...and that was a fitting end for this poor piece of workmanship. I'll start out with my gripes and then go on with some of the better aspects of the Q:
Gripes:
* Poor build quality - this is my main complaint with the Q, as it caused me the most frustration. About two months after getting it, I noticed that the silver "select" key (which resides in the middle of the navigation keys - conveniently) seemed to be permanently "mashed". At the same time, it developed a hair trigger...if you so much as LOOKED AT the select key, it would select. This made scrolling through the main menu an exercise in anger management. Want to get down to the voicemail you just got? Oh, wait, it decided to enable Bluetooth instead. Grrrr. So I go to Verizon and they replaced it without complaint. The new one went about five months, but then the same thing. It's really, REALLY annoying, as it does it when you're in a big hurry and ends up costing you lots of time.
* More on keys - since we're on the topic of keys, here's another gripe: the keys are TINY. As in, unless you have elfin fingers and excellent dexterity, you're challenged in dialling a number. I like having the QWERTY keyboard for texting, don't get me wrong. But the simple act of dialling a phone number is almost enough to push you over the edge. Oh, and one other little problem with the key layout: if you ever get a phone number like 1-800-CALL-GEICO good luck figuring out how to dial it. No, the letters are not on the tiny little number keys....the keys are too small and the letters already have their own keys. You find yourself mentally trying to remember how they are laid out on your old "Princess Phone" back in the good old wired phone days. "Let's see, where was the "Z"? Did they start on one or two...?"
* Battery life - I won't even expand here, as others have certainly nailed this one. If you're thinking about the phone, plan to get the extended battery; plan to charge daily. It *is* a plus that it charges when on the USB sync cable....
* Quirky? - when I first went to Verizon, I asked for a smart phone in the flip format. They didn't carry one then. They suggested the Moto Q, which is definitely NOT a flip. So, you have to lock the keypad or you'll be calling people you don't intend to call at all sorts of hours. That's fine, it takes two keystrokes on the Q to lock and two to unlock, but I can live with that. What really bugged me was how it acted when locked. For example, if an appointment announcement popped up when locked, I could still press the "Dismiss" button to shut the thing up. However, when it finished charging, the "OK" button did NOT work unless you unlocked the phone first. If you just wanted to check the time on the display it took about eight keystrokes to unlock, say "OK" see the time, and re-lock. Maybe this is a Windows Mobile gripe, but it's on the Q, so I'm sticking with it.
Those are the gripes; now, for the rest of the story: Before I could get the phone in to be replaced again, I ended up dunking it in a local lake. It was super-brief and wasn't even fully under water, but that was enough to kill it. I won't point out that I've had other phones get much wetter and still work after being dried out, but.....ooops I guess I did point it out. At any rate, despite the fact that it's going to cost me to replace the Q, it's probably the best thing that ever happened to it.
Finally, some Likes:
* It's a good looking phone. The black one, even better. It's thin and easy to hold.
* The display gets washed out a bit in bright sunlight, but in any other light it is bright, sharp and really gorgeous.
* It sync'ed pretty easily and the contacts and calendar functions work well.
* My Motorola mpX220 had an issue where the voice recognition feature (which was very slick directly on the handset and meant that you could call anyone on your contact list with voice commands with no "training") would not work via a Bluetooth headset. They seem to have fixed that on the Q, so that's a real plus.
That's it for my review of the Q. It's a pricey, high tech, very capable, maybe-too-complex phone for the discriminating (and patient) user. Good luck.
A final note: I've owned a number of Motorola phones and have always liked them and found them rugged and dependable. This one was the exception. I'd buy another Motorola, but you'll never see me holding a Q again!
The world's thinnest, lightest QWERTY phone delivers a fully-loaded package of email, voice, and entertainment in one amazingly rich but thin device. ...More at GreenCells
Go Wireless - Talk Hands Free Type: Bluetooth v2.0 + EDR Headset Talk Time: Up to 6 hrs Standby Time: Up to 100 hrs Includes: USB Charging CableMore at Amazon Marketplace
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