AAS: Articles and Features: Series 80 (Full)

Games on the Communicator? Not totally forgotten...

When you think of gaming, you certainly don't think of the Communicator (even if you're thinking of the smaller 9300 model). After all, the Communicator is supposed to be the Enterprise machine, designed for email, spreadsheets, Web and so on. But why shouldn't professionals have fun, too? It's true that the screen is a wierd aspect ratio and that you really have to either hold the device in two hands or plonk it down on a table, but it's a powerful Symbian OS handheld, and in any case the older Psion palmtop had hundreds of dedicated games, so why not?

Why not, indeed. Well, the main reason is that game developers haven't so far targetted the 9500, even to the same extent as for its less powerful predecessor, the 9210. Even so, if you know where to look, there are still some interesting games to be played, which is why I present a brief gallery of the top 10 games for the Nokia Communicator. Download and enjoy.

In reverse order...

10: Fairway

OK, this is one of my own shareware games, so I thought I'd better err on the side of modesty and put it at the bottom of the list. It's a fairly simple, but hopefully addictive, golf game, with fairly realistic physics and accurate modelling of wind and green 'break'. Add in a power bar that moves rather quickly and you get something that's very hard to master, just like the real thing. Maybe I made it too difficult? Your call.

Download from 3Lib.

9: RMRGolf

Download RMRGolf.

8: ProTour Golf

Presumably developed by a third party and then bought up by Nokia, this is golf (the ball game, not the card one!) again, but with a very different flavour to my Fairway. The graphics are mouth watering, the sound effects good and the 3D glitches thankfully few and far between. But it's ultimately way too easy, with little account of wind and none at all of any kind of gradient on the green. 10/10 for atmosphere but only 7/10 for gameplay.

Download from Nokia

7: Mines 9200

Another arrows-key only game designed for the 9210, this works pretty well on the 9500 and is easily customised to provide just the right degree of mental stimulation. You know the game, work out where the mines are using logic and guesswork and flag them, trying not to get it wrong and blow yourself up.

Download Mines9200 (and Spheres).

6: Bowling 2002

I know, another old game, but this one's surprisingly fun. The physics of ten pin bowling aren't terribly accurate, being rather exagerated, but I like it nonetheless. I especially like the clattering sound effects. Strike!

Download Bowling 2002.

5: Bounce

It's free with every device (if not in the box, then on the support page on nokia.com), it's more or less the definitive platform puzzler and it's a lot of fun if you like this sort of thing. Collect the jewels, avoid spikes and other nasties, look out for doors, and so on. You know the drill.

Download From Nokia.

4: Vexed

How could I leave out Ewan's epic port of the infamous puzzle game? With hundreds of levels and mind-boggling action, this will keep you busy/amused/frustrated (delete as applicable) for the best part of a month. The only trouble is that his block selection system (edge of frame markers) takes a lot of getting used to, I really wish he'd used a standard moveable highlight instead.

Download Vexed.

3: One for All Solitaires

For once, the name's not misleading. There are hundreds of card patience games here (including variations), all in the one download. If you're a solitaire fan, this one game will keep you happy for days. And because it's a card game, every new game is different to the last one. Epocware have done a good job, it's slickly programmed throughout and the controls are obvious. Highly recommended.

Download One For All Solitaires.

2: Atomic.

When Tetris is done right, it's really, really addictive. And doing it right means not having to sit there for ages while the blocks start falling fast enough to form a decent challenge. Which is where I come in (ahem, OK, so I'm allowing myself two entries in the list!). Fed up with over-slow Tetris implementations, I decided to write my own and make it blisteringly fast. Never mind fancy patterned blocks, I wanted sheer gameplay, white-knuckle tensions and drama. The result is Atomic, with sirens echoing in your ears and with blocks starting fast and getting faster. After five minutes, you physically won't be able to hit the keys fast enough and your overall score will depend on how good you've been at eliminating multiple rows along the way...

Download Atomic

1: Chess Professional

This was one of the very first games for the original Psion Series 3, back in 1991. In fact, before that it was available as a PC game, running under DOS. The programmer hasn't changed in the intervening 15 years, and the game engine itself has been improved and tweaked along the way, with graphics now in glorious colour. Chess is super-slick, with multiple skill levels, multiple views (as shown here), a handy Hint system and (now) the ability to play games remotely with other users (via Bluetooth or SMS). Like all computer chess systems, the computer opponents show no imagination whatsoever, but the gameplay is very strong in terms of analysing complex positions, you'll find it hard to beat.

Download Chess Professional

So there you have it. Next time someone says 'Ah, but you can't really play games on your Communicator', you can reply 'Well, that's not strictly true...'

Steve Litchfield
June 2005

The classic EPOC/Symbian patience was 'HomeRun', otherwise known as 'Golf' solitaire. And there have been quite a few versions of this over the years, but RMRGolf is polished and easy to play. You pick off cards that are one higher or one lower than the one currently on the discard pile, until that pile is gone. The aim is to get rid of all your cards before this happens. Everybody's favourite patience.

Skinning the Series 80 powered Nokia 9500 and 9300

Introduction

After the success of Epocware�s "Colours" application for the 9210, and the modern love affair of being able to customise the look and feel of applications to suit individual users desires, it appears that Nokia have dropped the ball in regards to customising the 9500. With its limited colour choice and simple wallpaper changes, there doesn�t seem to be a lot of scope to play around. Fortunately behind the scenes, Series 80 is far more customisable system than expected. Let me tell you about skinning...

In this article we�re going to look at what�s called "skinning," a term used to describe changing the desktop to another look. What you should realise is, of course, that the basic view of the Series 80 desktop is, in fact, a skin. There are just no notes on how to change this yourself included with the phone.

Where Everything Goes

All the skin data is stored on the Z: drive (which we can't look at on the device), but fortunately it is reproduced in full in the Series 80 Software Development Kit (SDK) as this includes an Emulator. The standard Nokia skins consist of 11 graphical files (MBM files), with these MBM file containing almost 250 separate images. There are 2 SKE files containing information on images for the messaging application, and a single SKN file containing information on the location of the MBM files, which fonts are used, and which colours are displayed.

