Verizon Takes Motorola Q to the Dark Side

Verizon Wireless will now let you have a Motorola Q smartphone in black - for a $50 premium.

Verizon Wireless has introduced a black version of the Motorola Q smartphone (location info required), which the company loves to bill as the slimmest smartphone available in the United States. The Motorola Q’s svelte form factor (.45-inch thick!) caused a few waves when it hit the market earlier: running Windows Mobile 5, the Q sports a 1.3 megapixel camera, QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth wireless capabilities, 64 MB of user memory complemented by miniSD storage, stereo speakers, speakerphone capability, and a cute set of navigation keys and a thumb-based scroll wheel for navigating lists and documents. Naturally, as a Windows Mobile device, the Q offers Windows Media Player for your audio and video needs, as well as support for email, PDF, and Microsoft Office documents.

The black version is available for online ordering at the same apparent price as its silver forerunner—$199 with a two year service plan. But the black version only sports a $50 rebate (rather than the $100 payback on the silver edition), although it also comes with a carrying case rather than a belt holster. Expect the black Q to hit retailers in mid-January, although it’s available for online ordering now.