Response to comments
I'm pounding this out on my Q, as I'm OTR (on the road) and bereft of both my EVDO modem and WiFi.
First, this "review" came about because two guys were driving a beat-up four-wheel-drive around the back roads of "banjo country", and one says to the other "Hey Bubba, WATCH THIS!" Not quite, but you get the picture...
The Moto Q is a good choice for comparison, not because it is Apple to "apples", but because it compares a cheap but capable smart phone to the latest technology. OK, the iPhone "wins", but the main issue was battery life and screen real estate. On other features, the iPhone was better, but within what you'd expect for a US$500 phone vs. a US$300 phone.
The other point was that the iPhone uses wireless connectivity creatively. Yes, it SHOULD have UTMS or HSDPA, but the way it's implemented does a good job of covering over the EDGE performance. The combined WiFi/WAN feature now has me reconsidering this capability for my next phone.
I won't be buying an iPhone soon. I run Linux on all my desktops and servers, and wthout iTunes for Linux I'm not getting another phone that doesn't sync to my platform natively. WM5 is bad enough, but SynCE does get the job done.
Sorry 'bout the video quote: neither Pat or I tried to find this, but assumed that QuickTime would be in there somewhere. Maybe in an update...
If you had to buy something TODAY, it's up to you. Cost is not one of my highest priorities: I pay for what I need when I need it. So my advice is decide what features are important to you then go buy it.
The Moto Q is a good device. If you are on Windows and don't need real video support it's a great little phone. Opera makes the browser useful, and with corporate mail it's a great tool. Get the big battery. Also, pick your carrier carefully: Sprint has ben good for me but your mileage may vary.
I can not emphasize enough: ruthlessly establish your requirements ON PAPER before shopping. Don't use reviews for anything more than adding some questions to your list. Get hands-on experience: borrow a friend's phone for a couple of hours to see how the features work. Remember: ALL SMARTPHONES ARE A COMPROMISE! You must decide what you can live without or degraded, not just what you need or want.
Well, my thumbs are tired. I hope this hits te main criticisms.
Oh, I am NOT an Apple "fan-boy". My "review" was just a real-world day-in-the-life event. Go out and play with an iPhone and see for yourselves what it's like. Not a "challenge", just go have some fun with it.