The zip file download for this tutorial contains all the files you will need to install a new skin. The actual process of installing the skin is copying a skinpath.txt file to c:\system\data\skinconfig. Very important, do not edit this file in Notepad or Documents on the smartphone as you will corrupt it and the skin will not work, causing your phone to revert to the default skin. Once you�ve copied the skinpath.txt file, place the contents of the Skins folder (from the tutorial zip file) into c:\System\Skins\ while preserving the rest of the directory structure The files in C:\system\skins\0x101F8EDB\ contain all the data about our new skin that Series 80 needs.

But how do we make the contents of the Skins folder? Unzip the "editable" folder onto your PC. In the "editable" folder are 11 more folders, one for each MBM file (the folder names match the MBM file names that exists in the "0x101F8EDB" folder). These folders contain all the bitmapped images from the MBM files in numerical order. When you come to recompile the MBM files with your own images, make sure you get the order correct or the skin will not work, display incorrectly, or possibly soft reset your device. These BMP files are what you need to edit in your image editor to make your own skin, you can change as much or little as you want. When making your own MBMs I'd recommend using Dazler's MBMWhizzard application available, which you can download from his site, along with a tutorial on how to use it.

So far I've be using Symbian�s command line tool, bmconv.exe, application, but typing out the command line to merge 103 bitmaps into one file is murder.

Editing A Skin

You�ll want to read this in conjunction with the reference lists at the end of this article.

First get the background image you want to work with, I thought I'd start with some thing simple as this Matrix Wallpaper. When choosing your wallpaper remember that the clock on the Desktop always has a solid colour background, so you will need to select a design where this will not effect the aesthetics. Resize or crop your image until you have an 800x200 pixel image. This image is going to be sliced and diced a million ways to make all the elements. It�s rather like making a digital jigsaw.

Now open bitmaps 1-4 of Skinappview, create a new layer on each and overlay your image. Your skin should only occupy the non-white areas, so get your graphics package to copy the image (overlay) only if the area underneath is not white. Similarly with bitmap 9, this is the top left corner of the screen. Once done you are now ready these nine images into one MBM image.

Next we need to make your desk wallpaper (which will fill the white area that we avoided in Skinnappview). Crop the first 92 pixels from your 800x200 image. Now copy the next 463x200 pixel section into a new file. Crop 6 pixels from the top and then save the resulting 463x194 image as a jpg image. When you install your skin, set this image as your wallpaper to complete the effect.

For the CBA panel (that�s the column on the right which shows the options for the four soft buttons), copy a 200x200 pixel section following on from the section used for the wallpaper and save it as all 3 images in the skincommandbar folder. This is the second completed MBM Image, so go ahead and compile this as well.

For skinapptitle, overlay the image in bitmap 5 with a 640x480 selection of your chosen wallpaper starting at point (92,0) on the image. This removes the thin coloured bar at the top of the desk screen, so needs to be this exact section to fit in on the desktop. Bear in mind that certain views will cause this image not to fit in if you are using a strong pattern or picture.

Now all that remains is to edit the relevant items in skinwidget, skinscrollbar and skindialogframe to fit in with your colour scheme, then compile those images into MBM files. There is the mildly mammoth task of editing the orange.skn file to correct the colours to be as you desire (this skin is based on the Orange skin file, hence the filename orange.skn). I'd recommend taking a few screenshots then adjusting the colours in an art package such as Paint Shop Pro, and then using the colour values (which will be displayed by your graphics application) from your mockup in your .skn file. The second appendix to this article lists all the colour values that have been worked out so far. We�ll edit this and keep it up to date as we discover more.

Now we can take these MBM files, and the SKN file, and drop them into the C: of our 9500, and there we go.

Appendix 1: List of MBM files and what they contain:

MMSFORM.MBM - Images relating to the media applications regarding what opens the MMS file you have received.
MSGEDITORVIEW.MBM - Borders and lines used by the messaging application.
SKINAPPTITLE.MBM - The Application title bar background, note only 2 images contain data, the rest are blank, I don't know why.
SKINAPPVIEW.MBM - Images on the left hand side panel and title bar as used in various guises, images 1-4 and 9 are the ones you should edit, remembering to keep your design out of the white-space.
SKINBORDERS.MBM - Borders for various panes.
SKINCOMMANDBAR.MBM - The right hand side Control Button Area background (remember display.mbm all 9210 skinners), contains 3 identical images (no idea why 3) sized 200x200 pixels.
SKINDIALOGFRAME.MBM - Image files for all the dialogue box frames and tabs.
SKINGENERAL.MBM - General images used in various places on the device.
SKINMENU.MBM - All the images used for borders and graphical extras on the menus.
SKINSCROLLBAR.MBM - Frighteningly enough all the images used to make the scrollbars.
SKINWIDGETS.MBM - Icons and small images used around the device.

Appendix 2: List of SKE Files and contents.

MmsUiFormDefaultSkin.ske - Details of the images in MMSFORM.MBM and colours to use with it for use with MMS messages.
MsgEditorView.ske - Details of the images in MSGEDITORVIEW.MBM for the messaging application.

Appendix 3: SKN file values

The SKN file is just a plain text file editable on your PC or device. It contains colour data for all the applications on the 9500 (apart from applications that assign their own colours for themselves), information on the SKIN*.MBM files, and information on fonts used on the device. Below is a list of colour numbers and the relevant application that is effected by that change.

You do not need to include every colour in your SKN file, any that are not included will use the default colour from the default skin. The values should be in decimal format 0-255 and are RGB. Hence to set the main background colour to a bright red I would use a very small SNK file of three lines�

[code]
2�255 0 0
[/code]

You can add in as many lines to your SKN file as you need, just remmber to stick to the syntax of�

[code] [red component] [blue component] [green component]

�on each line.

