-
"Almost a 10" on by the2ndflood
Pros: $15 dollar data access, doesn't cost as mush as a Treo, clear voice, very fast data speeds
Cons: Only 64MB's of internal memory, no sprint media player, price should be cheaper.
Summary: I love Motorola phones and the Q is no exception. Keep in mind, the Q is NOT a Treo or a UTStarcomm PDA. It is meant for basic or business PDA users. So you can't get as many applications as you could with another Windows Mobile device. That is why the Q cost a few hundred less then more advanced PDA's. What I like about the Q is it's size. I loved my Treo 650 (Before Palm tried ripping customers off with the 700w) and my PPC 6700. The problem with those PDA's is that they are giant in cell phone terms. The Q is very thin. I have always preferred candy bar style phones, because they are more comfortable to talk into. The screen size is large enough for enjoyable viewing of videos. But the Sprint Q doesn't come with the Sprint media player. They might offer it in the future, but for now you will not be able to access Sprint's media center content. Which is a big fault for me. I love listening to Sprint radio and Sirius on my 8400, and it is annoying not having that capability on the Q. For some it won't matter, but when you use that kind of content every single day, you miss not having it. The phone comes with 64MB's, which is not great for a PDA. I would have liked for it to have at least 150MB's. There is a MiniSD card slot, but the Q, just like the Treo's and other PDA's, uses Internal memory for running the phone's applications. So web surfing, playing music, watching videos, ect uses the 64MB's. And that memory runs out quickly when you are trying to do a few different things at once. But unlike the Treo 650, the Q doesn't restart once the memory because saturated. That is because Windows Mobile does a much better job at allocating memory.
The BIGGEST perk for me, is that Sprint only charges $15 a month for unlimited data access. Verizon charges $44. This alone makes the Sprint version of the Q a much better deal. Sprint also doesn't charge extra for different types of POP e-mail access.
So, if you want a PDA for PDA purposes, the Q is not a bad choice for someone looking for their first PDA. If you want more features, then go with a Treo or UTstarcomm.
Always keep in mind the price the carrier will charge you for data access. Without Internet access, a PDA phone is next to useless. So ALWAYS research those prices first.
Prices for PDA data access.
Sprint-$15
Verizon-$44.99
Cingular-$39.99
T-Mobile-$29.99 -
"More give than take!" on by dougcohen
Pros: The business connect / push email is a nice feature to have. It's slim design is convenient.
Cons: The business connect / push email is a nice feature to have, WHEN it works! Battery life. Reception. Freezing up. Ext mem chip sold sep.
Summary: Ok enough one-liners. What's really the deal with this phone, I'm sure you are wondering. Understand, this is almost my first "PDA" phone where I could experience the auto updated email push. I love this feature. I say almost because 2 yrs ago I owned the PPC but never really used the push feature and ultimately dumped it due to being such a brick (and freezing up)!
The Motorola Q i have owned for 33 days now and have had problems from day 1. Reception is bad - often times calls won't even ring thru. People get my voice mail because the phone can't pick up the calls, and in places where I never used to have reception problems so I know it's the phone. No bars! Also, often times it wont even signal that I have voice mail until 2-3 hours later. Critical time lost and multiple problems arose because people could not get in touch with me timely.
The slim, sleek design is just a mask over what's actually nothing more and a cheap, basic phone which happens to have a few PDA features. (at a not-so-cheap price tag)
Freezing up is a constant problem - at least once a day or more. Mostly the center key or the backup key goes completely dead actually. Time to reboot....AGAIN. And who's got time for that, really? I'm trying to work here. Someone compared it to Windows 98 - I thought that was good.
Camera picture quality is, well, not so great. (more about the camera below)
Battery life is poor, both usage time and standby time. I am constantly plugging it in. I had to buy car chargers for each car, at $30/each I'm so afraid of it dying (and rightfully so), and am considering a backup battery if I end up keeping this POS thing.
External memory is not even included - sold separately. And my own Sandisk Mini SD card does not even fit Q's memory slot. I don't know what fits this thing.
Also, if you're used to sending and receiving picture mail, fo-ged-aboudid! Due to the Windows Mobile 5.0 platform, you can only send/receive pictures via email, OR if the target phone is the same as your phone. (and this is per Sprint tech support) Otherwise, if you're planning on using the usual easy PictureMail feature it ain't happening here! When I learned of this, that really fried my huevos!
And just loading up the camera takes forever so forget about those shots where you have to be quick to capture the moment.
So you see, while you gain a slick, slim looking PDA, you give up a lot. Hence my title, more give than take. I wish Motorola would have tested this very basic phone better before releasing it to the general (unsuspecting) John "Q" Public. -
"Horrible phone" on by darrickf
Pros: Can read most PDFs, Excell and word Docs, can forward them on email.
