battery life. And if it is a must, the miniSD slot is external and SDIO, so a miniSD wifi card is supposed to work in it, pending functional drivers.

[abatis]

People may not realize it yet, but WiFi is on its way out in the convergent phone market. See the MGN Story for an example. WiFi consumes allot of power and the newer technologies are more efficient. Lack of WiFi is not a deal breaker on a phone for me anymore. As Smeg points out EVDO is plenty fast and I just never turn my phones WiFi on anymore. Have you noticed that the latest versions of ActiveSync don't support WiFi syncing?

When I am traveling through an airport now and it doesn't have free WiFi for my laptop I just tether with EVDO.WiFi still has a place in home and office networking. The point is that Motorola was not really giving up much for the EVDO network consumer when they left WiFi out of the Q. On the coming GSM version with slower carrier networks it may be an issue.

[billz89]

... I got all the initial setup, like sycning with the Exchange server and BT Activesync.
...

Okay, so how did you get the certificate installed on your phone? I've tried installing mine (self-signed) and I either get 1. Alert: Security permission was insufficient to update your device or 2. if I run VZW_SpAddCert.exe it says Alert: Unable to locate any certificate files. Please verify that they exist and try again.

I have my cer file in \storage. I'm getting a miniSD card today and putting the cer file on it to see if that squares things away.

Until this phone synch's with my Exchange server it is a very sleek dud.

[smeg36]

I didn't have to install any certificates to sync with the Exchange server I use.

[AlexY]

The OS is 5.1.70. The build is 14523.1.3.0.

So it's true - it's AKU 1.3 and it doesn't include direct push. What a shame (IMG:http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[smeg36]

That's my main complaint with the Q. AUTD works, but I definitely prefer AKU2 direct push. The update should be coming relatively soon though. Which makes me wonder why it wasn't included in the first place. I guess I'd rather have it now while they perfect the AKU2 update than wait another couple months while they do.

[AlexY]

That's my main complaint with the Q. AUTD works, but I definitely prefer AKU2 direct push. The update should be coming relatively soon though. Which makes me wonder why it wasn't included in the first place. I guess I'd rather have it now while they perfect the AKU2 update than wait another couple months while they do.

Hmm... if AKU2 is not there, how the AUTD work?

-Alex

[smeg36]

From earlier in the thread:

With AUTD, a SMS is sent to the device from the server when a new message arrives telling the device to go check the server for new messages. When it does, it downloads the new messages.

So your email still gets to the device within a few seconds of arriving on the server, but you have to have a SMS plan (with VZW I get 2000 free SMS a month for Exchange syncing).

[cortez]

smeg - have you eperienced decent battery life? it seems as if the Q suffers the same "low-signal-drain-your-battery" problem similar to GSM phones... i started with a full battery at 8 am and by 3 pm, i was down to 25%. i was in an all day meeting where signal strength (as indicated on the phone) was 1 bar or no bar. other activity included 15 minutes of calls and about 75 emails. also, have you noticed that the phone appears to operate at a warmer temp with the extended battery.

EDIT: (6/5, 7:38 PM) right after i posted this message, i turned my phone off and left it off for 1 hour. i turned it back on and the power meter read 50%, so now i'm not sure what's going on! the phone's been on (not charging) for 2 hours and it's still at 50%.

[smeg36]

I've noticed very sporadic power meter info. It'll jump from 50% to completely full when I'm charging it. And it'll jump from almost full to 75% frequently as well when in use. Hopefully that's something that's fixed when they add AKU2. Other than the wacky meter, my battery life is surprisingly good. I used it today with the BT PC Remote app for 3 hours, about 15 minutes of phone calls, and about 5 minutes online, all the while it was automatically downloading my emails. By the end of the school day, 7 hours after being fully charged, with about 2 bars the majority of the time, I had 75% battery life left.

[abatis]

My Q arrived today. I will give it a full charge and a test. My initial impression is that is not the same build quality as the Samsung i730. To be honest, the phone feels pretty plastic (cheap). Setting it to to the Windows Default home screen resulted in a limited display even though I had nothing extra on it. Not all the info was displayed.

The only redeeming features I see so far is the thumb dial and size. Sorry, but I think this phone (the Q) is going back to Verizon. However, I will load some programs and test. Right now I am thinking my Voq is a better Smartphone due to the superior keypad.

[smeg36]

That surprises me. Mine feels very solidly built. I have my own modified version of the VZW home screen that fits everything I want on the screen without having to do any scrolling. I'm still loving my Q as much as the day I got it.

[manchee]

The phone feels pretty solid to me. The scroll wheel is almost too stiff;)

The keys are nicely spaced apart and other than getting used to the navigation, it seems pretty sturdy.