[code]
[color_section]
0 calendar/calculator/sheet bg colour
1 calendar/calculator/sheet normal text colour
2 Telephone/messaging/contacts/control panel/file manager/documents/clock/images/music/standard? bg colour
3 Desk Icon text/telephone/messaging/contacts/control panel/file manager/documents/notes/clock/app title/images/music text colour.
4 unknown
5 unknown
6 messaging/telephone/control panel/file man highlight
7 desk/messaging/telephone/contacts/control panel/fileman/ highlight text colour
8 unknown
9 greyed out variable text
10 unknown
11 unknown
12 dialog bg colour
13 unknown
14 unknown
15 unknown
16 dialog title colour
17 unknown
18 menu top bg colour
19 menu top text colour
20 unknown
21 menu top highlighted text colour
22 menu background colour
23 menu active option colour
24 unknown
25 selected menu item
26 unknown
27 greyed out menu item
28 highlighted greyed out menu item
29 unknown
30 unknown
31 unknown
32 unknown
33 unknown
34 unknown
35 unknown
36 msgbox text colour
37 msgbox bgcolor
38 unknown
39 unknown
40 unknown
41 unknown
42 unknown
43 unknown
44 unknown
45 unknown
46 unknown
47 unknown
48 unknown
49 unknown
50 unknown
51 cba text colour
52 unknown
53 app icon text colour
54 app titlebar (status?) text colour
55 unknown
56 cba greyed out text colour
57 unknown
58 unknown
[extra_color_section]
0 unknown
1 unknown
2 dropshadow colour 2
3
4 drop shadow colour 4
5 drop shadow colour 3
6 drop shador colour 1
7 drop shador colour ?
8 border bottom right
9 unknown
10 unknown
11 unknown
12 unknown
13 unknown
14 unknown
15 unknown
16 unknown
17 unknown
18 unknown
19 unknown
20 unknown
21 unknown
22 unknown
23 unknown
24 calendar/calculator/file select in fmanager highlight colour
25 unknown
26 unknown
27 unknown
28 unknown
29 unknown
30 unknown
31 unknown
32 unknown
[extended_color_section]
0x101F892f unknown
0x101F809a unknown
0x101F892a unknown
0x101F892b unknown
0x101F892c unknown
0x101F8974 unknown
0x101F8094 unknown
0x101FAC6A unknown
0x101F8091 unknown
0x101F8092 unknown
0x101F8099 unknown
0x101F8093 unknown
0x101F8098 unknown
0x101F8097 unknown
0x101F809c unknown
0x101F809d unknown
0x101F809e unknown
0x101F8929 unknown
0x101F87B4 unknown
0x101F87B5 unknown
0x101F87B6 unknown
0x101F87B7 unknown
0x101F87B8 unknown
0x101F87B9 unknown
0x101F8975 unknown
0x101F8976 unknown
0x101F8095 unknown
0x101F8090 unknown
0x101F8096 unknown
0x101F8930 unknown
0x101F8931 unknown
0x101F809b unknown
0x101FAC35 unknown
0x101FAC36 unknown
0x101FAC37 unknown
0x101FAC38 unknown
0x101FAC39 unknown
0x101FAC62 unknown
0x101FAC63 unknown
0x101FAC67 unknown
0x101F87E2 unknown
0x101F87FD lhs panel clock colour
0x101F87FE unknown
0x101F87FF unknown
0x101F8800 unknown
0x101FAC5C unknown
0x101FAC5D unknown
0x101FAC5E unknown
0x101FAC5F unknown
0x101FAC60 unknown
0x101FAC61 unknown
0x101FAC68 unknown
0x101FAC69 unknown
0x101FAC70 unknown
0x101F8801 unknown
0x101F8802 unknown
0x101F8803 unknown
0x101F8804 unknown
0x101F8805 unknown
0x101F8806 unknown
0x101F8807 unknown
0x101F8808 unknown
0x101F8809 unknown
0x101F880A unknown
0x101F880B unknown
0x101F880C unknown
0x101F880D unknown
0x101F880E unknown
0x101F880F unknown
0x101F8810 unknown
0x101F8F05 unknown
[/code]

Download the Matrix skin and templates...

First Impressions Review Of The Nokia 9300

First Impressions of the Nokia 9300 - Mobile Perfection?

My first encounter with All About Symbian was back in the day when I was surfing around for info on what my new Nokia (7650) could do. At that time I slowly discovered the great potential in the new Series 60 platform, but the small(ish) screen size and the annoyance T9 can be for text input left me wanting more. So I found myself constantly browsing in on the Series 80 section of the forum, thinking; "if only that brick had GPRS"...

More mobile reminiscence

Then came the P800. Finally a decent sized screen. And being touch sensitive it gave me a better way of inputting text. Although I didn't care much for the handwriting recognition, I found the on screen keyboard to work like a charm - well, anything is better than T9 really. And as many of you long time readers of AAS will know, I became a big fan of the UIQ platform, and later moved on to the P900. But still, despite all that, during all this time I was still browsing the Series 80 forum thinking the same; "if only..."

Nokia later on announced the 9500, and I became ecstatic. Not only was it a Communicator with GPRS, it also had EDGE and Wi-fi. I instantly put it on my shopping list. But then comes confusion - another Communicator is announced. A really tiny one at that, only lacking a camera and WLAN from it's older brother. Oh the decisions... I kept going back and forth in my mind trying to decide, and eventually it became a matter of form winning over function - which was a first for me. I think though, that I would have gone for the 9500 if only it became available in my country a little sooner. But now I'm glad it didn't.

At the time of writing I have now used my new 9300 for three days, rather intensively I might add. I am left with the feeling that I have finally gotten practically everything I ever wanted in a mobile computer/phone. You see many "gadget freaks" on the forums looking for that one device that does it all. For me and my use the 9300 does indeed seem to be that device. It is the closest thing I've come to mobile perfection yet.

Size matters

If you've only seen the 9300 in pictures, you won't believe just how small it is in real life. I'm not the type of persion who thinks the smaller, the better, as I think most mobile phones these days are actually too small, but the 9300 is just the right size in my opinion. I Used to think the same thing about the P900 as well, and the 9300 is roughly the same size. Although the 9300 is a bit longer, it is both thinner and narrower. Overall I feel more comfortable carrying the 9300 because of the "fatness" of the P-series (with the keypad attached).

Keyboard and hardware

So small yet packing a full QWERTY keyboard. I find it amazing how they've actually managed to make the keyboard useful in such a small package. Well, you won't be doing any touch typing on this thing of course, but you can type quite comfortably using two fingers while the device is lying on your desk. You won't find many PDAs these days allowing you to do just that. Unless you're a kilt-wearing Scotsman who's still lugging around a Psion, that is. But I think one of the strongest points in favour of the 9300 vs. the 9500, is that the smaller size makes the keyboard excellent for thumb typing. In fact, that's how I'm writing this little article right now, chilling on the couch whilst typing away on my new toy/tool. The perception on the use of a keyboard is very much a matter of personal preferences though. And it must be noted that the 9300's keyboard doesn't give you much tactile feedback, which might take some getting used to.

