Why My Q Sucks

[detroitmotoq]

I am a veteran smartphone user. Ever since the Treo 600 I have been absolutely fascinated with the potential and functionality of smartphones. I've owned the Treo 600, 650, and 700p, along with a Blackberry 8730c, and currently the owner of a Motorola MOTO Q music 9m.

Each device has specific features that give it an inherent strength above competitors. The scroll wheel for example, was a great step forward for non-touch screen devices.

But never have I come across a smartphone I have ever been so displeased with.

The Q sucks because...

• using symbols in text is difficult, sometimes the 'Fn' and 'CAPS' buttons seem to stick for no reason, causing unwanted screens and options to interrupt typing
• no apparent means of "copy and pasting" of text
• difficult of use of calendar... whose bright idea was it to make the 'D' key the way to turn AM to PM or vice versa?
• No fixed calendar key... part of smartphone value is functionality, if I have to go through several screens just to glance at the calendar for the week there is a problem
• Voice Dialing barely works. Sometimes it just closes itself even though it properly identifies the person I want to call. Voice Dial by # is useless.
• Programs close after 2.5 seconds of inactivity (j/k but only in the sense that I'm exaggerating by about .25 seconds). This becomes irritating when using programs like the calculator and I have to think about the numbers, or the calendar and I have to think about setting timers, etc.
• Low ease of use

I mean seriously, all of my previous devices were intuitive, yes, even the arcane Treo 600. I could pick one up and almost instantly know how to navigate and do simple things like edit calendar events and copy text. The Blackberry was a particularly smart-smartphone.

So Motorola take note:

1. You CANNOT make a smartphone without a dedicated calendar button.
2. Don't do dumb things like make "D" the key to change AM/PM. The natural thing to do, is for a person to reach for "A" or "P", who are you to screw with that?
3. Simplify text entry. Take a note from Treo on that. Blackberry would be even better.
4. Dont forget about copy and pasting! Or even copying events, which is important for a particular event that occurs on varying days.
5. Don't set the phone to close programs for inactivity. To my knowledge, no other smart-smartphone does this. If my Treo becomes inactive while using a program like the Calendar, the screen turns off which is fine because when I turn the screen back on I'm still on the same page of the same program with the cursor in the same place.
6. And how about a switch to Lithium Polymer batteries. If your going to make a device to compete with thin devices like Blackberry's, they need to have comparable battery life. My 8730 could go without a charge for 2 days even with fairly heavy internet usage.

These Q's consume a lot of battery power with their screen, unlike the 8730 which had a very basic screen and was lightweight on other features too. Don't make a feature rich device and pair it with a skimpy battery. That's like building an Escalade and giving it a Geo Prism engine... WAY UNDER-POWERED.

I don't have a problem with being "thin" but I do have a problem with dumb-smartphones which is what the Q is. And thats very bad because I paid for this dumb-smartphone which makes me a BIG DUMMY!

GIVE THE DAMN THING A LITHIUM POLYMER BATTERY!

[Der Alta]

Interesting take on your experience.

Buttons sticking making it tough to use the Fn and CAPS button is a "per phone" issue, You might want to investiate getting a replacement.

As for #1, I have Facade which allows me to put my calendar right on my screen. Example:


#2, You can hit A or P to switch from AM to PM. Not sure if you have a bad phone on that one.

#3 confuses me. It's a Qwerty keyboard, how much easier is it supposed to be? IS that referring to entering info on the calendar, email? or a particular software itself?

#4. Yep, agree with you there. I'd like to have a copy and paste ability. THere is software I can purchase to accomplish that though.

#5, you can adjust the time out in Start > Settings > Power Management.

#6, Yep I agree with you there.

Now, one of your arguements you're about to discuss, is that you don't want to purchase extra software you think should be included with the phone. I'd like that too, but I would rather have my own choice of which software I want to install as opposed to the software that is dictated to me. I chose Facade because it enhances the functions I need. There are other more robust calendar/function improvers but they weren't right for me.

There are multiple IM programs out there, but I wanted the one that was right for me, instead of one that MS decided to install.

And I certainly disagree with your description of the Q being a Dumb Phone.

[rudeboy]

aaaand welcome aboard :}

[PacoJr67]

along the car line, you also don't drive an escalade and expect the same gas mileage as a GEO prism. A cell phone (to a degree) is the wrong application for a LiPo battery. the major differences between LiIon and LiPo batteries are generally only seen in the excessively small batteries (to save a little weight) and in the large high power batteries (to add a marginal amount of power per weight) one of the reasons you don't see more LiPo batteries in cell phones is the extra cost of the battery outweighs any marginal benefit you may get in a battery this size.

[rainmakerrc]

Originally Posted by detroitmotoq

I am a veteran smartphone user. Ever since the Treo 600 I have been absolutely fascinated with the potential and functionality of smartphones. I've owned the Treo 600, 650, and 700p, along with a Blackberry 8730c, and currently the owner of a Motorola MOTO Q music 9m.

Each device has specific features that give it an inherent strength above competitors. The scroll wheel for example, was a great step forward for non-touch screen devices.

But never have I come across a smartphone I have ever been so displeased with.

The Q sucks because...

