Motorola Q set to debut next week

Network World reports that Motorola (MOT) plans "to roll out its much-anticipated Q smart phone next week." The handset will "come out first for EV-DO, a 3G technology offered in the U.S. by Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel," and "should be available by year's end for UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and possibly HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access), a faster version of UMTS."

Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney thought "Motorola, the second-biggest seller of mobile phones behind Nokia, is entering a four-way battle of smart phones. The Q will go up against Nokia's E61, Palm's Treo and the mighty BlackBerry."

Dulaney believed that the "Q's weak point is Microsoft, a recent entrant to the world of push e-mail. He said, "Microsoft has underdelivered with the capabilities of its e-mail client," and enterprise workers who are used to BlackBerries will "throw it back."

Dulaney pointed out that "RIM has the largest existing base in enterprises and Nokia offers good security capabilities and integration with PBXes. Palm, already established in some businesses with its traditional operating system, is grappling with the transition to Windows Mobile."

Dulaney opined that "the smart phone vendors are battling over the future of enterprise phones, in which both traditional and IP desktop handsets are replaced by mobile devices> He added that "The PBX vendors are really ripping us off with these overpriced devices."