Travel Technology - Did I make a mistake getting a Motorola Q phone from Verizon?

On Thursday I picked up a Q phone from Verizon. It was totally an impulse type of purchase as I have been wanting a PDA type phone for some time now. My contract was up and they made me an offer that I couldn't refuse. :)

Normally I would have done a great deal of research before buying an item like this. I have friends with Treo 650's that were very buggy, and they were constantly downloading firmware updates for them. I also have heard from friends that the phone on the Blackberry models is not the greatest.

Please note in your replies that CDMA vs. GSM is not a concern for me and I am totally pleased with CDMA and Verizon (especially for reception in NYC) for my calling needs.

As I have 15 days to return the Q phone to Verizon, would some of you please share your opinions and experiences on these products with me?

Couple friends have them and they're performing fine. You do need the firmware update if you're going to connect to exchange 2003 w/ sp2 to get the DirectPush functionality, but after that you're set.

Couple friends have them and they're performing fine. You do need the firmware update if you're going to connect to exchange 2003 w/ sp2 to get the DirectPush functionality, but after that you're set.

I am a blackberry fan and with push email it is great. The q does not offer this and according to a couple of verizon people I spoke with - it will not be available. I love the fact that emails to my blackberry account get pushed instantly without me having to log in or do anything. I believe that Verizon is set to release the 8700 which is a great full keyboard and fast internet will be available on September 17th. By the way have you ever dropped your phone. Look at the q and look at the blackberry - which one is going to stand up after a couple of falls.

Hope that helps

I am a blackberry fan and with push email it is great. The q does not offer this and according to a couple of verizon people I spoke with - it will not be available.


That's not true. With the Q you need hte firmware update off Motorola's webpage. It's linked from the Windows Mobile site (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/business/5/default.mspx). If the email server is Exchange 2003 SP2 it will have DirectPush functionality which is the same as the Blackberry functionality. Without SP2 the push functionality is SMS based. You could also set the WM5 device to do a scheduled sync if for whatever reason you don't want these choices - it can sync every 10 minutes or whatever interval you set.

That's not true. With the Q you need hte firmware update off Motorola's webpage. It's linked from the Windows Mobile site (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/business/5/default.mspx). If the email server is Exchange 2003 SP2 it will have DirectPush functionality which is the same as the Blackberry functionality. Without SP2 the push functionality is SMS based. You could also set the WM5 device to do a scheduled sync if for whatever reason you don't want these choices - it can sync every 10 minutes or whatever interval you set.

When I picked up the Q phone on Thursday the Verizon rep said that the phone had the latest firmware update. My phone says it is OS 5.1.195 (Build 14960.2.4.0). Can someone verify that this is the latest update?

Windows phones have much lower user satisfaction than Palm phones. The 650 had teething pains, but for most users now it's great, the 700p probably moreso. The new Blackberry Pearl appears to be a great phone, but not CDMA yet.

I think your mistake was choosing Verizon... ;) My friend has the and phone, and i played with it, and its actually pretty good, and so far he hasn't complained abt it...

Assuming the phone has the right firmware, and that your exchange server is 2003 SP2, setting up push email is simple on a WM5 device.

Just go to "Programs" "ActiveSync" and and chose "add server source" (you might not even have to do this if you haven't set your phone to sync with a laptop.

You plug in your mail server name, your user account and password, and you're done!

I mnoved to WM5 from Palm with Sprint's release of the 700wx and I've very very happy.

Steve

I've tried windows phones twice (most recently was the Sprint 6700) and every time I leave them very quickly. I cannot stand how buggy the interface is.

I've gone back to a blackberry and never been happier. I have the 7130 and its just a great device. I'm really looking forward to the pearl though (hear that sprint?).

If you want the windows-based functionality then the Q has the best form factor. However the frequent reboots, locking up, sync issues, etc may take their toll on you. I found myself leaving my 6700 at home b/c I just hated using it so much.

If you want the windows-based functionality then the Q has the best form factor. However the frequent reboots, locking up, sync issues, etc may take their toll on you. I found myself leaving my 6700 at home b/c I just hated using it so much.

Well it has been 2 weeks now with my Q phone and I haven't had it freeze once, have any sync issues or have to reboot it. It did have the latest firmware installed when I purchased it from Verizon which might be the reason for this. I hope that I am not jinxing myself. :)

I've also noticed that the specfic interface and Today screen makes a huge difference.

Phones like the TyTN don't thrill me for interface; however, Palm's screen is very cool...allows very one-handed operation.

Steve

A couple of things so that people have all the facts.

As far as push email goes, your company usually has to set this up. Most companies, some don't. For those who don't there is other software your employer can offer such as goodlink. What is comes down to is that if your employer offers some sort of push email, unless it is a blackberry server, you should be able to get it on the Q.

You should also know that the Q is a smartphone, not a Windows Mobile device. This means a much smaller OS footprint, which is good and bad. You have a much more streamlined device with less functionality. There are things I can do with my PDA phone (basically the vx6700) that I can't do with a smart phone.

However my PDA phone is much larger, and probably has software issues more often. What's more important to you?

AJ

IMHO, for the right person, like me, its a great smartphone! ;)

Mark

OK then, dumb question time :-)

My employer won't enable any sort of push anything on the Exchange server.

Will either the Blackberry, the Palm, or the Q do some sort of scheduled poll (of Outlook Web Access, maybe?) and keep me synced up?

Thanks

OK then, dumb question time :-)

My employer won't enable any sort of push anything on the Exchange server.

Will either the Blackberry, the Palm, or the Q do some sort of scheduled poll (of Outlook Web Access, maybe?) and keep me synced up?

ThanksDepends. Does your Exchange server have an "external" interface? That is...are you able to check your work email (from outside the corporate intranet) without logging in via VPN, etc.?

BB, Palm and Q (Windows Mobile) all have the option to set them up to check an email account (or multiple accouts) on a scheduled interval...the issue for you is likely whether or not you can access the needed account(s) from the public Internet.

You could potentially implement some kind of VPN client on the handheld device, but that would require cooperation/help from your employer and an extra step or two that might make automatic polling next to impossible.

You could investigate having all of your Exchange corporate mail forwarded (use a rule to set up filtering/forwarding) to a mailbox (POP account) that is accessible on the public Internet.

Does your Exchange server have an "external" interface? That is...are you able to check your work email (from outside the corporate intranet) without logging in via VPN, etc.?

Yes. We have both OWA and OMA available. I can use the web interface on my current phone to look at email. I am just hoping for more a "push" or at least a "behind the scenes pull."