Small, sleek and (almost) perfectly formed

[slitchfield]

Steve presents a long term review of the Nokia 9300 'smartphone'. How has it been working out in the real world? Major like: the overall size. Major dislike: still can't get used to that joystick.

Read on in the full article.

[zainman]

with the 9300i just around the corner, this can mislead people into buying the 9300 which i think isn't a good device only because of lack of WIFI, the new 9300i is what we should look forward to!

[Ewan]

Now let's be honest here, the FCC filing has a 9300i labelled as coming. It's a fair guess that it'll be officially annoucned at the Nokia Mobility Conference in November. So when it is available to the public could be up to six months away. So if the 9300 does the job you need it to do now, then it;s the phone for you.

[slitchfield]

zainman: if you read my text again, you'll see that I quite clearly caution people against buying the 9300 if they think they might need Wi-Fi in the future 8-)

Steve

[SwitchBlade]

If people want WiFi there's the 9500 which is available already.

[chrsfrwll]

Bit of a tame review, with not a lot said but I'd tend to agree with Steve's views.

I'd like to add that I've been using a 9300 for a little over 6 months now and love it. I looked at the 9500 but decided that (a) I didn't need a camera on a phone (though it's surprising the number of times I've wished I had one!!) (b) didn't need wifi (though would've liked it if it was available) and (c) the 9500 was too big. So guess it was size that won it ;-)

Like Steve, I have trouble with the joystick, particularly with dictionaries read in Mobipocket, but live with it.

At the end of the day, I ditched a iPAQ/6230 combo for the 9300 all-in-one solution that is far more convenient. (but I'd like a bigger battery)

[slitchfield]

Yeah, it would have been more punchy to post a review a few months ago! But at this stage, with the new look AAS and with a brand new CMS, it's more a case of back-filling the review section with our opinions on the main Symbian-related hardware out there. 8-)

So yes, a bit tame, but then S80 devices aren't that exciting. They just do the job and let you get on with life. Which, perhaps, is better than a device which consumes you completely with games, chat, etc?

Steve

[Rafe]

Trouble with reviews is that there's also a careful balance between making it readable and making it a long list of what it can and can't do. With the reviews on AAS we try and provide a human opinion. Especially in a review such as this - long term - where people are familiar with the device - what they really want to know is what is it really like to use.

Why all these new smartphone keyboards all have keys square up straight vertically and not have the slight offset like a normal keyboard? You may say limited space is the reason, but if Psion 5mx and Revo can do it, and it is universally acknowleged that these 2 devices have the best PDA keyboard, why no one copy their layout? Not nokia, not O2 with their new MiniPro. Annoying! I can touch-type 20 words or so per minute on my old Revo. I doubt I can do so on a 9300 without much errors.

[Ewan]

To address the specific point on the S5/5mx and Revo keyboards, Psion still hold the patents on these keyboards. Perhaps they're being rather reluctant in handing them over or exploiting them. Which is a shame. Anythng that could be clsoe to those styles ofkeybaord could easily be hit by lawsuit, and if Psion aren't licencing, then there's a prime reason to avoid them. Pity.

[JuhaN]

I spotted N9300i on Nokia's official European website yesterday... The page has now been removed but it said clearly planned availability 4Q2005. So we don't have to wait forever...

=)juha

Steve,

Nice to see a review at last! As a long term Psion user (3a/c/mx 5/5mx/7) I can honestly say the 9300 is the first PDA I have felt comfortable with since those halcyon days!

Tried 9500 in the shop but it was far too bulky and if a camera is needed, then VGA doesn't hack it! Wifi was tempting but the form factor and (to me) easier to use keyboard, won me over. Nearly 4 months on, I'm still wowed by it. 9300i will be just perfect!

(I have a 6630 with a PAYG sim in for games and camera use!)

Chris R

[Orophin Anwarunya]

So i wasted my time buying a 9500? size wins over functionality? -_-; i guess i'll wait for the 9300i

I just dont understand why even today there are still questions on the worth of a camera in a phone!!! I tought we had gone past that back in the Nokia 7650 days. Yeah its not 1 megapixel but its not like the vga is useless....its actually to my eyes one of the better nokia vga cameras.

Anyways, i'm satisfied with the size and far be it from i to impose my likes on another. Just dont fob off the 9500 as dead and uneeded.

I am considering buying a 9500 and possibly a used 5MX from ebay as a back up. Do these machines communicate directly by IR?