Motorola Unveils BlackBerry CompetitorMotorola Unveils BlackBerry Competitor

Motorola said Monday that a UMTS version of its Motorola Q smart phone is being developed. The much-anticipated Q -- for QWERTY keyboard -- has already been slated to be available for CDMA/EV-DO network use, although Motorola indicated that it hasn't yet forged any concrete relationships with cell phone service providers for use of the phone.

The Q phone is expected to be Motorola's flagship entry into the developing 3G battles and is targeted to compete with Research in Motion's Blackberry family, and Palm's Treo as well as with a host of newer entries in the market.

Motorola's announcement Monday indicated that the CDMA/EV-DO networks would get the Q first. "The first Q is expected to ship with CDMA/EV-DO capabilities later this quarter with the newly unveiled version expected to be available for operator trials in late Q4 2006," Motorola's announcement stated.

In the U.S. EV-DO is used by Verizon Wireless, which has a head start with the Qualcomm-developed high-speed data network. Sprint has also been introducing EV-DO. Potential candidates for a UMTS version of the Q could be Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile.

Motorola also showcased several additional products and services at the 3GSM World Congress. The firm said it was working with NTT DoCoMo, Orange and T-Mobile to develop High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) enabled products for networks that can achieve a downlink data rate of up to 3.6Mbps.

Teaming up with Yahoo, Motorola was preparing demonstrations of Yahoo podcasts on Mototola RAZR V3x handsets. The two firms have been collaborating in recent months to make a range of Yahoo products and services available on Motorola devices.

Motorola also launched its Motorola Reach portfolio of GSM network solutions. The effort features GSM base stations and associated products aimed at extending wireless call coverage in rural and remote areas.