• using symbols in text is difficult, sometimes the 'Fn' and 'CAPS' buttons seem to stick for no reason, causing unwanted screens and options to interrupt typing
• no apparent means of "copy and pasting" of text
• difficult of use of calendar... whose bright idea was it to make the 'D' key the way to turn AM to PM or vice versa?
• No fixed calendar key... part of smartphone value is functionality, if I have to go through several screens just to glance at the calendar for the week there is a problem
• Voice Dialing barely works. Sometimes it just closes itself even though it properly identifies the person I want to call. Voice Dial by # is useless.
• Programs close after 2.5 seconds of inactivity (j/k but only in the sense that I'm exaggerating by about .25 seconds). This becomes irritating when using programs like the calculator and I have to think about the numbers, or the calendar and I have to think about setting timers, etc.
• Low ease of use

I mean seriously, all of my previous devices were intuitive, yes, even the arcane Treo 600. I could pick one up and almost instantly know how to navigate and do simple things like edit calendar events and copy text. The Blackberry was a particularly smart-smartphone.

So Motorola take note:

1. You CANNOT make a smartphone without a dedicated calendar button.
2. Don't do dumb things like make "D" the key to change AM/PM. The natural thing to do, is for a person to reach for "A" or "P", who are you to screw with that?
3. Simplify text entry. Take a note from Treo on that. Blackberry would be even better.
4. Dont forget about copy and pasting! Or even copying events, which is important for a particular event that occurs on varying days.
5. Don't set the phone to close programs for inactivity. To my knowledge, no other smart-smartphone does this. If my Treo becomes inactive while using a program like the Calendar, the screen turns off which is fine because when I turn the screen back on I'm still on the same page of the same program with the cursor in the same place.
6. And how about a switch to Lithium Polymer batteries. If your going to make a device to compete with thin devices like Blackberry's, they need to have comparable battery life. My 8730 could go without a charge for 2 days even with fairly heavy internet usage.

These Q's consume a lot of battery power with their screen, unlike the 8730 which had a very basic screen and was lightweight on other features too. Don't make a feature rich device and pair it with a skimpy battery. That's like building an Escalade and giving it a Geo Prism engine... WAY UNDER-POWERED.

I don't have a problem with being "thin" but I do have a problem with dumb-smartphones which is what the Q is. And thats very bad because I paid for this dumb-smartphone which makes me a BIG DUMMY!

GIVE THE DAMN THING A LITHIUM POLYMER BATTERY!

As Der Alta said, there are lots of things you can do to make your Q work the way you want it to (some free, some not). While the Q may take a little tweaking and a little extra time to get it just how you want it, it's definitely worth it, and you really can learn alot by going through the ins and outs of doing so.

[n99hockey]

aaaaaaaaaand welcome to EQ!!

(i dont think hes coming back)

if you spent 15 minutes here at EQ you could find all your answers...and you were lucky enough to have someone GIVE you the answers you need...

the Q isnt for everyone

[mike250rs]

keys may loosen up after a bit, or too much coffe was spilled on them

Vito copy & paste works fairly well + its free

you can lock the calander to the homepage with either 3rd party apps or by editing your homscreen.

battery life, thats why they make chargers and extended batteries

[MattB]

1 and 2 also work for am and pm.

[detroitmotoq]

Originally Posted by PacoJr67

along the car line, you also don't drive an escalade and expect the same gas mileage as a GEO prism. A cell phone (to a degree) is the wrong application for a LiPo battery. the major differences between LiIon and LiPo batteries are generally only seen in the excessively small batteries (to save a little weight) and in the large high power batteries (to add a marginal amount of power per weight) one of the reasons you don't see more LiPo batteries in cell phones is the extra cost of the battery outweighs any marginal benefit you may get in a battery this size.

I can understand your argument about the 'marginal benefit' of LiPo batteries. However, when a new device is planned with a specific objective

"Lightweight, thin, and feature rich..."

certain aspects of that design simply cannot be overlooked. Making a phone lightweight, thin, and feature rich is pointless if the battery will only last 2 hours under such use.

My argument is that devices that are intended to do much more than simply make calls deserve extra consideration with regard to battery life. Take the Nokia E90, which I plan to upgrade to soon, has the following features:

Built in Wi-Fi
Built in GPS Receiver
Bluetooth 2.0
3G / HSDPA
Quadband Phone
3.2 MP Camera w/ video functionality & flash
Built in Nokia Maps (basically the same as Google Earth)
It has also removable memory
and TWO screens, along with stereo speakers

And this doesn't cover the internal memory, the fact its running Symbian S60, and the suite of programs its OS supports.

Nokia made the wise decision to give this phone a Lithium Polymer battery. As a result of this VERY wise decision, this feature rich device has roughly 6 hours of talk time and 14 days of standby time.

I KNOW that if I simply turn my Q on and leave it, and I don't turn the screen on or get any calls or anything, it will lose roughly 25% of its battery power a day which gives it a standard standby time of 4 days. And If I talk for maybe 3 hours continuously the battery is screaming for power!

So again, my case is not that every phone should be equipped with a LiPo battery. For example, something like the Samsun SHC-u340 doesn't need that type of extended battery life given its already low power consumption.

But devices intended to be full featured do need considerable battery capacity.

[Tony Bag o Donuts]

Detroitmq,

You wrote more in two posts then I have in 1200....