Motorola Q Phone (Sprint)

By Motorola on June 21st, 2009

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Customer Rating: Rating 2.5 out of 5

(44 Reviews)

List Price: ~~$499.99~~

* as of Saturday July 31, 2010 17:13:51, America/Chicago

Product information Brand: Motorola
Publisher: Motorola
Category: Wireless
Release Date: January 12, 2007
Model: MOTO Q

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Features

Add memory, transfer music, photos, and video from your desktop, or load additional games and applications. Cards up to 2 GB are supported
With Windows Media Player 10 Mobile you can play music, videos, and more on your MOTO Q, and it works seamlessly with Windows Media Player 10 on your Windows XP-based computer
Use your voice to easily dial phone numbers, search the phonebook and launch applications
Use a USB cable or Bluetooth Wireless technology to connect with a PC for Internet and email access on the Nationwide Sprint PCS Network
Includes: Battery, Charger and USB Data Cable

Accessories

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Hands-On Review:

To keep your smartphone's applications up to date, and to optimize the performance of your device, you may need to perform firmware and/or software updates just as you would on your PC. To learn more about updates for your device, please visit Motorola's support site. Note that by clicking this link you will be leaving Amazon.com.

Motorola's QWERTY keyboard equipped Q, formerly known as the RAZRberry in the rumor mills, might not exactly be the "BlackBerry killer" that many predicted, but it is certainly one of the most capable and user friendly smartphones available on the market today.

Based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone platform, the Q picks up the best features from Microsoft's Smartphone edition of Windows Mobile while still offering a lot of PDA-like capability and screen real estate on its 65k color, 320x240 pixel display.

Sleek, small and oh, so powerful. See it in 3D.

In terms of hardware features, the Q's right side 3-way scroll wheel and dedicated back buttons take center stage. These give the Q user fast BlackBerry-like scrolling with the ability to select an item or return to the prior screen--all with the user's thumb. Of course you can still do these same things the traditional way by using the 5-way direction pad and the back button that sits to its right. There's also a dedicated home key as well as the red and green call control keys.

The Q's QWERTY keyboard is a bit stiff, but otherwise designed well. The dark keys serve double duty as the numeric keypad when the Option key (found left of the Z key) is used. The Option key can be locked on, as can the shift key on the opposite side of the keyboard. Along the bottom of the keyboard you'll find dedicated buttons for email, the 1.3-megapixel camera, and a dual-use key for the speaker-independent voice dialing system and speakerphone.

When it comes to hot features, though, the Q's EV-DO 3G data capability tops the list. When used in an EV-DO coverage area, the Q user can expect to get wireless data rates that approach those enjoyed by home DSL users. When there is no EV-DO coverage available, the Q will fall back to the slower 1xRTT data network (roughly comparable to a 56Kbps modem). The Q can also connect to a desktop PC with a USB or Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth can also be used with mono and stereo headsets, as well as other devices like keyboards.

Get intimate with the Q's keyboard.

While WiFi wireless access would have been a welcomed feature, it would have only led to even more strain on the already overtaxed battery. The standard capacity battery is capable of a respectable 5.5 hours of continuous talk time, but realistically will only provide a day of solid use, especially if the Q user takes advantage of the BlackBerry-like push email support. The push system can keep your Q lock step in sync with your corporate or home email inbox without any user intervention required. On top of email synchronization, it can also be used to synchronize the Q's contacts, calendar entries, tasks and other items with your home or office copy of Microsoft Outlook. It is somewhat eerie how you can enter a new contact or appointment on the Q and have it show up moments later in Outlook--or the other way around.

One of the great things about owning a smartphone is the ability to add 3rd party developed applications to the device. Since Windows Mobile 5.0 is quite popular, there are plenty such applications available both freely and for purchase. The Q has about 50MB of RAM for running applications, and a similar amount for storing data and the applications themselves. If you need more storage space, you can easily add a gigabyte or two by inserting a miniSD memory card into the Q's slot, located on the left edge of the device.

