Smartphone Thoughts: Motorola Q9h Unboxing Teaser

(Figure 2: Once the device was out of the box, it was a tad bit larger than I thought it would be)



(Figure 3: All of the box's content spread out for a nice family photo. Included, from top left to right: Headphones, brochure, instruction manual, wall charger, battery, Motorola Q9h handset, battery door cover, 512MB microSD card, International power adapter )



(Figure 4: Side by side comparison shot of the Motorola Q9h and the Samsung Blackjack)



(Figure 5: The Motorola Q9h got a little carried away and decided to dog pile my Samsung Blackjack... or, you know, a side profile comparison shot if we wanted to be boring about it)

I regret that I do not have more to say about the device at the moment. So far, all I have really had time to do was snap these five images, turn the device on and attempt to setup my email. I will leave all of you today with the few initial impressions that I have had so far. On first glance there are a few things I love about the device as well as a few "tiny" details that are going to drive me insane

I absolutely love the new QWERTY keyboard. It is hands down the best small form factor QWERTY keyboard that I have ever used on any device, ever! The keys very responsive and feel completely "natural". I feel like I have been using this keyboard my whole life. It is that good!

Unfortunately, that is all that I have found that I like about this handset so far. Motorola was kind enough to send me a European version of this device so all of the documentation happens to be in a language that I can not read and therefore would be simple things that need figuring out are taking forever. Perfect example would be the missing "Sym" or "Symbol" button on the keypad to enter alternate text such as a simple underscore. Without being able to figure this out, there is zero chance of me properly setting up ActiveSync to connect to my Exchange server. Also, the screen is nowhere near the quality of the screen on my Samsung Blackjack. In fact, the Motorola Q9h sports a screen that is only a tiny bit higher quality than the screen I had on my Motorola MPx220. This is not acceptable in the least, Motorola! Companies such as HTC and Samsung have been spoiling us for years with their unbelievably vivid and clear screens.

The only way I can really describe my disgust with the screen is to ask you to imagine using an LCD monitor on your computer for a few years and than switching back to an old CRT monitor just for giggles. It is unbearable and ridiculous!

While I do hate to cut this short there really isn't much else I can say about the handset at this current time. Be on the lookout for our review on the Motorola Q9h sometime next week. While I am annoyed with several aspects of this handset a lot of it tends to boil down to user error as I have yet to figure out which keys do what or which folders house which programs in the start menu and all of that other fun stuff. Hopefully this changes rather quickly, but who knows?!