The Nokia 9500 has been around for a good few months now, so we thought that after our monster review, it would be nice to ask some of the rest of the All About Symbian team what they thought of Nokia’s new high end business machine. Both Hayden and Jordan were long term users of the 9210, but left for other phones through ‘shiny gotta have it syndrome’ or the 9210 wearing out. So how does the 9500 compare?
Hayden "Switchblade" Smith
Now I'm a sentimental bastard, and if it weren’t for the fact that it died, I'd still be using my 9210. So there I am pondering over my list of the differences between my beloved 9210 and the 9500, preparing to rant at full steam (He’s good at that – Rafe).
Unfortunately ranting is rather hard. The only glaring problem is the lack of a Spellchecker in the Word Processor, and my only real complaint is that it's too small. No longer is my phone a useful weapon in an attack situation, no more can I club my assailant unconscious while using the speakerphone to call 999. On a serious note the size issue leaves me finding the device slightly harder to type on which, coupled to the awful tactile response of the keyboard, means typing is awkward. It’s easier on a desk but on the move the design leads to many typos.
Nonetheless as I sit here in a train below the English Channel on my way to France, I can't help being impressed with it. The multitasking functions far better than before and I'm using the media player to listen to some ambient funk MP3s while I use the word processor to type. Even better I can now close the device and the music keeps playing at speakerphone volume. The 9500 is a fine replacement for my long in the tooth Walkman (which after 4 years is starting to flag). A totally competent replacement for the 9210 which despite keyboard issues is improved in almost every area, it's faster, the screen is clearer (and I remember being similarly impressed comparing the 9210 one to my laptop), and the PC suite a big improvement over the last one too.
Though little third party software is available (always the way with a new device), I'm already finding most of what I need. I can edit my website on the 9500 and upload it easily, a task which I never found apps I was happy with for doing this on the 9210. I can chat with my friends using IRC, ICQ, MSN or other popular networks, all over a variety of connections from Wi-Fi to dial up. Perfect for keeping in touch when I'm abroad in hotels.
Some things change your life, and others you change your life to fit them. The iPod is a perfect example of the latter. I know a few people who got them because they are fashionable, and now seem to go out of their way to find reasons to use it because it's only an expensive overhyped Walkman when the Sun goes down. The Nokia Communicator on the other hand does change your life. The 9210 was so useful and replaced a laptop, a mobile phone and numerous bits of paper that I carried with me wherever I went. The 9500 replaces just one item - the 9210 - but in 3 or so years I had it, it became invaluable.
Just as I see the 9500 becoming.
Jordan "Jizzo" Holt
We've all been waiting for the 9500 to arrive for quite some time now. I wasn't sure what to expect before it was announced, as past Nokia upgrades on different Symbian phones didn't offer much of an improvement. So I was pleasantly surprised to see Wi-Fi and Edge included on the spec sheet and a smart new looking Communicator.
I've now been using the 9500 for a little over a month. I must admit that I half expected it to be something completely new and revolutionary with all new bells and whistles. When I actually started using it for the first time I realised that it's still very similar to the 9210. Technically a lot has changed, the CPU has got faster, the UI has been updated, but all the basic applications that were so useful in the pervious model remain. With a fair few new additions to the hardware like Wi-Fi and GPRS. The lack of GPRS really was what stopped me using the 9210I – so this addition alone was welcome.
There are at the moment a few teething problems to note. The refresh of the screen when opening an application isn't what you'd call lightning quick and I've seen many people complain about this. Personally I don't see this as a big issue, the application or screen refresh takes 3-6 seconds which on the face of things isn't that long. Internet browsing (even via a 1mb ADSL connection over Wi-Fi) isn't particularly quick and is something that needs addressing. I'm not sure if this is a problem with early firmware that could be later fixed, but again it's certainly not something that would make me choose a different smartphone or OS.
On the software side of things applications are still a little thin on the ground, but we are starting to see a steady flow of useful applications. The bundled software CD-Rom has all the basics such as ZIP Archiving from Epocware, and an Adobe Acrobat software. And SFCave even works now the OPL runtime has been ported - which seems to have been the main reason for me buying the 9500 (Well SFCave is getting the more use than any other application at the moment).
To sum things up, at the moment the 9500 is actually more than I need, even to the point where I’m questioning if I actually need to carry a laptop around to some places. There are other devices that offer the same if not better specifications than the Communicator, but in my opinion none of them come close to the 9500 with it's "real" keyboard and solid applications, and compatibility with my PC and the existing 9210 software libraries.