Although I'm not a big fan of the silver-looking colour, I think the 9300 is a really classy looking phone, reminiscent of the old-school Nokia phones. Another thing that is reminiscent of the older and larger Nokia phones is the build quality. Although not quite as excellent as my old 6110, the 9300 is very well built, giving you a real feeling of quality. Which I've found to be a rare thing in todays mobile phone market. I do wish Nokia would quit using those exchangeable front covers though, because it cheapens the look and feel somewhat, and it also makes the backlight shine through the cover a bit. As to the backcover, it is a little tricky to open, but at least it fits very well (unlike in the P800). The lid and hinges feel very solid� too, and unlike the 9500 the lid is kept closed by a magnet. It is nice to be able to push the lid all the way back, and I find that it requires just the right amount of force to open and close. The whole design of the unit and the materials used leads me to believe that this is one device that has been given some serious thought before unleashing it upon the market.

Software

And lets not forget the inside of the phone. During my three days of ownership, I've spent a lot of time learning how to use the interface in the most productive way. Which basically means messing around with a bunch of settings/options, memorizing keyboard shortcuts, organising applications on the desk and getting familiar with the task manager. As with keyboard use, a user interface is also very much of a personal preference thing. For me, the UI is another thing that shows great sign of being given a lot of thought. I actually find it to be one of the most intuitive interfaces I've come across. I just love all the keyboard shortcuts, the various navigation options and the full screen toggle and zoom options within each application. Not to mention the usefulness of keyboard shortcuts such as turning Bluetooth and IR on/off, adjusting the screen brightness and opening the Help application wherever you are in a menu. At first I found it stupid how one had to scroll all the way down to reach the last item on some of the lists, in stead of simply scrolling up/backwards, but then I discovered that one can navigate menu options and applications by pressing the first letter in the name of the application/option - which is actually a quicker way of navigating than having to use the joystick or arrow buttons all the time.

I also love the quality of the built-in applications in this device compared to the UIQ and S60 counterparts. But I'm not going to go into detail about that, as it is mostly covered in reviews and can also be seen by downloading the Series 80 v.2.0 UI Style Guide from forum.nokia.com. Just to mention a few though; I love how easy it is to navigate through the file manager, using the on screen cursor in the web browser, all the options in the Clock application and how well the e-mail client handles HTML e-mails. And lets not forget the excellent Settings Wizard which lets you set up your e-mail accounts and have you browsing the Internet in no time. There are too much to mention and my thumbs are becoming sore, I just generally feel that the software is top notch for such a device. Oh yeah, and it is rock solid as well - I haven't experienced any crashes or other weird behaviour (touch wood).

Screen

The screen is extremely bright, and I am most comfortable using it at the second lowest brightness level and the lowest contrast level. I love the 640 pixels width of the screen since one of my most used applications is the Mobipocket eBook reader. I find reading text to be most comfortable on a wide screen. Using the font I'm most comfortable with, I am reading 10 lines of text with each line consisting of around 16-17 words, all in one view. Believe it or not, but reading and writing text have actually become two of my main criteria when choosing a smartphone. That's precisely why the 9300 is so perfect for me. The wide screen is also great for web browsing as it allows you to see many websites in their true form without the need for horizontal scrolling.�

Battery life

I haven't had it long enough to really get a feel on the battery life yet, but I can certainly verify that it at least handles 24 hours on a charge - with really extensive use. I'd estimate an average of 3 days with moderate use.

So are there really no bad sides?

Nothing is ever really perfect, but for me the 9300 is cutting it pretty close. I'm not crazy about the inside joystick though - it's a bit fiddly and far too sensitive for my liking, so I end up using the arrow keys to navigate a lot of the time. There are also a couple of keyboard arrangements I don't care for, but nothing major. The phone side is a bit slow and basic, but I only use it for calls and checking the time anyway so it is not a major inconvenience for me. I can however see the phone side slowness being an annoyance for those who have thousands of contacts for the phone to plow through during a quick lookup.

The lack of a spell checker in the word processor also becomes a glaring omission as I am now determined to finish this article on my 9300, without using a PC for alterations before I send it off to Rafe. So what I'll do when I've finished typing, is crosschecking the words I'm most uncertain of with the dictionary I use in the MobiReader. A pretty cumbersome experience, but still, thank goodness for multitasking, and apparently for me having too much free time on my hands.

Conclusion

So basically, I am more than happy with the 9300 thus far and reckon I've got myself a keeper here. When (if) Nokia comes up with a touch screen commie, that'll be my cue to upgrade. And yeah, please give me Wi-Fi next time. Thanks.
�

Nokia 9500 Review (Part Five)

The Other Applications

Of course the key to any personal computer is how you use it, not just the main above-the-line advertised applications. The Nokia 9500 has a number of smaller applications we�ve not looked at, many of which might be just the thing you�re looking for. These little apps may not seem the things that sell a computer, but when you have an invaluable function hiding in one of them, that�s what will keep you using a device.

Clock

Yes it tells the time, but the Clock app has two other great features, both of which are tied to the 9500's �world� database. It�s possible on one screen to see the time and details of another Major City, anywhere in the world. Not having to work out what time it is somewhere does help if that�s the sort of calls you have to make. Having the telephone area codes and sunset times is just a bonus.

Secondly, there are also multiple alarms, with different frequencies and times. I�ve always enjoyed the �Ring only on a workday' setting, where you can set up your working days as Monday to Friday. Not having to remember to switch your alarm off for Saturday morning may seem trivial, but not at 6.30am it isn�t!

Presentations

The final office suite application I�ve relegated to this final part of the review. Not everyone needs access to Presentations on the move, making it something of a niche application. The good news is that it's a pretty capable presentation package, at least by twentieth century standards. The fundamentals; adding new slides, creating titles and bullet points, inserting images, shapes and tables, are all here and pretty well implemented. Corners have been cut though, with the outline mode suffering from oversize fonts and zoom support minimal throughout.

