Verizon adds the Motorola Q9C to their online smartphone lineup beginning tomorrow (give it a few more weeks to hit the retail stores). Key differences between the Motorola Q9C and the existing Q9M are that the Q9C has expanded 128 mb of memory and support for VZ Navigator. To summarize the differences succinctly “m has the music crap and c does not“. Cost will be $299.99. Customers who sign up for a voice and data plan at the time of purchase get $100 off via instant rebate with an additional $50 mail in rebate bringing your cost to $149.99. PS - Sprint has this same model (Motorola Q9C) for the same price but if you grab it under their awesome SERO plan - you’ll pay zilch for data and also receive unlimited SMS and MMS.

Link: Verizon Wireless
Link: Sprint SERO (use savings@sprintemi.com as your login referral email)

Q.: Judie,

Hope this note finds you well. I need some gadget advice, if you have the time.  I have a birthday coming up in two weeks, and my wife wants a suggestion from me for a present. I am thinking about a new phone.  I have a Samsung Blackjack for work which runs Mobile 5.0 and I like it a lot.  Works very well with our Outlook Exchange server.  I also have a Motorola RAZR2 for weekends, which I also like, but I’d like a weekend phone that has a little more functionality.

I have looked at the N95, but if I am going to put that kind of dent in my wallet, I wanted to see if you have a favorite fun phone that you like and would recommend for a GSM system (I am AT&T).  Anything that really makes you smile?

Thanks for your time!!

Bill

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I’m always looking for alternative sources of power for my electronic devices, which is why the Datexx Sentina Outback Rechargeable PowerBank caught my eye. Billed as a super bright LED flashlight, a motion detector / emergency light, a USB charger for electronic gadgets, a power generator, and an SOS siren, the Outback almost sounds like it tries to take on too many properties, a “jack of all trades” if you will.

Let’s take a look and see if this device lives up to its billing, or if as the famous other half of the “jack of all trades” saying goes, it is a “master of none.”

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The Motorola Q is a very thin, yet wider than usual Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone which was designed to be held to the user’s face when making calls. It also sports a full QWERTY keyboard for thumb-typing and a bright 2″ wide x 1.5″ tall screen. Making a case that would keep the screen from being unnecessarily scratched, protect the majority of the device’s plastic body, and yet allow unfettered access to the keyboard and other ports was the challenge. If anyone could rise to the occasion it would be Vaja; read on to see how they did…

There are four new Motorola Q cases offered by Vaja. Of them the most device-accessible version is the Motorola Q Classic MO111, an open-faced custom handcrafted case which is available in plain vitelino or plain aniline leather. The difference between the two leathers is that aniline is a soft leather with a smooth finish. According to the Vaja site, ” no pigmented finish or topcoats are applied to correct or mask the natural beauty of the hide. This means that you will be able to see the actual surface grain and markings.” Vitelino leather, on the other hand, has a “beautiful, cracked-look surface” which is “achieved by polishing with extreme pressure by rollers made of agate, steel or glass.” Vaja uses the glass rollers, “because it allows for the best possible results.” There are fourteen different vitelino color choices, and there are eighteen different aniline color choices.

If you would like a belt-clip, there is an option of adding a plastic Ultra-Clip for $6, or the sleek rivet clip system for $20. Personalization may also be added, with embossed text costing $10 and an embossed graphic costing $30.

I was sent two Q Classic cases - an Olive Vitelino for the Q with regular battery and an Azzuro Vitelino for the Q with extended battery; let’s look at the Olive case first. The sewn-in plastic screen guard has a piece of blue protective plastic on it, and there is no device inside to push out the custom sculpted leather sides. Worth noting are that the only branding evident on the device are the two subtle pewter colored teardrops which make up the Vaja logo, and there is a repetitive embossed Vaja logo making up the interior’s back wall.

The case�almost looks like a slipper here, doesn’t it?

This is more like it…once the Q has been inserted in the tightly fitted case, the leather sides are filled and the case hugs the device’s body to perfection. Without a case, the Q measures exactly 4.6″ tall x 2.6″ wide x 0.46″ thick and weighs 4.2 ounces. Inside the Classic case, the Q now measures 4.6″ tall x 2.7″ wide x 0.62″ and weighs 4.8 ounces. The difference in size is negligible, but the difference in the feel of the device is immediately evident. Where the Q’s exterior was a slightly cheap looking prone-to-scratches silver plastic before, the Q is now transformed into a sumptuous leather-wrapped device with silver trim.

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Added 10/10/06: This contest is now closed; the winner is Warthog. Congrats, and thanks for playing!!

I was chatting with Alison the other day, and we soon realized that we - two geeky girls - shared the same guilty pleasure of enjoying gossip blogs. Since that conversation took place, it has been revealed that Jenneth also shares this affliction. Armed with this secret information, I have decided that I will not only blow the whistle on our guilty pleasure, but find a way to revel in it!

So how can I make it relevant to this site? Easy! We are going to play a game…

The first person that can most correctly identify the devices held in the following stars’ hands will win the recently reviewed RoadWired Pod. To up the ante, Jenneth is donating a Motorola H500 Bluetooth headset!

Where possible I have included links that will show larger or more pictures.

I honestly don’t expect anyone to get them all right - they are tricky! But if someone does get them all, then I will be incredibly impressed!

I’ll leave this contest open until 3:30 US Central Standard Time on Tuesday October 10th; at that time I will select the winner that has the most correct guesses.

Ready?

1. Eva Longoria gives directions while holding her _____.

(source - Egotastic)

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