Motorola Q is set for launch next week

Remember a ways back when we told you that the Motorola Q was due for May 22nd? Well that might not have been so far off after all. Turns out Motorola has just announced that they will be releasing the Q "next week," a week which turns out to include May 22nd among its numbered days. The EV-DO phone will be out first for Verizon and Sprint, but there should be a Cingular UMTS version out by the end of the year -- a bit earlier than they previously stated -- and possibly even a HSDPA version if we're really lucky. They're billing the Q as a "BlackBerry killer," which is fine, but we're just glad they finally realised that releasing a product is an important part of the BlackBerry killing process.

[Via Phone Scoop]

[(Unverified) Posted May 16th 2006 8:57PM]

"we're just glad they finally realised that releasing a product is an important part of the BlackBerry killing process."

haha...that's one of your best ones yet...but, as for the article, I would be absolutely stoked if this was coming to Sprint, but is there any real confirmation of that? I read the article as just saying the phone is coming out on EV-DO...which EV-DO is a technology Verizon and Sprint offer. Remember, Sprint only recently began carrying Motorola phones again and I would be very surprised if the Q was one of their first ones. With the 700p coming and possibly the 700w, I doubt the Q will be landing on Sprint shelves anytime soon.

[(Unverified) Posted May 16th 2006 9:17PM]

I really do not care for all the cool phones coming out for CDMA based networks before GSM's :-P

[(Unverified) Posted May 16th 2006 9:20PM]

After owning a WM5.0 phone for the last 6 months, I'm going to stay far away from this, the Treo 700w and anything else running MS. WM5.0 seems to forego ease of use in favor of trying to replicate a desktop experience in a palm top form factor.

[(Unverified) Posted May 16th 2006 9:36PM]

@ doyouflip: n00b!

[(Unverified) Posted May 16th 2006 11:27PM]

Sprint is getting both the Q and Treo 700p.

[(Unverified) Posted May 16th 2006 11:27PM]

Too bad the Q won't come with AKU2 (push email, and remote admin/security) until later...

[(Unverified) Posted May 17th 2006 12:51AM]

Feel better Mitch? Just because you jerk off to MS doesn't make you better than those who don't.

Anyway, the Q looks somewhat enticing, but like Runbuh implied, without AKU2 it's a no-go for many businesses, like mine.

[(Unverified) Posted May 17th 2006 8:33AM]

doyouflip is right on. WM05 is a POS of an operating system. After owning the XV6700 and 700W I went back to the trusty BlackBerry. No crashes, no bloated OS and no headaches.

[(Unverified) Posted May 17th 2006 12:35PM]

It will ship with aku2

[(Unverified) Posted May 17th 2006 2:25PM]

does anyone seriously like the blackberry?? have you even tried scrolling?? you scroll by moving the wheel up or down!!! that drives me nuts. the name of the game is the navigation feature. for me, the navigation feature is the #1 deciding factor when it comes to picking a phone. bottom line the blackberry don't cut it.

[(Unverified) Posted May 17th 2006 2:46PM]

To me the Blackberry is a joke. We call ourselves a technologically forward society, and you see people walking around with clunky blackberries. Japanese and Koreans would laugh at us.

[(Unverified) Posted May 17th 2006 5:38PM]

I'm just gonna ask. Can you give me a Motorola Q? I'd like to win something from Engadget....

[(Unverified) Posted May 17th 2006 9:10PM]

Does anyone know if the Q is made of metal like the RAZR or is it just plastic? Thanks

[(Unverified) Posted May 17th 2006 10:14PM]

Is there any specific confirmation on Sprints release date? I want to know if Verizon gets the exclusive for a period of months like they always seem to.

[(Unverified) Posted May 18th 2006 12:02AM]

I saw this posted on the qusers.com website in one of the comments:
The q site is up at Verizon:

http://www.vzwshop.com/q

[(Unverified) Posted May 18th 2006 12:33AM]

Blackberry Killer...blah blah blah

[(Unverified) Posted May 18th 2006 8:31AM]

I dont see how this will even come close considering it will run on the smartphone version of WM5. I mean what the hell happened there??? Please tell me I'm wrong when I heard it won't be the pocket pc version. No touch screen??? Wow I rather stay with my MPX-300 then this thing...

[(Unverified) Posted May 22nd 2006 3:38AM]

Unless you're going to run Exchange off of Joe Schmuckatelli's Mail Server down the street, no business is going to take *any* WM5.0 product seriously until AKU2 is released. And even then, it's going to take a lot of persuasion (read: $$$ in savings to the company) to get them to switch away from BlackBerry.

And don't get me wrong, it's not because we're just ga ga over the bricks on our hips; far from it. It's just that when you have the choice between BB (tested and proven secure) and (insert solution name here) (not nearly as secure), corporations don't even have a choice. They can't even afford to attach the devices to their networks if *you* shell out the bux to pay for them yourself. Too much risk for the corporate network.

Bottom line, it's a non-starter without AKU2. And even with AKU2, it's going to take quite the crowbar to unseat RIM.