A slideshow mode does a pretty good job of stepping through your slides, although the 9500 doesn�t have a 'monitor out' socket, so to make any real use of Presentations, you�ll need a special adapter to put into a standard VGA Projector. Nokia have made available a Bluetooth unit that should do the trick and when we get a review copy of the unit, we�ll let you know how it performs.

If your presentations depend on fancy animations and sound effects, the 9500's Presentations application is going to disappoint, but for those of us with more humble needs, this could be a useful utility.

Backup

We covered backing up to your PC in Part Three, but not everyone has access to a PC running the Nokia PC Suite Suite, so having this little on-board program to back up your data to an MMC card is actually quite useful. Even though I have my PC Suite running regular backups, I still maintain an MMC card purely for a backup.

If a device is mobile, then you can guarantee that the one time you need access to your backup, you�ll be hours (if not days) away from your PC� and that card backup might be just what you need to keep you going

Data Mover

A lot of people buying the 9500 are going to be upgrading from the 9210, and this is where Data Mover comes in useful. Running the application, you�ll get some text screens explaining what is going on, and you�ll be asked to beam a small application (Data Collector) onto your 9210. Run this on your 9210, connect to it using IrDa with the 9500, and watch your information get poured into your 9500.

Of course, if you know what you're doing, you can transfer your information and file set using PC Suite, with a combination of synchronisation and manual file transfer, but Data Mover is probably simpler for anyone unsure what to do. Having a simple route for upgrade might not be a point to talk about when you can mention Wi-Fi, but getting people up and running with a new phone is of paramount importance. Even though it�s an application you�ll use once and never look at again, Data Mover does the job perfectly.

Data Transfer

Absolutely useless for the individual user, but very, very tasty for a team of you in an office who all have 9500s. This little application allows you to synchronise your contacts and calendar information with another 9500, over Bluetooth or infrared. Not everything gets shared, because one of the options you have in the calendar is to mark an entry as �private� so it will not be synchronised � so you can hide all your night time encounters from your colleagues. It�s just as simple to use as the Data Mover application. Run the app, choose who to sync to and press �sync.� It works, does the job, and should prove a big selling point to many.

Modem

Finally, the modem application. For all the singing and dancing of the 9500, this little gem brings a little bit of realism to the device. Yes, you have email on the phone, and Word (Documents) and Web. And yes you can (with some caveats) do all your office work from the device. But deep down, a lot of people will still carry around a laptop because, well, they have to. For work reason, personal reasons, or just so they can have it with them on the plane to watch some DVD�s.

And the 9500 is still the perfect phone, because with a flick of a button it turns into a standalone modem that connects to your computer with Bluetooth, infrared or a direct cable connection, and talks to the world over GSM Data, GPRS or EDGE. So no matter the bells and whistles, someone out there is going to like the 9500 just because it�s a nice fast modem for their Windows laptop�

In conclusion

Summing up a device of the scope (and price) of the Nokia 9500 in a single paragraph isn't easy; after all, even this review had to be spread over five parts. There's certainly a lot of functionality on all fronts, most of which works as advertised. There are the disappointments, to be sure, such as the slightly smaller keyboard, the compatibility problems in Documents and Sheet, the lack of speed when launching new applications, the font size limits in several main apps and the inflexibility in Messaging. But thankfully these are mainly software issues and most will be addressed by Nokia and Symbian in future firmware updates. Most importantly, there are no real showstoppers. If you're prepared to work around a few of the 9500's foibles, you'll find that it really does live up to its Communicator moniker, giving you (more or less) everything you ever wanted, all in the one device.

Living With the 9500 - A Long Term View

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.

Nokia 9500 Review (Part Four)

Mobile Multimedia

Our Monster Part Three (link) was all too much for Ewan, who�s having a temporary well-deserved rest. In his place, I�m going to critically assess the multimedia capabilities of the Nokia 9500. How well does it match up to competition in the Symbian, Pocket PC and Palm OS worlds?

In Nokia�s defense, and heading off some of the criticism in the text below, the Communicator vision has never been to be good at multimedia and perhaps we should be thankful for what we�ve got. The Communicator is all about organisation, documents, email, messaging, web browsing, and so on. Playing MP3s in the background, showing family snaps and bringing up video clips are strictly a bonus.

Having said that, any �500 device that�s launched in 2004 and which can�t do any of the above is going to be frowned upon, at least until third party developers get cracking. So what have Nokia given us out-of-the-box?

Pump up the Volume

Let�s start with the biggie � music playing. MP3 music playback is now pretty much ubiquitous across the handheld/smartphone world, and rightly so. With 1GB expansion cards now fairly common, it�s easy to take a dozen or so CDs with you, for listening while you work or just for entertainment while you�re travelling. Nokia haven�t been terribly good at �doing� MP3s in the past, with only the humble N-Gage and the new 6630 even supporting stereo playback. But, as I say, this is now 2004 (heck, almost into 2005) and any device still producing mono output is to be laughed at.

The 9500 doesn�t look good at first, with only a mono headset in the box, but it�s thankfully easy to buy a cheap (�8) Pop-port stereo headset (HDS-3) on the Internet and you�re then all set to go.��

Music Player is fairly bare compared to some of the outrageously-skinned offerings on other platforms, but it�s clear and functional, with playlists based around folders on your internal or expansion disks. One folder per CD seems a good arrangement, mirroring what I use on the hard disk on my PC. It�s easy to change folders (i.e. CDs) quickly and there�s a handy �Recent folders� choice on the main File menu. Within each folder, tracks simply play in order and you can skip around as you please.

Most importantly of all, playback quality is very good indeed, with plenty of volume and very good stereo decoding. There�s a slight stutter when launching a big application while listening, but this can be forgiven and playback is generally smooth while working in Documents, Calendar, Sheet, etc.

Incoming phone calls pause playback, as you�d expect, and you can pick up the call on your headset. When the call ends, playback doesn�t resume though, you have to take off the pause by opening up the 9500 and using the �Play� button. Impressively, you can use the left and right navigator controls to cue and review through a long track. One slight bug is that Music Player doesn�t properly interpret the �tag� header in each MP3 file, leading to �Unknown author� showing for each track. Not a showstopper, but a little ugly.

