Motorola Q9m Cell Phone Review
By Mark Brezinski
Reviewed.com Editorial Staff
December 31, 2007
The Q 9m is a Windows Mobile Standard smart phone from Verizon. It looks a bit like a traditional BlackBerry: it has a thin, flat, candybar form with a large screen and a QWERTY keyboard. It's a bit bulky, but not especially heavy. It seems like a durable device, although its external screen seems like it could get scratched easily. The phone retails for $199.99 with a contract, but there's also a mail-in rebate for $100.
Calling receives typically smart phone treatment. The Q 9m keeps timers for both calls and data transfers, and offers easy options for conference calling and call waiting. Contacts and other PIM data can be created with a great deal of detail. There are also plenty of good sorting options. While contacts, calendar appointments, and tasks are all handled very well, Series 60 Symbian devices are capable of retaining even more information, and let you define a few fields yourself as well.
Audio quality was good for the most part. Incoming calls will have their lower- and mid-range frequencies slightly exaggerated, while higher-end sounds will sound a bit muted. These quirks aren't something the average user would notice, however. Your own voice receives similar treatment, but the variances are even less extreme: they shouldn't be noticeable at all. Side tone didn't receive as good a score (side tone is how loudly the phone plays back your own voice through the speaker; you use it to gauge how loudly you sound on the other end). The side tone was a bit louder than it should've been, which might lead you to talk softer than you would normally.
Despite its misrepresentative middle name – Verizon refers to the device as the "Motorola MOTO Q music 9m", which is a bit wordy for our tastes – the Q 9m isn't a particularly good multimedia handset. The "music" probably refers to its home screen, which features a media player plugin. This would normally be a great feature, but it's entirely separate from the phone's Windows Media Player. This means queuing up songs on one won't do so on the other, and you can actually play two songs simultaneously. As the plugin isn't as easy to use as Windows Media Player, it isn't a real replacement, and therefore the separation of the two makes the plugin a bit less valuable. Also, the phone doesn't come with adequate memory: a memory card is a mandatory purchase for those looking to turn their Q 9m into a multimedia handset. In terms of capturing media, the Q 9m's camera isn't very good. Keep your pictures and videos on the handset itself, because viewing them on a larger screen will decrease their quality considerably.
The Q 9m runs Windows Mobile Standard version 6. This is a very competent operating system, and one of the more extensible ones out there: chances are if you want an application, you can find a compatible one for download. The messaging software is a bit limited, however, and users who rely on email might want to look elsewhere.
The battery life on the Q 9m was below average across the board, with a dip into below average in terms of music playback. The music playback time was only five hours and nine minutes, several hours less than we like to see. Call time was also below average, lasting only 2 hours, 48 minutes. Battery life is very important for music handsets because they'll be constantly draining their batteries; the combination of bad music and call times means the Q 9m really can't be used as a media device. Web browsing time was just shy of average, lasting a little over four hours.
The Q 9m has a few too many flaws to consider it a deal at $199.99. There is currently a mail-in rebate for $100, however, which makes the phone a better deal. At this price point it can be viewed as a budget device, which makes a lot more sense given the caliber of its software. But even so you're better of going with a Palm Centro or Blackjack II that provide more stability and features at a similar price point.
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