14 DAY TRIAL // The much anticipated Q smartphone from Motorola is set to be launched next week.
The smartphone will be running on the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, which will enable it to be compatible with applications such as spreadsheets and CRM (customer relationship management) software on the road.
The device also features a 1.3 Megapixel camera, Windows Mobile Media Player, MMS and MP3 music-playing capabilities.
The Q will come out first for EV-DO, a 3G technology offered in the U.S. by Verizon Wireless Inc. and Sprint Nextel Corp. It should be available by year's end for UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and possibly HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), a faster version of UMTS.
Motorola, the second-biggest seller of mobile phones behind Nokia Corp., is entering a four-way battle of smartphones. The other three handsets that Q will go up against are Nokia's E61, Palm Inc.'s Treo and the mighty BlackBerry.
There is no confirmation on the prices yet, though unconfirmed rumors suggest that Verizon will offer it with one year contract for about 349 USD, 299 USD with a 2 year contract, and 419 USD without any contract.