The Motorola Q9m was actually my first chance to really use a CDMA/EVDO phone. I got to compare it a bit to my GSM reception in the areas that I normally go. In general, the Verizon service showed exactly the same number of reception bars as my T-Mobile phone in the same areas. Sometimes one less (in my home), sometimes one more.
The internet access speeds did vary some however. At work I would only get about 135Kb/s speeds, while at home I can get close to 300Kb/s though I’ve had it running close to 700Kb/s. So I suppose the 3G speeds vary pretty greatly. Since the Q9m does not have WiFi, I can’t switch that on and get over 1200Kb/s speeds like I can with other devices. Still the EVDO speeds are better than EDGE in most places.
Overall, I really like the Motorola Q9m. I love the color, and the Vcast music support is very cool. I don’t think I could live with not being able to switch SIM cards as often as I do since this is a CDMA phone and does not have a SIM card. I tend to put my GSM SIM card into the old HTC StarTrek for bicycle rides since it’s got dedicated music buttons and is so lightweight.
If you’re a Verizon fan, though, the Q9m is highly recommended. It’s their first device with Windows Mobile 6, and their first Windows Mobile device with V Cast support.
More…
Verizon Wireless Motorola Q9m: Day 3
Verizon Wireless Motorola Q9m: Day 2
Verizon Wireless Motorola Q9m: Day 1
Originally published on Pocketnow on September 14, 2007. More Hardware articles from the Pocketnow archive.