Mobile WorkHorse
Al Sacco writes about (and drools over) anything and everything mobile or wireless as it applies to the global workforce--with a focus on BlackBerry smartphones
You've no doubt heard of Motorola's ultra popular Moto Q smartphone. Perhaps you're also familiar with the handset maker's Q 9h phone. But did you ever hear of the now-defunct Moto Q Pro, which Motorola released briefly at the start of 2007 only to discontinue production two months later?
After weeks and weeks and bundles of assurances from Motorola that it would be happy to provide CIO.com with Moto Q Pro phones for a review I was putting together, as well as an in-person visit and Q Pro demonstration from a product manager, I was told in April that the device would no longer be available. (And, no, the company wasn't willing to provide me with a review copy anyway.)
Why should you, the IT executive, care? Assuming you're not a phone geek like I am and don't pay much attention to smartphone industry news, you should take note because the Moto Q Pro was an evolution of the Moto Q—a fine, Windows Mobile-based smartphone—and it was aimed specifically at corporate users just like you.
So why would Motorola take the time and effort to develop and test a high-end smartphone, as well as send PR folks around to promote it, and then take the device off the market two months after launch? Well, I've spoken with the company on numerous occasions over the past six months, and I've gathered bits and pieces of the puzzle. But most of them feel tainted with public relations spin, and I don't think I'm getting "the whole story."
That's where you come in. I'm hoping this blog post will reach some folks who have experience with the Moto Q Pro. It was on sale in the