Here’s my first look at the hot Motorola Q smartphone. I showed it to anchor Fred Langan on the CBC NewsWorld Business News last Friday evening. If you didn’t see this TV interview, where I compared the Motorola Q to the competing Palm Treo and Research in Motion (RIM) Blackberry smartphones, here’s the scoop.

The Motorola Q is the thinnest smartphone I have seen with a full QWERTY keyboard. It’s a tad slimmer (0.45 inches) than even Moto’s original RAZR phone that impressed me when I first saw and wrote about it here and here in Sept. 2004. The Q can easily slip into a man’s shirt pocket, unlike the thicker and heavier Blackberry and Treo.

The Q unabashedly adopts the best from the competition. It uses two navigation devices, a 5-way rocker set just above the keyboard, similar to the Treo, and a roll-and-click thumbwheel on the right side, like the Blackberry. Motorola licensed technology from RIM and the wheel feels the same to my thumb as the original.

The Q’s keyboard is eminently usable, a little larger than the Treo’s and a bit smaller than the Blackberry. It uses the same electro-luminescent display that was a such a hit with the RAZR. However, the Q’s domed keys are raised, unlike the surface-mounted RAZR numeric pad, which makes it easier to thumb text messages.

The display is bright and easy to read, even in sunlight. The screen is 2.4 inches, 320 by 240 pixels, not quite up to the Treo’s resolution, but certainly adequate. The screen is not touch-sensitive, unlike the Treo. I also found the display susceptible to smudging, probably because it’s flush with the surface, unlike the Blackberry and Treo screens which are slightly recessed. That’s one minor drawback to the Q’s ultra-slim design.

The sound quality on voice calls is impeccable, loud and clear. There’s a built-in speakerphone and stereo speakers on the back you can crank up to a fairly loud level, along with a headphone jack up top. The stereo is for playback of music and video files, which makes the Q a capable, highly portable, multimedia device. On the left side there’s an infra-red port, mini-USB port and a slot for a mini-SD memory card. My Q had just over 40 MB of its 64 MB memory available, so you’ll probably need to add a memory card if you want to store a reasonable amount of multimedia files and other documents.

While browsing the Web, I didn’t notice the snappy response on the data side I would expect from connecting to the Ev-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) high speed network. I was using an engineering prototype, so this may change with the released product.

The Q has a 1.3 megapixel camera, which delivers adequate photos, along with a tiny LED flash. It also has Bluetooth along with the infra-red for short distance communications. No Wi-Fi, though. The software platform is Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 5.0 for smartphones, which is getting more usable. It appears Motorola isn’t using the Blackberry’s push e-mail, but Goodlink push e-mail support was announced in the U.S. The Q does support TTY and VPN, useful for corporate users. There may be other interesting features, but without a manual, I was hard-pressed to find them.  

Canada’s Telus Mobility confirms it will ship the Motorola Q in a few weeks, which would make it the second carrier in the world, after Verizon Wireless in the U.S., to support this smartphone. Telus would not confirm pricing nor the accessories it will include.

With its stereo speakers and camera with flash, the Motorola Q is a more consumer-oriented smartphone than either the Blackberry or Treo. Assuming Telus prices it reasonably, under $250 Cdn. with contract, I see the Motorola Q expanding the overall smartphone market by appealing to new users who value a handy camera and mobile access to multimedia as much as e-mail and phone service. It will also interest current Blackberry and Treo users who want a thinner, more pocket-friendly device.

Update June 16: Telus Mobility announced immediate availability of the Motorola Q for $249.99 on a three-year contract or $599.99 with no contract.

Technorati Tags: Motorola Q, Motorola, Palm, Treo, Research in Motion, RIM, Blackberry, smartphone, RAZR, mini-SD, Ev-DO, Bluetooth, infra-red, Microsoft, Windows Mobile 5.0, TTY, VPN, Telus Mobility, Verizon Wireless

Windows Vista is more than half a year from release but Microsoft recently unveiled more specific information about hardware requirements for its next generation operating system on its Windows Vista home page. Will your PC be able to run Vista?

Based upon the stated hardware requirements, it appears most PCs made in the past two to three years will be able to run at least the base functions of Vista. However, to receive all the advantages of the new OS, including the Aero graphical interface, you may need to upgrade your hardware.

 

The core functions of Vista will run on what Microsoft calls a Windows Vista Capable PC with: 800 MHz or faster processor, 512 MB of system memory, 15 GB of available capacity on your hard drive and a graphics processor that is DirectX 9 capable.

To get the full Vista verve, you’ll need a Windows Vista Premium Ready PC with: 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of system memory, audio output, Internet access, DVD-ROM drive, 40 GB hard drive capacity with 15 GB available, and a Windows Aero capable graphics processor with a minimum of 128 MB graphics memory.

For most business users, it’s the latter requirements for graphics processor and graphics memory which will prove the biggest hurdle. While computers designed for gamers use powerful graphics processors, the typical business PC hasn’t needed one, until now.

Is there an easy way to determine if your current system can handle Vista? Yes there is, or at least, there was until about a day ago. Microsoft developed Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor for Windows XP. I installed and ran this beta test software on a PC that’s two years old. Upgrade Advisor said it could run the core capabilities of Vista, but requires a graphics upgrade to run Aero.

