Motorola MOTO Q 9 (formerly Motorola MOTO Q q9)

Expected Q3 2007 (May 2007 in Italy)
13th February 2007 - Updated 15th May 2007

The clumsily named Motorola MOTO Q 9 is a 3G smartphone with HSDPA running the new Windows Mobile 6.0 operating system.

In terms of specification, the Motorola MOTO Q 9 is much more up to date than the Moto Q GSM which is launched at around the same time, and it competes effectively with other similar 3.5G smartphones.

The Motorola MOTO Q 9 is a decent (but fairly predictable) messaging smartphone. There's a QWERTY keyboard, 320x240 pixel display, Bluetooth, microSD expandable memory (up to 2GB) and a 2 megapixel digital camera. HSDPA download speeds are up to 3.6Mbp/sec and it supports UMTS, EDGE and GPRS and has quad-band GSM.

One thing missing is WiFi - the Motorola MOTO Q 9 is clearly being pitched as quite a high-level device, and the lack of WiFi might be seen by some as a weakness, and unlike the Moto Q 8, the Q 9 lacks an SDIO expansion slot, so WiFi isn't really an option.

It's a little hard to get enthusiastic about the operating system. Windows Mobile 6.0 is not much different to its predecessor in terms of functionality, but it does mean that the q9 integrated well into many corporate email systems. The MOTO Q 9 supports standard Internet protocols plus a variety of push email solutions.

Its a impressively slim device, just 11.8mm thick which is very slim for this type of smartphone, and cosmetically it certainly looks a lot smarter than its predecessor.

However, breaking into this market will be an uphill struggle for Motorola as they have been concentrating too much on "RAZR-alike" consumer phones rather than smart business messaging devices.

The Motorola MOTO Q 9 will be available from May 2007.

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