The Motorola Q packs a lot of capability into a device that is only a half inch thick and weighs 4.3 ounces--considerably less than the competition. It comes highly recommended.

Pros:

One-handed use
Thin and light
EV-DO data

Cons:

Short standby battery life
Stiff keyboard keys

--Reviewed by Michael Oryl, editor in chief of www.MobileBurn.com

Product Description: The MOTO Qâ¢ brings you forward-thinking technology in a cutting-edge design. Add the power of Sprint's high-speed network, affordable monthly data plans and special features available only from Sprint, and you've got everything you need to stay in touch and stay entertained - all in one pocket-sized device

Customer Reviews

Great Tool For Staying in Touch with Email, News

by Duke 2007-04-23, 7 people found this review helpful

I use this more for staying up to date with enterprise/personal email and on that measure it's an enthusiastic 5! When I have the Q with me at work, the emails show up on my Q before they show up in my Outlook in box. It's a great tool to have with you when traveling. It certainly beats lugging the notebook around (who would have ever thought we'd say that?). I can't be more happy with my Q and (so far) with the performance of it on the Sprint network.

Sprint PCS Motorola Q

by David J. Koby 2007-02-18, 24 people found this review helpful

I've had this phone for a week and so far so good. Sprints voice quality is very good. Their data speed is great where I live (chicago area) compared to others like Cingular or T-Mobile.

The phone itself is pretty easy to use. The screen is large and very clear. Texting and emails are easy because of the full keyboard, which is more intuitive that the blackberry that I had previously. I also like the fact that you can use the side scroll wheel and back button, OR the front controls to navigate, intiate and/or end calls. This is differnt from the blackberry 7290/7250, which is all done via the side scroll wheel.
The only thing it lacks is the ability to create and edit Word and Excel documents. This is easily rectified by going to [...] and purchasing "Documents to Go" for $[...]. This program does not require a subscription (like "eOffice") and lets you create and edit all MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint documents as well as read PDF files. I recommend that when you get a Q.

I've heard things about the atrocious battery life of the Q. Well, trust me, this is for people who spend 6 out of 8 hours on the phone. For those of you who spend only about an hour at a shot on the phone or just a couple of hours throughout the day on the phone, the battery life is fine. Just keep the charger handy and have a car charger (which is a good idea anyway for safety reasons).

I will write back in a couple of weeks for a follow-up review.

Pretty Good Smartphone

by Ejmct 2007-03-19, 10 people found this review helpful

There seem to be plenty of negative comments about this phone floating around on the web and I'm not sure why.

I've had mine for about 2 weeks now and it does pretty much everything I wanted it to do. I can get my email from AOL, Hotmail, and my ISP. I can surf the web at broadband speeds. As a PDA it's a good replacement for my ancient Palm Pilot. And the price is significantly cheaper than a Blackberry or Treo.

Sprint coverage isn't quite as good as Verizon or Cingular in my opinion, but the price for voice and unlimited data is by far the best.

Unlike many phones, this one actually feels like its well built and durable. Time will tell how it holds up but it certainly feels like its a high-quality unit.

I'm happy with the phone, but there are some things you should be aware of:

- Battery life isn't great. About a day under normal circumstances, less if you use it a lot. In my experience the browser uses the most juice so if you surf a lot you better be ready to charge it a lot. If you just use it as a plain old phone then battery life isn't too bad. I purchased the extended battery from Amazon and when I recieve it I'll know if its a big improvement or not. This is the biggest downside of the phone for me but my informal survery of smartphone owners indicated that charging once every day or day and a half is normal.

- Can't use AIM without buying third-party software.

- Its complicated to set up. This phone does so much that you'll spend a lot of time reading the manual and user forums learning how to use all the features. I haven't even tried some of the features yet because I haven't had the time to learn how to use them all!

- It uses push email. It will automatically check for email at most every 15 minutes so its not "real time". Its not a big deal for me but if you want or need to know instantly when an email arrives then this phone won't give you that.

