Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

MotoQ is a very good tool. The designers have optimized the features for people who need to be connected via voice, email, and web without carrying a briefcase full of stuff everywhere. It's not a PC, so you will be disappointed if you intend to work extensively with a spreadsheet or other work applications. This device is also not for power PDA users that service data centers from their huge PDA's. However, if you are on the road and want to be able to review an email, word, excel, power point, acrobat document, or quickly find information on a website from just about anywhere, this is an awesome tool. I decided to keep my MotoQ when I had to review a 4MB pdf file for work during a family outing. I was able to download the file and review it on the MotoQ. A 5 minute time out was so much better than any other options. Something I found very delightful is the fact that I have constant access to the internet. Waiting in lines has become just a little bit more tolerable since I could surf the net instead of reading 6 month old magazines. I was very concerned about a lack of touch screen, but within a day, the scroll & navigation keys won me over. It is very nice to be able to use only one hand. So, why did I select the MotoQ over BlackBerry? The MotoQ is actually a very good phone with superior call quality. The bluetooth and speakerphone are the best I've used. I was quite disappointed by calls on the BlackBerry, a deal breaker for me. Please note that sending and receiving emails seem to be a bit faster on the BlackBerry, but downloading information from the web seems to take the same amount of time. For me, functionality favored the MotoQ's phone call advantage, and the aesthetics made it easy to go with the MotoQ. ********** Update: 6/17/2006 As with previous reviewers, the honeymoon is already over. I am finding that none of my prior PocketPC applications will install on this phone. If you are migrating, you should seriously consider this. Fortunately, there is only one application I really use frequently, and there are other less convenient ways to compensate for my application. Also, if you use the bluetooth headphone a lot, you really need the big battery or charge it frequently. I was surprised to get a low battery warning on the MotoQ mid-day when my Razr would last the full day with similar usage. The large capacity battery makes the phone look much less attractive, and it will no longer fit well in the nice fitted case. On the other hand, I've received several compliments on the sound quality of the phone on the handset, bluetooth headset, and speaker phone. I don't remember getting so many positive comments on other cell phones I've used. I've got a few more days before the full refund expires if I opt for an annulment. So, I'll keep it for now and post how I decide. ********** Update: 6/22/2006 OK. I am keeping the MotoQ. Let me go through my decision process in case it is of some use to you. First, more problems I encountered: (Please note that I am not tech support, and I am limiting my time on solving MotoQ problems. So, there might be better solutions. If you have them, I hope you will post.) (1) If you get an attachment in the email, you cannot save it to the storage card. This is lame. There is a work around: you can save the message into your Draft folder and view it later so that it doesn't disappear from your Inbox post-PC_download-send/receive. If you have a lot of documents, your memory will fill up fast since the Draft folder is part of your internal storage. (2) You cannot edit documents (word, excel, powerpoint). You can only view them. Perhaps there might be 3rd party software that can do this. For me, only real bummer is that the spreadsheets could be useful sometimes for simple math such as adding a bunch of numbers. (3) Windows Mobile OS almost survived a week without crashing, but crash it did. Minor inconvenience, it just needed to be power cycled. (Update: Windows Mobile OS has been crashing about once per month, not bad for MS) (4) For security code, you can only enter numbers. And, because you have to press the activate-numbers-key, you cannot unlock the phone one handed. This is really lame. (Update: you can press the "ALT" key twice to lock it in the number key mode, so you can do this with one hand.) (5) I've been able to find all the PDA programs I used on my Dell Axim with comparable replacements for the MotoQ. However, I've had to purchase all of them, and I have now spent a big chunk of the MotoQ discount on replacement software. Something obvious in retrospect: The MotoQ is a "smartphone", not a PocketPC PDA with a phone. This was not a distinction that was clear to me with the fuzzy marketing; also smart since I probably would not have tried the MotoQ if this was obvious. So, migrating from my Dell Axim to MotoQ was easy; nothing could be saved... buyer beware! Why I am keeping the MotoQ: I've identified more cons than pros so far, but there is a very positive and significant thing about the MotoQ: I use it all the time. My wife noticed that the only other devices I've used as much were my Palm V & Sony Clie; may they both rest in peace. In spite of all the problems, the MotoQ is very convenient, so I use it. I feel a little bit more organized and connected; more in control over my schedule. I have some similar flashbacks of the switching pains from the big Flanklin planner to the Palm V. It is nice to quickly and easily see my calendar to check for schedule conflicts, instead of asking people to wait until I return to my office. I like being able to spell a name to make a quick phone call from my contact list, instead of waiting to return to my office to find the number. And, I really like being able to check my email to see if an important message arrived during a flight and being able to search for information w/o looking for a hotspot. Yes, it is another leash, but one that helps me achieve higher efficiency and save time that I can later spend with my family. What was interesting is that when my Sony Clie died from old age & high mileage, I replaced it with a much more powerful Dell Axim. But, I did not use it. Even with Wifi, Bluetooth, functional office apps, etc, it sat in my desk or briefcase, only to be used a couple of times per week. I could point out a lot of detailed reasons for this, but they all come down to the device being a little bit inconvenient (does not fit well in pocket, takes a couple of seconds too long to turn on & switch apps) to use, just enough of a barrier to keep it from being really needed or wanted. How often did I use the excel spreadsheet on the Dell Axim to do simple math? about 5 times in 3 years. How many meetings did I miss because the Axim was on my desk and not in my pocket? too many to count! How often am I using the MotoQ? Enough to require a battery recharge every night... :) ********** Update: 8/24/2006 I am still happy with the MotoQ. My MotoQ is 1 of 5 that my company purchased for some of the employees. Of this group, 4 out of 5 really like this device; the 5th is OK with it. The 5th person "downgraded" from the Treo 650, and she really seems to prefer the Palm OS. None of us experienced the catastrophic problems mentioned in other reviews for this product.