Moto Q with Good

This is a review for the Moto Q with Sprint Nextel and Good Mobile Messaging.

FORM FACTOR: First impression out of the box... What a sweet looking PDA! Coming from a Treo 700P that is heftier the Moto Q is a welcomed change. It amazes me that such a thin device can be a phone/calendar/email/contacts etc... all in one. Motorola packs the device very well. Protective film not only covered the screen but also the shell which has a tacky/rubbery feel to it making it harder to slip off the user's hand.

FEATURES: Starting off with the bright screen that is widescreen and bright, it fits more of what you are reading be it an email or a website article. The full QWERTY keys feel slightly stiff. I attribute it to the newness of the phone and expect the keys to somewhat loosen as normal use progresses. The track wheel makes it fast and easy to scroll up and down long web pages or emails. It is a great compliment to the 4 way D-pad that surrounds a center button. The two soft keys that change functions depending on what application you have active takes some getting used to (again I came from a Treo). The speakerphone is great! Callers on the other end sound as if they were in the room with you. And they have no trouble understanding you. It is still NOT full duplex but close.

APPLICATIONS: The first part of this section talks about the STANDARD apps that came with the Q. The second section talks about Good Mobile Messaging.

The Q comes with the standard Calendar, Contacts, IE Browser, Messaging, Bluetooth, Windows Media, Active Sync 4.2 (4.5 is now downloadable form Microsoft.com), Voice Notes Recorder (for those of us that are forgetful) that can not only record your "Don't forget milk" messages but also records your own ring tones to use as your unique ringer. Voice Recognition allows you to have a choice of CALL "Name of Person", OPEN "Application Name", SEND "Text or Email Msg" and LOOKUP "Name of Contact". It is intuitive in that you don't need to pre-record your contact's name. It automatically recognizes who or what you are looking for or calling. Games are Bubbles (which looks similar to Data Miner) and Solitaire. Internet Explorer is also a welcome change from the Treo's browser b/c IE more resembles the website being viewed as how you would see it on your PC's monitor. A neat website that is on the favorites is Sprint Powerdeck b/c one of the links is a version of Microsoft's Update website, but this one is for the Q. Merely click the link and a scan occurs to see if you have the most updated Windows Mobile version and tells you if an update is not available. CORRECTION - after using the Q for 3 months I found that the Powerdeck website does not scan the Q but merely provides the user a convenient way to see if an update is available. The update still shows up even if a new firmware was downloaded on the phone which is why I believe it does not scan the phone as I previously thought.

Good Mobile Messaging (GMM) comes standard with the Moto Q as a downloadable service. You or your corporation of course have purchase the monthly service from Sprint Nextel. Typically a $39.99 monthly charger per user. Very well worth the price for 1. You not only get access to the internet but 2. You have an interface that literally looks like Outlook on your PC but in this case on your Q. 3. You get Phone as Modem with Good so you can tether the Q using the included USB cable to your laptop's USB port and connect to the internet. GMM syncs wirelessly to your MS Exchange or Lotus email server IN REAL TIME. So if you receive an email it appears simultaneously (within a few seconds difference) on both your PC and your Q. If you delete an email or calendar event on your Q it is deleted from your desktop PC within seconds. It's very user friendly. I also noticed that the battery life of Q **WITH GMM** lasts longer than my Treo with GMM.

SHORTCOMINGS: You do have to take the good (e.g. Thin, bright screen etc...) with the bad. The battery life is as expected shorter than other PDAs on the market. My Q will last only a full day with GMM on and occasional calls. I have a co-worker who as a Q and is on it constantly. He tells me the battery only lasts 4 to 6 hours. The fix - either get an extended battery or get the cradle or both. There are some occasional pauses when switching between apps like going to GMM from the Phone screen or from IE to GMM etc... BUT that is hardly a con in my book. The reset by itself issue is seldom. It has never done it during a call and only has only happened twice during the 5 days that I've had this phone. I do not expect it to happen too often.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: I am a fan of this phone, more so than the Treo which I have used since the 650 came out. Great phone and great PDA.