Hopefully I’m not putting the cart before the horse here (since I know my boss reads this), but odds are, my employer is about to get me a Smartphone, and I couldn’t be happier unless they were also buying me a new laptop (insert snicker here). However, I ‘m left with a bit of a tough choice. Brandon just got a Treo 700w a few weeks ago and he’s absolutely in love with it. He and I normally have almost identical opinions (and needs) when it comes to phones and gadgets, so I have to respect his opinion, even though he’s yet to write up a full review (*ahem*). We’re so much alike in this area, that he’s followed my lead on our last two phone acquisitions, first with the Verizon/LG VX6000 back in late 2003 and then the Motorola E815 in August of 2005.
However, for some reason, I can’t just scroll past the Motorola Q when I go to Verizon’s web site to drool for a while. Maybe it’s the thin-factor, or maybe it’s because its a Motorola (my E815 is by far and away my favorite phone I’ve ever touched), but there’s just something appealing about the Q to me. They both run Windows Mobile 5 and have very similar sized displays, so I’m really having a hard time. Also, for my company’s pocketbook, the Q is about half the price of the Treo 700w.
So, I’d like some input from you folks, particularly any of you who my happen to own either of these devices (or some other Windows Mobile Smartphone) and especially if you use it with Linux in any way. I know that the Treo 700w can be used as a modem when attached via USB, out of the box if I’m not mistaken, which is definitely a huge plus for me as I often need connectivity for my laptop while on the road. Being able to do that over Bluetooth with a Smartphone would be even better.
Boys and their toys, Too bad you guys can’t figure out the difference between NEED and WANT. hehe
I upgraded from the E815 to the Q two months ago. I have had a good experience with the Q, especially since the latest software release. Call quality is on par with the E815 in my area. I would strongly recommend the extended battery if you go with the Q, even more so if you plan to use the phone for data. As for comparing between the Q and the 700w, keep in mind that the 700w is classified as a PDA, while the Q is a smartphone. There are different verions of the Windows Mobile 5.0 OS. The 700w supports editing word and excel documents, while the Q is view only. If you need a phone for web browsing and internet capabilities and are not concerned about the editing limitations, go for the Q!
Justin,
Thanks for the info. The most important thing to me is email, followed by web browsing and calendaring. Reading/writing Word/Excel documents is at the bottom of the list of things I need it to do.
I have used PDAs and cell phones for many years. I bought a Treo 700W three months prior to Q being released by Verizon. Although a great device, I was not happy with the display resolution and sharpness. I switched to Q and now I am in love with this smartphone device. The sound quality is the best I ever had and the display is sharp with vivid colors. I never used a Smartphone so it took me awhile to get used to lack of touch sensetive screen but for my use, this is not an issue anymore. If editing files and touch sensetive screen is not important to you, then I definitly will go with the Q. I use a software product called PdaNet that easily provides Internet access through a USB connection for my laptop and it is fast. Overall, Motorola Q is a great Smartphone PDA and Phone device and I highly recommend it.
Managing your word files is really great. If you phone is able to show and allow you to edit the word doc or excel sheet, you feel always tune with your data. You need not to carry two things – phone and pda.