Cons: Phone doesn't work well at all
Summary: This phone is a nightmare. I am on my second one and unfortunately I am stuck using these Piece of crap because my work bought them. My phone regularly freezes, 4-10x a day, will not answer 1/2 the time when I have my key lock on, randomly decides not to download email for 1/2 a day or more then slams me with 48 emails. The battery life is horrible if you want your email to update at least every 15 minutes and yes I bought the extended battery. Every time it freezes or I notice I haven't gotten an email in a while, i have to take the battery out and put it back in and reboot the darn thing. And the last 3 weeks my appointments calendar is stuck on always showing tommorrows appointments. No matter what day it is, my meeting is tommorrow. Yippee. Oh, and if you don't get the extra memory and put in one too many contacts, it will freeze also. But at least that one has some sorta explanation to it. If my work did not require me to use this I would so see how many times it would skip down the road. Save your self some misery. It is like windows mobile= windows 98.....again
-
"Motorola Q Not An Option" on by jmarkel
Pros: Great Display
Cons: Windows Mobile CE
Summary: Ok, so maybe I'm a CrackBerry addict, but when my company decided to take the cheap route and kill our BB service and replace with Moto Q's I was excited at first. Then the problems began, I found myself cursing the phone several times a day. Do you know how embarrassing it is to have people watch you throw a fit in public cause your phones a piece of junk? At least ONCE a day the phone would just freeze up, and I would have to take the battery out, and DON'T get me started on battery life? How come my BlackBerry's battery can last days without recharging, but the Q's needs to be plugged in just after 5 hours. Folks, I wish this was an exaggeration, but it isn't. And don't tell me to get the extended, cause I had that and it completely ruins the whole slim phone.
Now after many complaints not just from me, but all 1,500 people in my company, they ended up going back to the BlackBerry.
This is an important message to everyone, DON'T BUY THE Q, DON'T BE FOOLED AGAIN.
Please Motorola, stop making phones, leave it to the professionals!
Hey, but on the bright side, the phone has a great display, and media player isn't so bad either, if that doesn’t freeze too. -
"Good option for a moderate user that is comfortable with electronic gadgets." on by dalanbow
Pros: Moderately priced. Great integrated solution for phone, calendar, contacts, and PDA .
Cons: Battery life is wanting. Not perfect with Bluetooth.
Summary: I am one of those people who read all the CNET and other reviews prior to purchasing the phone. I was well aware of the perceived drawbacks.
This is a good phone for anyone who has used a PDA before, needs Bluetooth compatibility, calendar and contact syncing with another computer, and email "on the go."
I have been using my Motorola Q (Sprint) for about a month and a half, and I am generally satisfied with the purchase. I believe that a Treo or Blackberry are more sophisticated products, but the Q has been more than adequate for my needs. I use the phone very little during the work day except to check my personal email and to make or receive an occasional call, but the bulk of my use of the phone (and email) is in the evenings. I use the phone extensively during the weekends, but I am usually in my car (on Bluetooth headset) with the device attached to the car charger.
The features for retrieving email work great. I can send and receive through my Hotmail or Yahoo! account anywhere, and I can add more accounts, if I need to. My calendar integrates effortlessly with my Outlook calendar on my laptop whenever I sync them (usu. once a day). My contacts sync the same way. I love the way the phone constantly keeps me reminded of my upcoming appointments and reminders, and people are noticing my increased capacity to stay on top of things.
The $15/month (Sprint) for internet connection is a steal compared to any other carrier. I can surf the net at anytime, and find the download times to be adequate (for mobile phone optimized pages). Overall, I am very happy with my Motorola Q, and I feel that I got a great product for the price.
Having said that, no relationship is perfect
, and there are some cons.
With my usage pattern, my greatest criticism would be the battery capacity. It just isn't always reliable for getting me through the day even with my moderate use. I can't imagine the challenges faced by someone who uses their Q for business purposes. Oh, and don't take a few pictures with the flash. That will really drain the battery before you can say "cheese."
However, the ability to charge the phone through the USB cord is great for giving the phone a boost while sitting at my desk at work or at home.
My other criticism is with the Bluetooth connectivity. When I make a call, there is no problem. However, when I receive a call, there is a lapse of a few seconds from when I press the "Answer" button until I can hear the person calling me. (Not sure if this is the headset (Jabra BT-800) or the phone.) Nevertheless, this is annoying.
Having said all of this, my final comment is that if you are a "power" user of these features and are on the phone and email all day, you probably don't want this phone. Look at the Blackberry and Treo (both considerably more expensive.) However, for the vast majority of us regular folks, I believe the Q is a great product.
Write a Review
Check coverage in your area 
%20-%20Smartphones%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/moto-q-by-motorola/4852-6452_7-32327377.html&x_breadcrumb=8900:3488:3504:6452&x_arw_bkts=MAD:high_wireless_switcher){kind=small}