A couple of weeks ago, Canada's only GSM operator, Rogers Wireless, said it would pick up Palm's Treo 750. Today, it announced plans to add a second Windows Mobile 6 device with a QWERTY thumb-keyboard, the MOTO Q 9h, to its smartphone lineup.
In related news, Rogers has made available a free Windows Mobile 6 upgrade for the HTC S621, which is offered in the US as the T-Mobile Dash. As with Roger's two new Windows Mobile smartphones, the HTC S621 sports a BlackBerry-like tablet-style design: display on top, keyboard on the bottom.
The Q9h is Motorola's second-generation Q for GSM carriers. It sports larger keys and sleeker design.
As with other Qs, the Q9h runs the Standard version of Windows Mobile 6 (formally known as Smartphone), so its QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) resolution display is not a touch screen. The Treo 750, by contrast, leverages the Professional version of that platform, so there is a touch display with that device.
There's also support for Rogers UTMS/HSDPA 3G data network with the quad-band GSM smartphone, a 2 megapixel camera with flash for picture and video, GPS for location-based services, and Bluetooth.
The Q 9h measures 4.6 x 2.6 x 0.5 inches (118 x 67 x 12 millimeters) and weighs 4.2 ounces (118 grams).
As with the Treo 750, Rogers plans to sell the Q 9h for $649.99 (Canadian) without service contract. No word yet on how much it'll go for with a contract. Although it should be in line with the Treo 750, however: $249.99 with a typical for Canada but still too lengthy 3-year contract. Want to sign on the dotted line for 2 years, then the Treo 750 (and possibly the Q 9h) will set you back $599.99.
