Targeting those who are looking for something more fun than a typical smart phone, the Moto Q music 9m ($249 after $50 rebate) isn’t just a refresh of the Q9. It features a completely retooled keyboard and Windows Mobile 6. It’s also the first Verizon Wireless smart phone that’s compatible with V CAST Music, enabling users to download tracks for $1.99 a pop. The most unique feature is the ability to change the standard Today screen view to a media-centric UI that provides quick access to your music, pictures, and videos.

So far we’ve only had a day to play with our just-activated Moto Q9m, but we can tell you that the voice quality is very good and the speaker is plenty loud. Here are the rest of our initial impressions.

What We Like

1. Darth Vader-Chic Design
Sure, it’s heavier than the original Q (4.8 versus 4.3 ounces)--most likely to accommodate a bigger battery--but we dig the glossy black and red treatment. When the area around the D-pad is backlit, it almost looks like a tiny Tie Fighter. The soft-touch finish on the back is another nice touch.

2. Fast Keyboard
The competition is pretty fierce out there, but the Q9m’s layout is among the best we’ve used. The keys are packed close together to enable quick text entry, and we like the matte finish, which gives the keyboard a rubbery, no-slip feel.

3. V CAST Music Support
Having access to 2 million tracks is a nice treat for a smart phone. Even better, unlike the HTC Mogul, you can access the songs you’ve downloaded even if the phone is in airplane mode. Plus, you can multitask while you’re rocking out, whether you’re surfing the Web or composing e-mails. Our only complaint: downloads were kind of slow at about a minute each.

4. Docs to Go
Usually Standard edition Windows Mobile 6 devices can only view and edit, not create, Office documents. So Motorola was generous by bundling Documents to Go, which covers PDFs, Word files, PowerPoints, and Excel docs. With this handy suite you can even zip files right on the Q9m.

5. In-Your-Face Media
Pressing the dedicated Home Screen Toggle key on the keyboard launches a slick skin that lets you access your content from a single interface. A center box that displays your music library, photos, and videos is flanked by icons on the left and right side. On the left there’s playback controls, a library icon, and a full screen icon for photos and videos. And on the left you’ll find icons for music, pictures, the camera, V CAST, and volume. This orientation is a little dizzying at first, but it’s better than WMP Mobile.

What We Don’t Like

1. No Dedicated Volume Controls; Bad Delete Key Placement
In order to change the volume when you’re not on a call or while using Windows Media Player Mobile, you have to press and hold the side scroll wheel and then move it up or down. We’d prefer to have dedicated volume keys on the left spine where the miniSD card slot is. (There may have been room if Motorola had opted for a smaller microSD card slot.) The fact that the Delete key is still above the keyboard is also annoying.

2. Sluggish Surfing
Surfing isn’t terribly slow, but we expect faster performance out of devices with EV-DO data capability. It took about 15 to 20 seconds for CNN.com’s homepage to pop up in IE Mobile on the Q9m, versus less than 10 seconds on the BlackBerry Curve’s browser using the EDGE network. Speed demons will probably want to wait for the HSDPA-enabled Q9h, which will also come with the superior Opera browser.

3. Lacks V CAST Video
Those who owned or considered Amp’d Mobile’s version of the Q (rest in peace, Amp’d) will be disappointed that the Q9m doesn’t stream video. On the other hand, streaming quality on the Amp’d version was mediocre at best;  so maybe Verizon wisely left this feature off knowing that the videos wouldn’t look very good on the Q9m’s relatively large display. You’ll have to go with a third-party solution like SlingPlayer Mobile or MobiTV to get streaming goodness on this device. (Hey Verizon: Can we get a MediaFLO V CAST Mobile TV version next time?)

4. Apps Could be Snappier
Like a lot of Windows Mobile 6 devices, the Q9m is a little slow when you’re opening or backing out of applications. And like all WM6 phones, you have to manually close programs to free up memory. The good news is that you can add speed dials to apps by simply clicking the right Menu soft key while the icon is highlighted. Our recommendation: make Task Manager No. 1.