Camera Phone Reviews

Moto Q

Mobile Burn has a hands on preview of the Moto Q and writes - "The Q's display is quite beautiful, and looks great from a wide viewing angle. Its reflective backing should makes it easily readable in direct sunlight, something that is a must for business users. Bluetooth support is also built-in, allowing the use of Bluetooth headsets with the device - and potentially other services, depending on the carrier. While Motorola has not yet announced what networks and frequency bands the Q will support, since that will depend on carrier demand, a Motorola representative did say that the device should be good for about 4 hours of talk time and 8 days of standby time."

CNET Reviews has a review of the Motorola Q and writes - 'The Motorola Q has a full QWERTY keyboard, but unlike similarly eqiupped devices, the Q is superthin at 0.4 inch. A full-fledged enterprise device, the Motorola Q will run Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0, so staying in touch with the office will be a breeze. Additionally, business users will be able to take advantage of the Motorola Q's myriad voice features. On the lighter side, its 1.3-megapixel camera, its support for a ton of audio (iMelody, MIDI, MP3, AAC, WAV, WMA, WAX, and QCELP) and video (MPEG-4, AAC, and WMV) formats, and its relatively large screen show the makings of an excellent multimedia device.'

MobileBurn had a chance to take a look at the Moto Q, and along with pictures, had this to say about the phone: "I found the Q's QWERTY keyboard to be about as good as that in the current Treo line, its extra width and spacing suiting my hands a bit better overall. The Q's size and weight are right on target, and it slips oh so easily into a shirt or jacket pocket. While it does seem quite sturdy, I don't think I'd be inclined to store it in my back pocket, even though it is certainly thin enough."

ZDNet reviews the Motorola Q and has this to say about the phone's camera: "The Moto Q's 1.3-megapixel camera took some of best pictures we've seen from a camera phone, producing defined lines and good color. The flash also did an adequate job of illuminating pictures taken in dark environments. We experienced a slight lag in response time when launching the camera, as well as with other apps, but it's not a deal breaker."

MobileBurn reviews the Motorola Q and likes the handset despite its "somewhat limited battery life". About the phone's camera, "Motorola has never been particularly good when it comes to megapixel+ cameras in its phones, and the Q is no different. While the 1.3 megapixel camera in the Q takes reasonable photos, it does not take good photos. Contrast is too high on many of our sample photos (leading to white skies) and the photos overall are not particularly sharp. The automatic white balance works decently well in many situations, and the manual settings also do their jobs well most of the time. On the plus side, the UI in the camera application is very well laid out and easy to access."

The Boston Herald reviews the Motorola Q, and finds the device doesn't work as well as it could for email - not well enough to rival BlackBerry, for example: "The Q improves on that experience, but like the other smartphones, lacks a basic text-editing feature: cut and paste. It’s a strange omission that for me severely limits the usefulness of the Q as an e-mail device. The BlackBerry, which has a similar button layout, does cut and paste." Another issue is the lack of Direct Push e-mail.

The Mobility Site reviews the Motorola Q, and finds that Motorola has delivered exactly what it promised. About the phone's camera: "The "Q" has a 1.3 mega pixel camera that also does video with sound. Sure I'd prefer a Nikon 70, but for the size and price it is a nice feature, it also has a flash that turns out to be very useful."

CNET reviews the Motorola Q and gives it an 8 out of 10 rating, or "excellent". About the Q's camera: "The Moto Q's 1.3-megapixel camera took some of best pictures we've seen from a camera phone, producing defined lines and good color. The flash also did an adequate job of illuminating pictures taken in dark environments. We experienced a slight lag in response time when launching the camera, as well as with other apps, but it's not a deal breaker."

Sci-Tech Today reviews the Motorola Q but doesn't comment on the phone's camera. Overall, the conclusion is, "The Moto Q appears poised to stand among the smartphone market's ultra-dream machines. It's like having a Razr with a boosted IQ."

Infosync reviews the Motorla Q and finds it a lethargic performer, although the phone's camera was surprisingly sharp: "The Q's 1.3-megapixel camera took surprisingly good pictures for a smartphone. Our snapshots looked impressively sharp and vivid, with little in the way of haze or video noise. The clips we shot with the built-in camcorder looked juttery and blocky, but that's pretty much par for the course with camera phones. Once again, however, we were annoyed by the Q's sluggish performance; after snapping a picture, we had to wait several seconds to see the still we just took, and clicking another option (such as “Send via Bluetooth�?) made for a long slog."

