Url: http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/contro…
I’ve spent a week so far with my new phone, the Motorola Q9m. While its touted as a multimedia phone, I mostly got it for a smartphone and a MS platform to throw some code on. When you buy a phone its married (for the most part) to the provider and my provider is Verizon Wireless. I picked up this phone after two years with them for only $199 + a $50 mail-in rebate. Good deal for a phone of this quality.
Here are some pros and cons of the phone from my perspective:
Pros:
- Great size!
- Good memory.
- Keyboard feel is exceptional.
- Battery life so far is great.
- Can charge via USB 2.0!
- Screen is crisp and clear.
Cons:
- Verizon removed instant messaging.
- Can’t charge via USB 2.0 if battery is completely dead.
- Case sucks.
- Dialing phone #'s is difficult for my Shrek-sized hands.
- Hard to tell when I am consuming Broadband minutes.
Overall I am very happy with the device though when the battery ran dry in Boston and I only had the USB 2.0 cable to charge it I panicked. Luckily I picked up a quick car charger and was good to go the next day.
Here are some things I did when I got the device that i would recommend to users:
- To alleviate the instant messaging I picked up a great little free IM app called Prelude. To get full IM support (MSN, AOL, Yahoo, etc.) you need to download it from Handigo (its free).
- Switch to using the normal home screen. The default one that Verizon throws up is hard to read and nasty.
- Visit and spend some time at http://www.everythingq.com - they have a great list of tips and tricks and if you look in the forums there are lots of free home screens that are just exceptional.
- Sync to your computer to get the most of out the phone. The new Windows Mobile 6 version of contacts does a great job of syncing details (and really important to me) the images you’ve attached to contacts. When I view them on my phone or in Outlook I get the image.