- Be advised that you'll be spending money on accessories that are almost necessities. So far I've bought a 2GB mini SD card for storage (the built-in 64MB disappears quickly), a car charger, another wall charger for work and the aforementioned extended battery.

Its not perfect but the size, cost and features make this a pretty good phone and overall I'm happy with it. Sprint offers a 30-day test-drive on their phones when you buy them from the store or online (not sure if Amazon also offers it) so If you're not happy within 30 days you can trade it in on a Treo or Blackberry or walk away completely.

There was a major software upgrade that came out around the beginning of the year and I think that addressed some of the issues people were complaining about. Definately check out the Q if you're in the market for a smartphone.

Motorola Q - Sprint

by Ryan Rosensweig 2007-02-08, 14 people found this review helpful

This phone has been wonderful. I love Microsoft smartphones, and first owned the audiovox smt5600.

When I switched to sprint, I originally purchased the ppc6700 and thought I would love it. Unfortunately, it was too slow and too difficult to make phone calls. I returned it and picked up one of these.

I had looked at the Verizon Q, but never liked the look of it with the silver shell. This device looks great and works great.

Pros:
* faster than ppc6700
* NFL Mobile
* PowerVision
* Contact Management
* Keyboard is easy to type short e-mails and messages
* A phone that also works as a PDA
* Jog Dial
* Thin/Fits in Pocket
* Voice Calling
* Bluetooth
* Can function as a GPS with software

Cons:
* No Wifi (Small con with unlimited PowerVision)
* Does not work with iCals
* Not an international phone
* Fingerprints show up easily on the screen
* Battery Life is way to short

Pretty Close To The Worst Phone I Have Ever Bought

by Victor Choy 2007-08-15, 7 people found this review helpful

I am a gadget junky. That said, the Moto Q was a really attractive buy at first, since it looked very technologically advanced and sharp. Within a couple of days of use, I was already thinking of swapping it out with a Blackberry.

The most obvious problem with this pda phone is that the processor is too, too slow. When browsing through the phone menu, there is quite a bit of jumping while using the thumb scroll. This feature in the Moto doesn't even come close to the scrolling of a Blackberry. Another flow is the layout of the texting characters. Symbols are scattered in a very peculiar way, compared to Palm's Treo 600 or the Hitachi G1000 that I had before that.

Texting is a chore and confusing given that you have to navigate to the text message section and add a recipient. I like the freedom of typing in a phone number (like I would when placing a call) and using a select menu to "send text message". In short, you must add a contact prior to sending a text message; which leads me to my next gripe. When you are adding a new contact phone number, the phone temporarily stores the number into memory while you type out first name, last name. Over the phone number field, you have to press "insert" (soft-key) to populate. This was utterly confusing at first, which caused me to lose a couple of very, very important contacts. After months of use, I am still a bit slow in recording contacts.

I will save you from reading a novel and leave you with the phone's battery life. I wasn't expecting too much from the battery being ultra-slim. It is approximately the same size as that of the Razer, only, it has much less juice. After about an hour of talking, it needs to be charged. The battery life is so horrible that I keep it plugged in at all times while at home. When I am about to step out, I always make sure to keep my conversations brief so that I won't be warped back into the stone age; running out of batteries is a drag.

Pretty disappointed with this phone

by I am the EggMan, I am the Walrus 2007-10-26, 2 people found this review helpful

I'm on my third Q in about 7 months. The first one would lock up at random, requiring reboots and sometimes hard resets.

The second phone would lock up less, but when I tried to download software updates from the phone, it would say I had to download the file from the web and install it from my computer. When I tried to install the update, the program wouldn't let me, saying I had the most current version of the software already on the phone.

The third phone hasn't really locked up in the past 2 weeks I've had it, but with all three phones I'd have voice mails showing up without ever having missed calls - the callers would say the call would go straight to voice mail and I wouldn't see a missed call on the screen.

This newest phone has an interesting feature when entering a text message - it occasionally interprets pressing the letter "c" to mean, back up to the beginning of the message, go forward 7-10 spaces and enter in three or four random letters, one of which just might be a "c". Also, pressing "p" will actually send the message about 85% of the time, making me look foolish by sending out incomplete messages.