Disappointingly, there�s no access to the running Music Player from the outside cover-phone (as there is on the Sony Ericsson P800/P900, for example), perhaps something which could be rectified in a firmware update later on?

At the Movies

Hardened 9210 users will remember the old Video Player application, using Nokia�s own NIM (Nokia Interleaved Multimedia) format. This played video clips only in its own small window, slightly jerkily and was compatible with nothing else. The good news is that for the 9500 they�ve sorted out the compatibility problem � the supplied RealPlayer can handle industry-standard H.263 and MPEG-4-encoded video (often seen as files ending in �.3gp� � a standard which allows for either codec). Incidentally, if you�ve got lots of old .NIM clips, you can convert them using Nokia�s free Multimedia Converter 2.0, a generally good tool for converting anything to H.263-encoded 3GP-compliant format.

As with Music Player, it�s sensibly folder-based, making the most of the Communicator�s free-form folder structure (i.e. you put things where you like), with a �Recent folders� entry on the main menu. And again you can quickly skip around a file using the navigator.

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The bad news is that they�ve not improved the performance very much, despite having three times as much processor power to play with. Movies still play in a fairly small window, usually at the default 176 by 144 pixels. If you try and go �Full screen� you just end up with the same size picture without the bright, distracting controls and toolbars � an improvement, but not really what I envisage as �full screen video�. In fairness, the Communicator�s screen is the wrong shape for this sort of malarkey, but there�s another problem here under the surface.

Although now up at 150MHz, there�s still not enough processor power here to throw pixels around more than a small window. I know, I�ve tried. Using both the built-in RealPlayer and the third party SmartMovie, I�ve tried encoding for picture sizes of (for example) 400 by 200 pixels. The large frame size certainly plays and the picture�s nice and clear, but the frame rate drops through the floor, typically down to five frames per second or less, with occasional stutters while the processor catches up. It�s possible that a firmware update may optimise the graphics side of the 9500 (and I�m looking forward to Makayama porting their Series 60 player over to Series 80), but I wouldn�t hold your breath. If you want your own pocket cinema, go borrow a Pocket PC or Palm OS device. With their squarer (and larger) screens and high processor speeds, they're better suited. The 9500 Communicator just isn�t the right tool for the job. Sorry.

Aside from 3GP-compliant video files, there�s also compatibility with some (but not all) RealPlayer content on the Internet, of course. I�m certainly not going to blame Nokia for the clips we tried that didn�t work, as Real Networks have fiddled with their own video file formats more often than Microsoft, and that�s saying something.

One other multimedia opportunity that�s worth mentioning is the built-in Flash support in Web. We tried several sites with embedded animations and they all played perfectly, complete with soundtracks. Although not a general video solution, it�s good to know just how much Opera er� I mean Web can do.

Snap Happy?

Images is a total rewrite of the original 9210i Imaging application, and this is a very good thing. The original was slow, clunky, confusing and under-powered, whereas Images is logically laid out, again with a folder-browser emphasis, quite a bit faster (although, as with video, you�re always left wanting more) and has a smattering of basic image tools, such as flip, rotate, crop and resize. You can also print images or send them on via email, fax, MMS, Bluetooth, etc.

Zooming is well handled, as always, even going in to see detail on large scanned-in maps. Apart from wishing for a faster processor every time an image is being loaded up, Images is pretty much all a Communicator owner could want, whether it�s for handling medium-sized business images or browsing through folders of home snaps.

Camera Matters

Although not accessible at all from �inside� the 9500, the built-in VGA camera is still worth mentioning in passing. Not because it�s any good though. VGA (640 by 480 pixels) cameras are popular in mobile phones because they�re a quick way to create mugshots for contact cards and for MMS messages, but having one in a serious business tool like the Communicator seems rather out of place. And, we suspect, will stop some users buying it in the first place because their place of work won�t allow cameras onto the premises.

As with all VGA cameras, it�s so, so tempting to use them for snapping your family, snapping the view, snapping special occasions, and so on. But, back at base when you copy the images over to your desktop PC, their small size, low-grade JPG encoding and blurred nature hits you in the face. Maybe I�m being snobbish here, and the 9500�s camera is no worse than most, but I can�t for the life of me see why the manufacturers can�t spend a couple of dollars more and go for a Megapixel camera instead � it would make all the difference, especially in a professional tool like the Communicator.

The new 9500 has many, many good points, it�s true. But the camera�s definitely not one of them.

Multimedia Overall

There�s no doubting that the Nokia 9500�s multimedia capabilities are weak compared to a typical Pocket PC, with fairly basic software and not helped by a screen with inappropriate aspect ratio and relatively slow processor. But then, as mentioned in my introduction, the Communicator�s focus is elsewhere. That it can play any videos you receive, that it can play stereo music while you work, that it can work very competently with images, is surely sufficient.

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In the next part, we'll finish looking at the built in applications, and the options for programmers and developers.

Back to Part Three - Back to Part Two - Back To Part One

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An irreverent, sideways glance at the new Nokia 9500

It's very tempting to proclaim that I'd rather have an older Nokia 9210i than the latest whizz-bang Nokia 9500, but I'd only be kidding myself. If someone seriously offered me the choice of both, I'd go for the new model every time, as I know you would too.

But there are a number of interesting comparisons between the 'old' and the 'new' in which the 9500 comes off significantly worse. Yes, yes, it's got Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and GPRS and a proper MP3 player, but check out the items below before you sign off that purchase cheque.

The keyboard. Yes, it looks great and the actions not that bad, but the 'Q to P' span is a good 2cm less than on the older 9210i, a full 20%, which is the difference between four finger typing and two. It all feels just a little fiddly.

Then there's the removal of spell checking and a thesaurus from 'Word' (or 'Documents', as it's now known). OK, so there's now a word count, but many people would rather have had the original functions. The 'Notes' application is also missing in action, although admittedly this was such a turkey that hardly anyone used it anyway.

Navigators aren't really Nokia's strong suit, they seem to have gone through a number of designs over the years. The 9210i's 4-way cursor was criticised at the time for being a little woolly, but the 9500's navigator is far more fiddly. Yes, there are now alternative up/down/left/right arrow keys, but they are less intuitive when you're trying to get to something in a hurry. With no touch-screen on any of these models, a really useable navigation control is a must. And the one on the front cover is even worse - when trying to press it 'in' you'll be lucky if you get the result you want at least half the time.

