I love gadgets, and I was excited to have the opportunity to use a Motorola MOTO Q™ music 9m recently. Never heard of the MOTO Q? Neither had I, but now that I’ve had it in my hands for a week, I don’t want to let it go!

In a nutshell, the MOTO Q (I just call it “the Q,” now that we’ve become so close) is a handheld mobile device for communication, productivity, and entertainment. It’s a combination phone, mp3 player, camera, web browser, word processor, and more. Let me switch into Vanna mode while I give you a quick rundown of the Q’s best features, along with some notes on how it performed as I put it through its paces…

• Full QWERTY keyboard, and the ergonomically “barrel-shaped” keys are amazingly easy to press — one at a time! — even though they are very small, and close together. For me, this is the most important feature, because the keyboard enables me to actually work on the device. It’s not just a cell phone.
• Long battery life. I’ve tried using the online functions of my regular cell phone, but it’s pointless, because the battery runs down too quickly. The Q held up through phone conversations, Twittering, internet browsing, taking photos and video of my kids, and never ran out of juice.
• Fun multimedia functions, including music, photos, video, and games. Download, shoot your own with the built-in camera, or import by SD card.
• Productivity tools, including e-mail, word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software. Seriously, you can view, edit, or create your own documents on the go.
• Easy setup and out of the box use. I know this sounds snobby, but I didn’t think a non-Mac product would be so easy to figure out. After five minutes, my e-mail was configured and in sync.
• Plenty of memory for all your games and videos — I mean, important work files — including 128 GB internal, and up to 32 GB SD card (you can’t get a 32 GB card yet, but the Q is ready for when it happens).

I’m not going to list all the details here, so if you want to read the full specs, go to the Motorola site.

My overall impression of the Q? It’s awesome! I’ve never had a QWERTY mobile device before, and this was so much fun that I didn’t want to give it back! (No, I did not get to keep the Q, nor did I receive any other compensation for this review.**)

One more cool feature that I didn’t have a chance to try, is that you can use the Q as a wireless modem. For example, if you’re traveling with a laptop, you don’t have to find a wi-fi hot spot to get connected. If your Q has service, you have your own hot spot. That could come in handy.

The only thing I didn’t like about the Q was the size of the screen, when it came to web browsing. Sites that were mobile-optimized were fine, but regular sites were somewhat difficult to navigate. I’m used to my widescreen desktop monitor, and sideways scrolling takes some getting used to.

If you’re looking to upgrade your mobile phone, or you’re saving up for a laptop computer, this MOTO Q might be just what you need. It does more than a phone, and is less expensive than a laptop, and wonderfully portable.

** A day after posting this review, I was contacted by a representative of Motorola, and they are giving me a free Q, for keeps! This was not part of any “deal,” explicit or implied, for the review. I am completely surprised and so excited! I just wanted to let you know, in the interest of transparency.

Loretta, over at Blogs We Luv, has posted a very thoughtful, well-researched, and positive review of GeekMomMashup. It was completely unsolicited, unexpected, and a wonderful pick-me-up after a through-the-ringer kind of morning. Thank you, Loretta!