Verizon Getting Motorola Q9 Napolean, Works with GSM 850/1900

CDMA smartphones that work with international GSM providers are nothing new, but this is the first time that I’ve heard about a CDMA world phone that comes with North America-friendly GSM 850/1900. This special Verizon version of the MOtorola Q9 is called “Napolean” and it does both CDMA and GSM.

The CDMA side of things is pretty standard, but this Q9 is also capable of full GSM world roaming. This includes the international 900 and 1800 bands, but it also has 850 and 1900 as well. The Boy Genius inserted his AT&T SIM card into Napolean and it worked just fine. This would be a first from an American CDMA service provider, as far as I know.

Rounding out the specs include Windows Mobile 6.1, a fingerprint scanner, EV-DO Rev.A, quad-band EDGE, 2 megapixel camera, QVGA display, Wi-Fi, stereo speakers, and a 1500 mAh battery. The keyboard isn’t as nice as the Q9 or Q9m and the d-pad is “incredibly stiff and difficult to use.” Even so, the CDMA-GSM duality is certainly intriguing.