What about the appalling video performance of the RealPlayer application supplied? Video Player on the four year old 9210 matches its quality and performance with a processor that runs at a third of the speed.

Then there are the little things, like the quieter speaker, the way your MMC card can't be read until you've popped the plastic phone rear cover back on and the interminably sluggish cover interface to your Contacts store.

It seems churlish to moan about these things - after all, we have just got ourselves a brand new Communicator. But at �550 (SIM-free), I think there's plenty of room for complaining about things that are genuine disappointments.

At least some of these points can be rectified by a new firmware release; let's hope Nokia are even now working on improvements and fixes. Until then, I'll be using my 9500 but still casting a wistful glance back at my trusty 9210i sitting quietly in the corner.

Nokia 9500 Review (Part One)

Okay, before we go into the full review for real, I�ll just tell you about the first thirty seconds with the Nokia 9500. I lifted it out the box and dropped the battery in. It had charge in it so I switched on the phone and the PDA side. It asked what language I wanted the device to use, asked me to put in my contact details, and that was me at the desktop. I called up the web browser and asked it to browse to the BBC News site. Up comes a dialog and I selected "Easy Wi-Fi Connection." It found my home Wi-Fi network, configured everything, and brought up the headlines. Total time was around 30 seconds. If nothing else, the out the box experience could not have been smoother.

Everything Old is New Again

The key to the Nokia 9500 isn�t the feature list, or the size, it�s to think about where the Communicator range is aimed at. The mission of the Communicator phone has not changed since the original Nokia 9000. Here�s a quote from the press release of the Nokia 9000 Communicator in 1996:

The Nokia 9000 Communicator provides a wide range of mobile communications services as well as personal organiser functions. The product combines a GSM phone with applications like fax, e-mail, short messaging and Internet access. It also includes the most useful organiser functions; a calendar, an address book and a calculator. All of this is available in a sophisticated, pocket-sized unit.

And here�s the introduction to the Nokia 9500 Communicator in 2004:

The Nokia 9500 Communicator combines the features of a business PDA with an integrated camera and multimedia support. Advanced messaging, e-mail, security features, and high-speed data capabilities (including WLAN) make it ideal for enterprise applications.

Once you cut through the market speak, you realise they�re both selling the same product. This underlines both the strength and the weakness of the 9500. The Communicator range has always done exactly the same thing � it�s been your home away from home (or office away from office as the case may be). Very little in term of form, function and interface has been changed since the 9000. Nokia Enterprise knows whom they are selling to, and they know exactly what they want. And that group will happily update the 9210�s to the 9500, be completely comfortable with it, migrate 100% of their data between the two machines, and there are a guaranteed number of sales.

If you�re familiar with the 9210, then this is what you need to know. A slightly better battery, enough memory to have ten or more applications open and still run the Opera web browser, GPRS, Wi-Fi connectivity, and only a few changes in the built in software. More an evolution than a revolution.

Where it gets interesting is the fact that the 9500 has been hyped by many to be the next great revolution in mobile computing. I�m sorry to say it�s not. The 9500 is a solid business and enterprise phone, geared towards email, some web browsing and editing documents on the move. It�s not a leisure phone, it�s for folk in business � where this leaves the 9300 we�ll leave till we see the retail package on that device.

Interface

The user interface on the 9500 probably typifies the whole ethos behind the new Communicator. What worked before in the system screen layout on the 9210 and previous models is still there, and Nokia have only changed what needed to be changed. So we still have the �mini Task manager� on the far left of the menu bar. This lists all the running apps and allows you to close down tasks directly. You�ve got side information bars that can be shrunk in certain applications. You�ve got the 4 command buttons next to the screen on the right hand side.

What has changed is how the icons are laid out. Previously the �big� icon view showed a single horizontal strip of icons you had to scroll left and right through. Now we can see 8 icons on the screen at any one time, and these scroll down the way � much like a Series 60 or UIQ screen. This is how modern users would expect program and icons to be laid out, and given Nokia may be hoping to grab some converts from the other UI�s, this makes a lot of practical sense.

I also like the fact that an application icon can appear in more than one folder. You can see in my screen I have Simon Quinn�s Ebook application at the top level. It also appears in an �Extras� folder (which I created myself, along with the �Internet� folder). And you can change these for any or all of the applications by calling up properties on each icon. This is a lot easier to understand than the 9210�s separate areas for Extras / Office / Internet, which left the Desktop screen only for shortcuts.

This �simplification� of things from the 9210 is actually a much more logical way of doing things. For example the Control Panel now has the familiar split screen look of �list� on one side and �details� on the other side. Everything just feels like things are where you would expect them, with the Tools folder holding all the tweakable things like the Sync details, Connection manager and link to the Help application.

The keyboard at first looks like it is going to be a disaster, with no space between the keys, an almost grid like layout, and a smaller space than the 9210. In use, it�s actually surprisingly good. The keys are bevelled outwards, which means that you don�t have to hit the keys dead centre, you�ve quite a wide target area. Okay with the size you�ll never get any touch typing done (unless you�re 7) but it�s definitely usable, and a lot better than the hunt and peck keyboards that seem to be all the rage on Palms and Pocket PC�s.

Inside the 9500 you have two cursors. The first is the obvious circular pad, that looks like an analouge controller. Before you get all misty eyed, it's not. The control panel allows you to set up the acceleration of the cursor depending on how long you hold a particular direction, and the speed the on screen pointer moves. Given that underneath the pad are four contacts (up, down, left and right) it's clearly a digital pad, but a well programmed one at that. Right beside it we have some standard keys that duplicate the functions. One thing to note though. When you hold down the green chr key to get the extended function, up and down on the keys will zoom the font, while up and down on the pad is your Page Up and Page Down.