The Advisor software also listed a number of software drivers that required upgrades to operate peripherals such as printers and scanners. Of course, most of these Vista-capable software drivers are not generally available at this time, since many hardware makers have not released Vista drivers to the public. I suspect it is the muddle caused by users contacting manufacturers for these unavailable software drivers which led Microsoft to temporarily pull this software from its site.

After suitable modifications, presumably the Upgrade Advisor beta will be restored soon on this page. Update: The software is back. A final release of Upgrade Advisor, which will also assess software applications for compatibility, should be available in October.

Should businesses plan to upgrade to Windows Vista? From what I’ve seen of an early version, the security improvements will be well worth the upgrade. However, I believe Aero’s eye candy will appeal primarily to home computer users, so a graphics upgrade isn’t critical.

Technorati Tags: Windows Vista, Microsoft, operating system, Vista, Aero, Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor, software drivers

Microsoft coyly lifted its kimono to show off its RoundTable video conferencing device at a briefing in Toronto this morning. RoundTable is a compact, circular, audio/video conferencing system designed to sit in the center of a table to facilitate remote collaborative communications.

RoundTable captures a panoramic, 360-degree view of the room, thanks to six video cameras mounted around a circle atop a neck rising out of its center. The alpha test software is designed to run on a PC at a remote location, connected by broadband Internet service (minimum 300 kbps). The software displays the panorama across the top of the screen, along with a larger window below that features a close up of the person currently speaking. The active speaker technology, under development for 4.5 years, automatically switches to focus on the individual now talking, thanks to what appears to be a fairly accurate locating technology that monitors the six directional microphones in the RoundTable’s base.

Video conferencing is used by many businesses today, but a good system is not cheap and a cheap system is not good. You can figure on investing several tens of thousand of dollars to set up a good video conferencing room. Microsoft expects to sell RoundTable for about $2,500 U.S. At this price point, Microsoft believes quality video conferencing will become irresistibly affordable to many more businesses.

Microsoft targets 2007 launch for RoundTable

Microsoft RoundTable is a tiny computer, running on Windows CE and plugs into the USB port of a PC. The hardware controls are fairly simple: a touch screen to dial out and select options, speaker volume and microphone mute buttons and a power on/off button. I’d like it more if the neck holding the video cameras could fold down, for ease of storage and to make the device more portable. 

Will RoundTable spark new growth in video conferencing? My initial assessment of the technology shows it has promise, although the software is not yet ready for prime time. However, will businesses want to buy it?

Audio conferencing by telephone satisfies many business communications needs. Will adding video to the mix deliver enough extra value to a business to justify the investment in purchasing and learning how to use RoundTable?

Microsoft RoundTable will be officially announced in San Francisco near the end of June. It should be available in 2007.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, RoundTable, video conferencing, Toronto, remote, collaborative communications, 360-degree, video cameras, remote, broadband, panorama, active speaker, locating technology, microphones, businesses, Microsoft RoundTable, computer, Windows CE, USB, touch screen, software, Audio conferencing, video, business

One of the most interesting wireless devices I’ve seen in the past year just received a notable software upgrade. Nokia’s 770 Internet Tablet is a nifty handheld tablet which hasn’t received the recognition I believe it’s due, at least on this side of the Atlantic.

The Internet Tablet OS 2006 edition adds Google Talk for IM (instant messaging) and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) capabilities. The upgraded Linux-based software platform can also support other SIP-based VoIP solutions. Gizmo Project by SIPPhone Inc. will soon be available.

What you have now is a portable handheld Internet terminal that’s great for both surfing Web sites and making and receiving VoIP calls, as long as you’re within reach of WiFi service. It has a high-resolution 800×480 pixel, 4.13″ color display, with full-screen finger keyboard or handwriting recognition. It also comes with Bluetooth wireless for communicating with a wireless handset.

Businesses can use it as a portable communicating IM pager and VoIP phone in-house. And, with a growing number of implementations of city core WiFi coverage, it can be useful outside the office too.

Do I see a great future for the 770? Unfortunately, no. There’s one big problem, distribution channels.

Nokia maintains generally excellent relationships with the wireless carriers which market its mobile phones. That’s a big reason why the company commands a leading market share in mobile handsets.

But why should the wireless carriers sell the 770? They will earn no ongoing revenue stream from it. In fact, they may stand to lose revenue if it can effectively substitute for mobile handset use.

I see the 770 as more of an interesting experiment for Nokia, rather than a home run product. It would have a more interesting future if the company markets it on an OEM basis in partnership with a business that doesn’t have the conflicted economic interests of the big wireless carriers.

How about Google as a distribution partner? The search engine giant is building a free, advertiser-supported, citywide WiFi system in San Francisco as a pilot project. The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet could be just the right piece of hardware to put the innovative wireless service on the map. Wouldn’t it make a cool GoogleTablet?   

Technorati Tags: wireless, 770 Internet Tablet, handheld, tablet, Internet Tablet OS 2006, Google Talk, IM, instant messaging, VoIP, Voice over Internet Protocol, Linux, SIP, Gizmo Project, SIPPhone, Internet, WiFi, finger keyboard, handwriting recognition, Bluetooth, Businesses, mobile phones, mobile handset, Nokia, Google, search engine, San Francisco, Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, hardware, wireless service