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One of the most conspicuous smartphones at CTIA 2006 a couple of week ago was Motorola's Q. Many a vendor demonstrated this or that with the number-two mobile phone vendor's eagerly awaited BlackBerry alternative. The Q was supposed to be available from Verizon Wireless earlier this year, but was delayed; reportedly because Motorola needed time to improve the its keyboard/software integration.

A Q enthusiast forum recently spotted the first picture (see top image) - since taken down - of the Q on Verizon's Web site - a good sign the handset may finally ship soon.

In another indication the long-delayed smartphone may soon be upon us, Phonescoop reports the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has finally approved the Q for release in the U.S. All wireless devices must recieve FCC okay before shipping in this country.

The Q has caught more eyes, it seems, than an other communicator-class Windows Mobile device. Communicators are compact smartphones with QWERTY thumb-keyboards and other advanced features that are built in the mold of RIM’s BlackBerry and Palm’s Treo.

The Q is so highly anticipated, a Chinese vendor called TechFaith showed off a knockoff (see below) of the Windows Mobile handset under glass at CTIA; before the device has even started shipping.


from engadget

The Motorola Q measures 4.6 x 2.5 x 0.45 inches and should arrive with Microsoft's Direct Push technology for push e-mail support with Microsoft Exchange. Like the Treo, the RAZR-thin Q supports the carrier's high-speed EV-DO network for average connection speeds of 400 to 700 kbps.

Motorola plans to follow the CDMA Q with a GSM edition, so operators in Europe and Asia—let alone customers of carriers like Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile in the United States (perhaps)—will eventually get their chance at the new smartphone.

Additional features of the Q include a 320 x 240-pixel screen, dual speakers, Bluetooth for personal area networking (connecting to headsets, printers) and a 1.3 megapixel camera with photo lighting for picture and video. There's a miniSD slot for storage expansion, 64 MB of RAM plus 128 MB of Flash ROM, as well as a 5-way navigation button and thumb wheel.

Verizon is also the exclusive provider, for now, of - perhaps - the hottest smartphone on the market in the U.S., Palm's Treo 700w. Unlike the Q – a Windows Smartphone - the Treo 700w is a Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC Phone.

We got to handle several Qs at CTIA and our initial impressions were positive, although we would have hoped that Motorola made it a Pocket PC Phone with a touch screen and other features that would entail and not a Windows Smartphone.

We'll report more on pricing and availability for the Q as we learn more.