I've learned to cope with this by entering in my message first without a recipient, then when it tries to send the message it won't go anywhere. When I finally manage to get the text entered (while trying to avoid using "c" and "p" as much as possible), I can enter in the recipient.

I've also found the voice quality to be not as good as a decent flip phone, but I understand that's common among the PDA style phones.

One thing that seems to beg for an OEM or even 3rd party app is a way to dial with letters instead of numbers. How do you dial 1-800-HATE-MY-Q when the letters on the keypad don't correlate to the numbers? I don't always have time to write out the code while driving down the road to figure it out.

Battery life starts out pretty good. I was getting a good 4+ hours talk time and 2-3 days stand by when I first got the phone, now it's in the charger every single night to make sure it doesn't power off due to low battery at night, which has caused me problems in the past because I use it for an alarm clock.

My verdict: The size and weight of the phone is great. I like the feature set, but the phone just doesn't deliver the battery life or actually work right to be worthwhile. I'm not getting a 4th Q, my next phone will probably be a Blackberry of some sort.

Edit & Update: I was wrong - I did get a 4th Q. I complained to Sprint about all the problems I had with this phone and they ordered a new one for me, or at least they said they did. I went to the Sprint store on the Sprint campus in Kansas (the HQ for Sprint in Overland Park KS). They said it would take a few days to get in and they'd call me. Three weeks later I go in since I never got a call. No phone was ordered. They did, however, pull one out of inventory to swap for me.

The keyboard keys feel different that the earlier phones. We'll see how this lasts. Right now I've only had the new phone a couple of days, so no real time for anything to go wrong yet.

Best PDA I've owned

by S. Lesser 2007-03-26, 14 people found this review helpful

EDIT (5/4/08): At the time of the original review below, this was a great product. It is frustrating that Motorola did not provide an update to Windows Mobile 6, and I can no longer recommend it as a good choice. Get the most recent version of the Q, a Blackjack, or wait for the new iPhones in Summer '08.

############

I've been a Palm owner since the first US Robotics Pilot came out in the mid-90s. Since then I've owned every iteration, including the phone version of the Samsung I300, Treo 300, and Samsung I500. I also owned a few of the first Microsoft mobile devices in the late 90s, and the Apple Newton before that.

This is hands down my favorite PDA yet.

I was afraid I would dislike not having the touch screen, but the navigation is intuitive and the keyboard is easy to use. In choosing between this and the Treo 700, I'm glad I bought this.

Pros:

- Battery life is very good.
- Web browser implementation is finally useable!
- Nice integration with my POP mail accounts.
- Size is perfect to slip in your pocket.

Windows Mobile PC 5.0 has finally overtaken the Palm OS in my opinion. Coupled with Motorola's wonderful design, this phone has made me grin for the last week I've owned it!

This device has many problems

by S. Davies 2007-07-12, 3 people found this review helpful

Issue #1 - The first week I had this phone it would not charge even though it was plugged in. I discovered I have to plug it in, unplug it, and then plug it in again to get it to charge.

Issue #2 - The letter S on the keyboard works about half the time.

Issue #3 - Terrible Sprint Customer service. I spent hours on hold and being switched around. I never spoke to anyone who could help me.

The only thing I like about this device is the size. Do yourself a favor and get the Palm or a Blackberry.

Good First PDA - time to move on!

by Stefano Laterza 2007-11-04, 6 people found this review helpful

Okay - I have owned this since March of 2006.
It is now almost 2008 and here are the FACTS about this phone:

Battery =
Very Weak. After almost 8 months, it has to be replaced. Right now, it lasts about 1 hour (even if I have Bluetooth disabled).
Keyboard =
Awesome - best keyboard out there. Full QWERTY set.
Reception =
With Sprint, no problems here.
Operating System =
I cannot tell you how many times the phone locked up on me while I was in the car, trying to answer a call. I had to pull over, take out the protective case (optional) and remove/reset the battery, just to get it to work.
Also =
Plenty of times I looked down at my phone only to see that I was still in a call. Again, time to pull the battery out and reset the unit. I do this about 10 times a day. It gets old, very fast.
MSN Mobile =
Wow, very bad. Not sure if it is sprint or MSN Mobile. Slow load times and when I delete email from MSN, it takes days to appear or disappear in my inbox. Oh, did I mention that I paid Microsoft $20.00 for that trash?
Covers/Cases =
There are many covers/cases out there that protect the unit. I use a body glove case and it works great.
Email =
I use it for my MSN Mail and I have to send/receive almost every 5 minutes before it refreshes and I can actually see new mail.
Overall =
I rate this 3 star's compared to a BlackBerry device. My buddy has a blackberry and it beeps every time he received his Gmail (no Exchange setup). It works GREAT for him.
If this is your first PDA, then get the MotoQ =
after that, you will see that you need more options and a bit more reliability - so then it¡¦s time to get the Blackberry.

Oh, before I forget...Sprint also backed out of my $100 rebate. Thanks so much for the support. Glad I could be a customer for 7 years and you treat me like an old girlfriend º

Good Luck =
Anyone want my MotoQ?

I am unhappy

by Christopher Bergeron 2007-04-18, 14 people found this review helpful

I waited quite some time for the Q to come out on Sprint and I jumped at the opportunity to buy one. It is a great idea, and together with Sprint's inexpensive unlimited data plan... What could go wrong?

Turns out that after I bought my phone I discovered that the phone hangs several times a day. I am dealing with it, I reboot the phone and pull the battery out several times a day. I then follow the reboot with checking my voicemail....

If I do ANYTHING with the phone even media player I risk it hanging. I also have a problem when it switches back and forth from roaming to sprint, or if I go out of service it will just hang. A BIG problem if you run into a store or go into a basement for a second and forget to REBOOT the phone when you go back outside...

Just the other day I ran into Home Depot to grab something insignificant and forgot to reboot the phone when I left (no signal in the middle of the store) and didn't remember until several hours later, upon reboot I had SIX messages left throughout the afternoon... The phone was hung and didn't ring. I was VERY embarrassed and may have lost a client because of it.

I have done the recent Moto/Sprint update and have NOT loaded any applications on the phone, and the problem is still there.

I have been into sprint several times, and all they do is a master reset.. BUT for a $[...] deductible they will get me a new phone, or I can MAIL it to Motorola and be without a phone for TWO WEEKS!

Some phones work Great, some are Duds.. I got a Dud, and I'm not happy with the support I've been receiving. I would not recommend buying this phone without first locating your Sprint Service Locations, and then put it through the ringer when you first get it.. I have discovered that it is a common problem with lots of returns to don't be embarrassed and DON'T wait like I did to complain, one person was working the sprint booth told me they went through FOUR phones before they got one that worked properly...

I buy a new phone each spring and can't WAIT for next year so I can be rid of this piece of ... well. I learned. I will do more research next time, and will put the phone through the ringers when I first get it and won't hesitate to bring it back during the first few weeks for a replacement if it doesn't work.

-----------------------------------------------------

Update: I finally did get my phone swapped. But continue to be frustrated by the limitations of the phone. One frustrating piece is that data seems to take priority.. On my old phone if I was in a data session and there was an incoming call I was interupted and the phone rang. NOT so here. The phone won't ring the caller goes right to voicemail.. It can be a bit frustrating if you want the phone to check email often.. I had to disable the feature to ensure I got my calls.

I am also VERY frustrated by the lack of MMS capabilities. That's right Sprint has DISABLED all MMS capabilities on the phone.. You will NOT be able to send an MMS message by design!

And finally forget any GPS reference in the advertizing materaials this is NOT a GPS enabled phone.. it is a 911 enhanced phone allowing Emergency Personel to locate you, but YOU do not have access to the GPS data.

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Tags: bluetooth, cell, mobile, moto q, Motorola, motorola q, pda, Phone, smartphone, sprint

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