While the Q marketing materials are targeted to the business, RIM Blackberry-type user, I think it will do well with the younger text messaging and multimedia crowd as well, and will have to stress the syncing options without AKU-2 to sell to the enterprise.

I said at the very beginning that the Motorola Q is a great device for certain types of users. I’ve been using the Treo 700w as my personal device since January, but my few weeks with the Q has me converted. It’s officially supplanted the 700w as the best device for the way I work. Of course, the Q has limitations, but aside from battery life, I don’t need the Q to do any more than it does.

It is sure to be the best Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone of 2006. Its support for 3rd party applications, despite its new landscape display is much better than anticipated, especially with regards to entertainment titles. The included applications should be adequate for beginners, and the amount of applications available for special purposes, and even functional gaps in the product line are either available, or should be announced soon.

All that said, the RAZR-thin, feature-laden Motorola Q is still the coolest Smartphone in America. It’s a terrific voice phone, a dandy music player, and a swell e-mail machine. If you don’t need the capabilities of the more powerful Phone Edition devices, you should take a long, hard look at the Motorola Q.

As a phone with a familiar OS, you cannot ask for much more than the Motorola Q. As a PDA with a built in phone (I know that this is not the intent), the Q lacks a tad, but still remains functional. I think that the Motorola Q can be a Blackberry killer, but it seems that this is not what Motorola was after. It will take more than the Q to get corporations to abandon their investments into the Blackberry infrastructure.

While the Motorola Q packs in some impressive features into its svelte, half-inch frame, including top-notch messaging abilities, EV-DO support, Bluetooth and a surprisingly good 1.3-megapixel camera, we can’t overlook the phone’s disappointingly lethargic performance or its underpowered office features.

Over all, though, there’s a considerable gulf between the superiority of the Q’s hardware and the limitations of its software. Are you willing to jump through so many button-pressing hoops, and pay such high Internet fees, to get the Q’s $200 price and gorgeous looks? Depends on how much you like double-edged swords, roller coaster rides and clouds with silver linings.

For heavy texters and email warriors, the Q isn’t quite the slam dunk that it is for others. You’ll have to evaluate whether the slim form factor and other positive attributes will outweigh your typing slowed down by frequent trips to the delete key to correct mistakes.

While it lacks the ease of use and sheer speed of the Treo, the Motorola Q is a well-rounded smart phone that’s priced right for the masses. It’s sleek, powerful enough for most users, and fun.

Motorola is close to having a great smart phone in its arsenal, and we suspect the next generation of the Q will be among the best available. But for now, we have a few reservations.

If you need a slimline, large-screened companion at a comparatively low price, the Q deserves consideration. But if looks and size aren’t paramount, it may be worth the extra bucks to step up to another device, and gain more functionality.

In many ways, the Q is a missed opportunity. We wouldn’t recommend the Q if your primary purpose is e-mail and texting, unless you really want to save some dough. If money and e-mail are minor issues, we’d recommend the more powerful Palm-powered Treo (700p) or the Windows Mobile version (700w).