Mobiledia reviews the Motorola Q and comments on the phone's camera: "Compared to other camera phones on the market, the Q's 1.3-megapixel camera is average, much better than VGA cameras of last year, but still trailing the 2.0- and 3.2-megapixel pioneers. Considering the Q is positioned to compete with BlackBerry and PDAs, the addition of a camera is a welcomed sight, something not commonly integrated among business phones."

Brighthand reviews the Motorola Q and comments on the Q's camera: "The Q features a 1.3 megapixel camera that's capable of shootings stills and small frame video. As expected, the camera is nothing to write home about -- they never are in devices like this. ...The usual story holds true, reasonable shots good lighting conditions, but if it's too bright or too dark, the results aren't great; certainly not suitable for printing. ...The Q does offer a lot of shooting options though, something that is a nice include but these tools effectiveness is up for debate."

PilotOnline has a review of the Motorola Q and writes, "Motorola has high hopes for the Q, expecting it to sell as well as the Razr, a superslim phone. That seems optimistic. If you’re going to pay $110 a month for portable e-mail, there are better ways, unless slim and light are your main criteria."

Ubergizmo has a review up of the Motorola Q and writes about the smartphone's camera: "Not surprisingly, there’s a 1.3 Megapixel camera (with LED flash) in the back of the device. The still pictures are equivalent to a cheap entry-level camera, in good lighting conditions. The camera also captures 176x144 pixels video, which is smaller than anticipated. 320x200 would have the norm. The low-resolution makes the videos unimpressive."

Techworld reviews the Motorola Q and writes about the smartphone's camera: "The unit's 1.3-megapixel digital camera has a reasonably effective 6X digital zoom. The camera has a dedicated access button (lower row of the keyboard, along with dedicated email and speakerphone buttons), but I found saving and changing functions within the camera mode unintuitive. For example, the image preview only occupies the middle section of the roomy screen."

ZDNET Between the Lines reviews the Motorola Q and writes, "it also has a 1.3 megapixel camera with a 6x digital zoom that can shoot still mages or movies. It's unquestionably one of those smartcameraphones (SCPs) that's likely to give security personnel — the ones whose jobs it is to keep people from using cameras in banks, concerts, etc. — fits. But one other cool feature this SCP has that you're not likely to find on other SCPs (let alone camera phones) is a miniature bulb that automatically comes on when the camera is in use — one that is amazingly bright for its size and that does a suprisingly good job illuminating people or objects within a reasonable range of the camera."

Digital Trends reviews the Motorola Q and writes, "For multimedia, you have to have a miniSD card inserted when you sync it to your PC to upload music and video clips to the phone. Use a 512 MB card or higher so you have the option of both automatic and manual syncing for your music files. There's a dedicated camera key to the immediate right of the space bar, a dangerous location when inputting text. The camera (which includes a photo light) does take above-average pictures compared to other 1.3 MP cell phone cameras, but that's damning by faint praise."

CNET reviews the Motorola Q (Verizon) and writes, "the Motorola Q has a 1.3-megapixel camera with video-recording capabilities. You can take still shots in five resolutions (160x120, 176x144, 320x240, 640x480, and 1,280x1,024), and we like that the 6X digital zoom is available for use even at the highest resolution. You also get a flash, a self-timer, a burst mode, and brightness and white-balance adjustments. There are light editing options available too, including rotate and crop. In video mode, you have a choice of three quality settings--126x96, 160x120, and 176x144--and while you get brightness and white-balance options, the zoom is not available. Once you're done with your masterpieces, you can share your photos with others via Bluetooth, multimedia message, or e-mail; view them in a slide show; or save them as wallpaper. Motorola wouldn't confirm or deny a cameraless version of the Moto Q but did say that this is just the first of a family of devices."

Gadgetnutz reviews the Motorola Q and writes, "Speaking of Media, the camera on the Q is top notch. This is a 1.3 mega pixel camera with six levels of zoom. Predictably, as the zoom increased, picture quality decreased. One nice feature is that this camera has a “burst” feature that allows for rapid picture taking so you capture that “perfect” shot. The Flash and White balance can be set to automatic or can be user adjusted. All in all, this was an excellent camera for a Phone."

Infosync reviews the Motorola Q (Sprint) and writes, "Like the Verizon Wireless version of the Motorola Q, we found call quality on the phone to be above average. Some callers told us our voices sounded a bit digitized, and could easily tell we were talking on a cell phone, but most calls were clear. Sprint has not added 3-way calling, a feature we missed on the Verizon Wireless version, but the phone still includes features like speaker-independent voice dialing, Bluetooth, and a speakerphone, as well as Outlook's excellent address book, with its live, while-you-type searching."

