The BlackBerry Gets a Worthy, and Slim, Rival
Is the Motorola Q phone a BlackBerry killer? Or just a pretty face?
The Q, which went on sale Wednesday from Verizon Wireless for about $200, has a full-sized keyboard for composing e-mail and text messages. So does Research in Motion’s BlackBerry phone, which has become a fixture of business culture.
The Q has a bright, color screen. Ditto the comparably priced, newer BlackBerry models.
And both have the ability to receive e-mail on the fly.
So, what’s that different about the Q? Its ergonomics and looks -- no small matters given that many of us now use cellphones throughout the day.
Motorola Inc.’s Q is the first full-keyboard cellphone that could be called sleek -- it’s less than half an inch thick.
By comparison, the BlackBerry 8700c that came out this year is about three-quarters of an inch thick, and older models in the line are close to a full inch.
Palm Inc.’s Treo, which has a full keyboard, too, also bulks up to almost an inch at its thickest point.
Furthermore, whereas the nearly three-inch width of the traditional BlackBerry makes it feel like a sandwich slapped against your head while you’re making a phone call, the Q is a slimmer 2 1/2 inches.
Those cutbacks in dimensions make a big difference in ergonomics.
The smaller size makes the phone easier to balance between your hands while using the keyboard. And although the Q can easily slip into a shirt pocket, BlackBerrys and Treos are often carried in obtrusive belt pouches that scream “nerd.”
Indeed, the silver-colored Q is the first cellphone that could be called -- dare I say it -- elegant. It reminded me of an old-fashioned cigarette case, except not as deadly -- unless it turns out to be true that our cellphones are doing terrible things to our brains.
So, how well does Q work in sending and receiving e-mail -- its dominant function in this era of ever-specialized cellphones?
That depends to a large extent on how your e-mail is processed.
If your company uses Microsoft Corp.’s Exchange Server 2003 software, complete with Service Pack 2, you’re probably a good candidate for the Q.
The Windows Mobile operating system aboard the phone, along with another Microsoft program, Autosync, allows for the instant-arrival e-mail functionality that made the BlackBerry famous. Companies that deploy BlackBerry devices have to install special software on their mail servers.
Not so for the Q -- as long as the designated Microsoft server is used.
I did find, however, the instant-arrival functionality on the Q was not as reliable as on the BlackBerry.
Sometimes e-mails arrived instantly, other times it could take up to a half-hour. Perhaps this problem could be solved by more tinkering by server technicians. (No matter which device is used for company e-mail, the setup is likely to be handled by tech professionals.)
Far more reliable was a setting on the Q that had it automatically check the server for e-mails at regular intervals ranging from once every five minutes to once every four hours. It could also be set to manual retrieval for those not wanting to be bothered by random arrivals.
Can you get instant-arrival e-mail on the Q if your company uses different server software? Or if you have an individual account with an Internet provider, such as Earthlink or AT&T;? Technically, yes. But take my advice and forget about it, at least at this stage of development.
I spent numerous hours over a couple of days on the phone with Verizon technicians trying to get a personal account to work with instant arrival. Sometimes we got temporary success, but our efforts were always dashed in the end.
Better you should settle for manually retrieving e-mail or having the phone fetch it at designated times.
Aside from phone and e-mail applications, the Q also can handle PDA tasks, such as sharing and updating your contact list and appointment schedule with your PC, using the Windows Mobile program. (It does not, at this point, work with Macintosh computers.)
The sharing can be done wirelessly using the designated Exchange software, but can most reliably be accomplished with an old-fashioned, hard-wire sync.
The Q also allows for instant messaging on MSN Messenger. And it has a 1.3 megapixel camera.
As for other functions now found on cellphones -- downloading music and video, for example -- there are models that do them better.
The Q can’t even use Verizon’s own Vcast music and video service.
But if you’re looking for a phone that can handle e-mails deftly, if not always instantly, without the use of BlackBerry server software, the Q is certainly worth consideration.
After all, we are in a town where there is no underestimating the value of slim.
David Colker can be reached at technopolis@latimes.com. Previous columns can be found at latimes.com/technopolis.
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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)
Elegance in hand
Product: Motorola Q
* Cell carrier: Verizon Wireless
* Price: $199.99 with two-year contract
* Pros: Easier to handle than previous full-keyboard phones, slips into pockets, bright color screen, good PDA functions.
* Cons: E-mail functions work best only with Microsoft Exchange 2003 software; limited music and video playing capabilities.
Source: Times research
Los Angeles Times
