Review: Motorola MOTO Q 9h – Windows Mobile 6 Qwerty handset
The propaganda
The Motorola MOTO Q 9h is another take on the Qwerty slab phone, this time running the latest version of Microsoft’s portable OS Windows Mobile 6.
It’s a slim device, but it’s by no means small. It’s fairly well connected, with both GSM and 3G connectivity and it’s a speedy performer too, so you’re not left hanging around waiting for it to respond.
The good
Call quality was nice and clear, so you shouldn’t have a problem making out what the person on the other end of the line is trying to say. The earpiece can also go quite loud without distorting, which is useful in noisy surroundings.
Images from the two megapixel camera measure 1,600×1,200 pixels. The results were reasonable, but not fantastic. It’ll shoot video too, but you’re limited to 320×240 resolution at 15fps.
Media playback is more impressive, with support for MPEG4, WMV, H.263 and H.264 video. On the audio side of things it’ll handle MP3, WMA and AAC.
Typing on the full Qwerty keyboard is pretty easy and you should be able to compose speedy responses with a little practice.
The bad
The four way navigation control can be a bit stubborn to respond, making moving around the menu a little difficult on occasions.
Rather than opt for the fairly standard mini-USB connector for charging and PC hookup, there’s yet another port which you need another cable for.
Setting up email could be simpler – it’s not as simple as a BlackBerry for example – and it involves stepping through a fair few screens.
Geek Sheet
Connectivity: 850/900/1800/1900MHz GSM, HSDPA, USB, Bluetooth
Internal memory: 256MB Internal Flash and 96MB RAM, MicroSD card slot
Display: 320×240
Camera: 2.0 megapixel
Email client
Battery: 4 hours talk time, 510 hours standby
Dimensions: 67x111x12mm
Overview
The MOTO Q9 h has solid multimedia credentials and the keyboard is reasonably fast and accurate to type on. However, it is large for a phone and the navigation can be a bit fiddly at times.
Pricing will depend on contract, but with an offline price over £400 you’ll probably have to pay a fair amount each month to get one for free.
Related sites: Motorola MOTO Q 9h
