Moto Q to Give RIM’s BlackBerry a Run for Its $

Motorola on Monday announced the availability of its new Moto Q mobile phone, the Chicago Sun-Times reports, and it’s sure to give the widely used BlackBerry device from Research In Motion (RIM) a run for its money.

Motorola will offer the phone through Verizon Wireless initially, and with a thickness of less than half an inch, the Moto Q is being advertised as the smallest phone available featuring a QWERTY keyboard, according to the Sun-Times.

The phone will run on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, and it will be available from Verizon online on May 31 and in stores in June, the Sun-Times reports. Moto Q will start at $200 following a $100 instant rebate, along with a two-year Verizon service plan agreement, according to the Sun-Times.

Users can employ the Q phone to compose and send e-mails, instant messages and other short correspondences, as well as look at presentations or check calendars, all while on the move, the Sun-Times reports.

Moto Q will likely be a main competitor of RIM’s, as it has similar functionality, and as Mark Shockley, vice president of seamless mobility with Motorola’s Mobile Devices unit, told the Sun-Times, it’s also “phonecentric”—it has a wide range of phone capabilities—where the BlackBerry has been criticized in the past for its functionality as a phone.

Moto Q

According to the Sun-Times, Verizon is offering the following three service plans:

1. The $79.99 monthly access plan provides users with 450 anytime minutes—including unlimited data usage—and unlimited calling to other Verizon customers, as well as unlimited nights and weekends. 

2. The $109.99 monthly plan gives customers 1,350 anytime minutes—including unlimited data usage—and unlimited calling to Verizon customers, as well as unlimited nights and weekends.

3. The $169.99 per-month option provides customers with 4,000 anytime minutes—including unlimited data usage—and unlimited calling to Verizon customers, as well as unlimited nights and weekends.

For more recent news from the mobile space, read Sony Ericsson to Offer Japan’s 1st Walkman Cell Phone and Nokia Unveils New ‘Sports’ Mobile Phone.

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