TechNewsWorld reviews the Motorola Q and writes, "On the back of the mobile, there's a lens for the unit's built-in camera, as well as a flash for taking pictures in low light. The phone's 1.3-megapixel camera has a 6x digital zoom and captures video as well as still images. ... It's too bad Solitaire can't be played while browsing the Web with the phone. From my location, I found Internet access very sluggish. However, I was impressed by the aesthetics of the mobile Web. They've greatly improved from the days of bare-bones text menus. ... If you're a fighter of gadget glut, the Motorola Q, with its ability to act as a PDA, digital music player and Internet-enabled mobile phone, will be an appealing addition to your arsenal."

LaptopMag reviews the Moto Q Amp'd Edition and writes, "The most notable change is the addition of Amp'd Live, a combination front-end, content-delivery, and organization system with a graffiti-inspired design. The Amp'd Live user interface is based on Adobe's Flash Lite technology, and while it was responsive, it often caused internal software errors, which can be quite annoying unless you disable error notifications. Once we did, though, the interface performed more smoothly."

PCMag reviews the Moto Q Amp'd Edition and writes, "Unfortunately, video quality isn't up to snuff. The main window is only about half the width and height of the Q's screen. Left at its default size, it looks like an animated GIF thumbnail rather than real television. There is an option to blow it up to full-screen size, which you have to do in order to watch TV at a comfortable distance from the phone, though you end up with a disappointing amount of pixelation this way. Still, I watched a number of shows on MTV and the History Channel, and some newscasts. After a few minutes, I forgot about the so-so video resolution and enjoyed all the programming."

ComputerWeekly reviews the Motorola Q and writes, "The Q features a 1.3 mega pixel camera that's capable of shootings stills and small frame video. As expected, the camera is nothing to write home about -- they never are in devices like this...The usual story holds true, reasonable shots good lighting conditions, but if it's too bright or too dark, the results aren't great; certainly not suitable for printing."

Get more information on the Moto Q from the following press release (More pictures of the Moto Q below the fold).

Moto Q News Release

The Thinnest, Lightest, Coolest QWERTY on the Planet

The first no-compromises QWERTY is here: the new Q from Motorola. Smart, powerful, and devastatingly good-looking, the Moto Q is the ultimate power player. The world’s thinnest, lightest QWERTY phone is a seamless fusion of QWERTY and phone — delivering a fully-loaded package of email, voice, and entertainment in one amazingly rich but thin device. Like its cousin the RAZR, the Q’s superior voice quality makes it a stand out from the competition.

Boasting flexible mobile email featuring Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software, advanced cellular phone technology, rich multimedia capabilities and an easy-to-use one-handed navigation thumbwheel, the Moto Q is unique. An all-in-one handheld designed to deliver true seamless connectivity, the Q will help mobile professionals improve productivity through the power of seamless mobility.

“Wickedly cool — when’s the last time you heard those words used to describe a QWERTY device?” said Ron Garriques, president mobile devices business, Motorola. “Probably never. At least until now. With the Moto Q, we’ve combined the best voice, data and design technology in one ultra-thin, intelligent, hard-working, and incredibly must-have device. Today’s office space has the potential to be any place you want it to be with Q.”

Truly Flexible Email

The uber-intelligent Q leverages Microsoft’s familiar and trusted Windows Mobile software and is one of the first devices to operate on the latest release, Windows Mobile 5.0. Motorola Q delivers scalable and cost-effective mobile messaging support out of the box with Exchange 2003, and is also optimized for a variety of third party email solutions that enable an even broader set of corporate email capabilities. This provides a cost-effective alternative for businesses looking to leverage their existing infrastructure, training and support systems, while reducing the need for additional IT investment.

RAZR-Sharp Looks & Entertainment

Fifty percent thinner than its top competitors, the lightweight Q features Motorola’s renown RAZR-thin design including electro-luminescent keys and a compact “antenna-inside” shape. Moto Q also hosts a large, vibrant, color screen, ‘Net surfing capabilities, a 1.3 mega pixel camera with flash to help you take advantage of any downtime with fun, entertainment options. No need to grab another device on the weekend when you can leverage digital video and audio capabilities, along with cool new Bluetooth-enabled accessories like RAZRWIRE eyewear, to balance work and play.

Best Phone Experience
But great email and good looks aren’t enough. True productivity demands superior voice quality too — something no

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Posted by Darren at July 26, 2005 10:54 AM