Battery life has been less than spectacular. By the end of the day I am one bar and getting alerts.

Wireless Sync is working pretty good and I have no real complaints with it yet.

-Ryan

[smeg36]

Battery life has been less than spectacular. By the end of the day I am one bar and getting alerts.

Wireless Sync is working pretty good and I have no real complaints with it yet.

Wireless Sync could be the cause of your poor battery life. Depending on what mode you use, it's been the culprit of poor battery life in past devices. I've never used Wireless Sync for more than a day, I use an Exchange server instead and my battery life is great. Much better than the Treo 700w even. I'm not sure if Wireless Sync causes the same battery drain on the Q as it has on past devices, but it's possible.

[abatis]

Regretfully I packaged up my Motorola Q tonight for shipment back to Verizon. Honestly, I was not ready to go back to a SmartPhone. It is just a personal preference for a PPC and the multiple input options plus Word and Excel. I hear Microsoft Office is coming for Smartphones so soon this will be a non-issue. I thought a few pieces like the battery cover where thin, but after using the phone this probably has no long term impact on durability.

However, after several days of testing I can say the Motorola Q is a very good Windows Mobile Smartphone. The best aspects in my opinion:

1. A brilliant screen. The Q has the best screen of any device I have used.
2. The thumb dial is an excellent feature. Travel around the screen is fast and easy with one hand.
3. The phone is light and slim.
4. Overall it has an ergonomic design.

If you are looking for a Smartphone with the great speed of Verizon EVDO - buy the Q.

(IMG:http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/uploads/post-626-1149218079.jpg)

[smeg36]

Before I got the Q one of my biggest worries was that I couldn't make the move from PPC to Smartphone. I rarely ever used the Office apps other than Messaging, so I wasn't too worried about that part. What had deterred me from going with only a Smartphone up to this point was the lack of thumb board and EVDO. I originally started with PPCs, then got a Smartphone in addition to the PPC. Well, I found out with the Q that I really prefer the Smartphone OS. It's a little more limited in some regards, but for what I use it for (phone calls, Messaging, PIE, a few other random things) it seems to work so much better. I really like the true one-handed function of the Smartphone.

[The Undude]

People may not realize it yet, but WiFi is on its way out in the convergent phone market. See the MGN Story for an example. WiFi consumes allot of power and the newer technologies are more efficient. Lack of WiFi is not a deal breaker on a phone for me anymore. As Smeg points out EVDO is plenty fast and I just never turn my phones WiFi on anymore. Have you noticed that the latest versions of ActiveSync don't support WiFi syncing?

When I am traveling through an airport now and it doesn't have free WiFi for my laptop I just tether with EVDO.WiFi still has a place in home and office networking. The point is that Motorola was not really giving up much for the EVDO network consumer when they left WiFi out of the Q. On the coming GSM version with slower carrier networks it may be an issue.

Just to comment on the "Wi-Fi is on the way out" thought: I'm not sure I would agree with that. Wi-Fi is free in many places, and EDVO is not - and that's important to remember. Also, I believe Wi-Fi chips are continuing to gain better efficiency characteristics and thus will require less and less power. Moores Law we all know; but Metcalfe's Law posits that the value of a network grows as the square of the number of users. Perhaps that ratio is a bit to generaous, but I think (despite all its issues) Wi-Fi is becoming a standard -- and free telephony is too appealing to be passed up.

[runningtiger]

As I've mentioned before, I hardly use my phone as a phone so I have a "pay as you go" plan from Cingular. I have access to everything and only pay for what I use (granted it cost more per minute or kb, but costs waaaaaay less in the long run since I don't use it that much - though I've started using it more now that I have a SmartPhone!). Anyway, I'd love to be able to hop on to the wifi networks that I have access to at home, at work, on campus, etc. The prices Verizon and T-Mobile charge for their data plans are such a deterent for me to even begin to think about subscibing to them. Most of the time I don't even know what you all are talking about with all the abreviations (latest being EVDO?) I just know I'm not gonna spend $60-$80 for the service. I'm clearly not the target user. I could totally see myself using wifi though. I covet the StarTrek (flipper with updated Bluetooth, same screen size as MPx200, and sleek) and am disappointed it doesn't offer wifi. After reading a few things around here I thought wifi was history. Now, I'm back to being bummed it's not on the phone I think I want. (IMG:http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[Nidza]

It only lacks WiFi? Come on, how much free time do you have to surf with mobile? Even it has larger screen then smartphone, I don't think that surfing the web is joy as on home (1280x1024 is sometimes not enough).

Anyway, I like Q very much and envy you owners in the States. It seems that European version won't come until end of the year, and I am almost 100 percent sure that I will wait even several months more so the price gets to the reasonable level.