It runs Microsoft's recently released Windows Mobile 5.0 software platform.
(Click here for larger image)The Q integrates a QWERTY keyboard, for ease of text entry, into a compact and thin smartphone. The "ergonomic" keyboard features electro-luminescent keys, a 5-way navigation button, and a thumbwheel for single-handed control. A built-in 1.3 megapixel camera with "photo lighting" supports video clip capture and playback. At slightly less than a half inch, the Q is 50 percent thinner than its top competitors, according to the company.
One of the first devices to run Microsoft's
recently introduced Windows Mobile 5.0 software platform, the Q can be expected to make extensive use of new
push email capabilities from Microsoft and
others, making it a strong competitor with RIM's Blackberry.
Four views of the Motorola Q smartphone
(Click each image to enlarge)Motorola lists the following key features for the Q:
- Full, ergonomic QWERTY keyboard with 5-way navigation button and thumb wheel
- Expansion -- mini-SD removable memory card slot
- Display -- 320 x 240 pixels, 65K-color TFT
- 1.3 megapixel camera with photo lighting
- Dual, stereo-quality speakers
- Connectivity -- Bluetooth, IrDA, and mini-USB
- Video clip capture and playback
- Multi-Media Messaging (MMS)
- Audio formats supported -- iMelody, MIDI, MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, WAX, QCELP
- Image formats supported -- GIF87a, GIF89a, JPEG, WBMP, BMP, PNG
- Video formats supported -- H.263, MPEG-4, GSM-AMR, AAC, WMV
- PIM functionality with Picture Caller ID
- Advanced speech recognition and speakerphone
Motorola did not reveal details of the Q's cellular communications capabilities.
"Wickedly cool -- when's the last time you heard those words used to describe a QWERTY device?" said Ron Garriques, president of Motorola's mobile devices business. "Probably never. At least until now."
The Q is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2006, according to the company. No details on pricing have been released.
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