The buttons along the top of the keyboard now lead directly into applications, as opposed to separate folders. We have hot keys for Telephone, Messaging., Web, Contacts, Documents (the Word Processor) and Calendar. In addition, there is the �My Own� button which you can set up to be any application you like, either built in or third party. Personally I have the File Manager under there, because I�m old fashioned enough to want to know where everything is, and I�m happy living in a Directory Tree rather than an Icon gui. The fact you can happily live in the File Manager, create new docs and launch applications from this one application goes to show the 9500 is a well thought out computer.

Contacts

The Contacts application button is almost in the middle of the machine, and this position (next to Web) typifies the Communicator (if the name doesn�t give it away). It�s here you can add in, edit and organise all your contacts names and addresses, multiple emails and the plethora of phone numbers they have. Well, there�s always one entry in my database that is chock full of information. Then there are others that have a single name and a mobile number. The 9500 handles both of these brilliantly. Your list of contacts is integrated with the outside of the phone, so when you have the clamshell closed, all your numbers are available.

You can also set up groups of people � here�s a list of people inside Symbian, and I can move over to select a name and see their full contact card. The split screen view, just like the Control Panel and the File Manager, again shows the benefits of a consistent UI. If you know one of these applications, then there�s a fair chance you�ll be able to understand other applications of a similar layout. Moving your cursor (remember we don�t have a touch screen here) on to the right hand side allows you to select a mobile number, landline number, email address or website. Pressing enter on any of these and the 9500 will take the correct action � in the case of a mobile it�ll ask if you want to call the contact, write an SMS or write an MMS.

It�s also possible to send individual contact cards to other phones or people, and the list of options for this in the menu system gives an impressive snapshot of how the 9500 can talk to the outside world. You can send over the air by an SMS or MMS. You can email the details. You can even beam directly using InfraRed and Bluetooth. What you can�t do is send more than one contact at a time, so it�s not possible (for example) to dump every contact into a single vCard file for easy import into non Windows powered computers. Or other smartphones. Yet again this feature will be left to the third party companies. I know I said that the 9500 changed very little, but there are times such as this when I wish they had been able to integrate some of the most popular third party apps into the firmware.

Contacts was probably the most robust and fault free app in the 9210 (apart from the export) so it�s no surprise that in the 9500 it's one of the strongest applications.

Telephone

Putting it simply, the outside phone on the 9210 was poor at best. It allowed you to dial numbers and read SMS, but not much else. The 9500 makes amends for this with a 128x128, 65K colour screen on the outside, but how useful is it?

Firstly, it�s using Nokia�s Series 40 interface, with some hooks into the Contacts and Messaging databases that the opened 9500 uses. While it�s an obvious thing, the fact you can read emails as well as texts is great. But while you can reply to texts on the outside, your email is read only. If you want to reply to an email, you�ll have to open the clamshell.

The final production version has two main features missing from a regular Series 40 phone. The first is that there�s no way to run Java midlets on the screen, so no way for programmers to get access to the front screen as they have with the flip of devices like the P900. I don�t think this will be missed much on the 9500, but even the option to have more flexibility on the outside has been taken from the programmers. I think this is a mistake.

The second big omission is the lack of T9 predictive text input when replying to an SMS. Why???

While the keys inside the 9500 are better than they look, the stylish design of the keys on the outside are not that great to use. Admittedly you�re not going to use them all that often, but they�re not up to the job of anything more than the occasional fast text or phone number. The central half moon keys (2, 5, 8 and 0) don�t sit still and move around a lot. The outside keys do an adequate job, the whole impression of the number pad is that it looks very nice and futuristic, but it�s not really up for a lot of use.

Why are Nokia unable to put a decent cursor or controller on any device except the 7650? The cursor pad on the 9500 is a nightmare. To select anything you need to push in on the pad, but invariably you hit one of the directions first. This makes things complicated as the four directions keys act as shortcuts (up is the camera, down is contacts, right is the SMS inbox and left brings up an empty SMS you can type into). I'll be looking at the camera functionality with the multi-media later on, but I'll point out now that you can only use the stills camera and video recording while the 9500 is closed.

Call quality is pretty good, although users of the older communicators should note that for the first time, the speaker is on the same side of the closed phone as the screen and number pad. Almost every call I�ve answered this week has seen me talk into the back of the phone and wonder why it�s really hard to hear anyone!

In the next part of the review, we�ll look at how the 9500 deals with the Internet, through the new Wi-Fi connectivity, GPRS or GSM Data. We�ll look in depth at the integrated Messaging Client, and take Opera for a spin to test out the Medium Screen Rendering, debuting with the 9500.

Nokia 6630 Preview: The Little Phone That Goes Really Fast

Nokia's 3G Series 60 handset is cute. So cute it reminds of a Mini Cooper - the little car that everyone went "awww... cute" and completely ignored, until Paddy Hopkirk took it on to storm the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964. The 6630 is just like that, it's small, has a funky form factor, but when you start to use it... wow!

Looking at you'd think it's quite small, and even in the hand is definitely a pocketable phone. It's only when you put it next to the base design model in the Nokia 6600 that you realise that it's pretty much the same size as the 6600. Everything that the 6600 has is in the 6630 as well. It looks to be the same screen (it's the same physical size if nothing else). The same goes for the keypad, all the keys and the dimensions are the same size as the 6600 apart from one slightly annoying feature... the pencil/abc key is on the left hand side of the 6600, and the right hand side on the 6630. Now that may not seem like a lot to you, but when you're switching between phones and your thumb instinctively knows where to push to get Cap Lock, this sort of wholesale switch is something that can drive you to distraction.

The shape itself, with the rounded bottom and straight edges is much more 'hip' - if it wasn't for the switch to RS-MMC from full size MMC, I would have guessed they had the same circuit board. The switch to RS-MMC is a big talking point. Obviously everyone has a nice collection of large capacity MMC cards, so why are Nokia making the switch? Having a smaller card does make for a tidier internal layout, and with size a key selling point nowadays, any saving to a manufacturer is a bonus. At least the RS-MMC cards can be plugged into a 'sleeve' and act as a full size MMC card in devices like the 9500. What's disappointing is how the RS-MMC is implemented in the 6630.

It's behind a swing door in the side of the machine, and you have to push-click the RS-MMC card into the holder. Because it goes in contact-side first, it's physically possible to put in a full size MMC card, hear it go click and make contact with the circuit board. Unfortunately the software won't register the card unless the swing door is closed... which you can't do with a full size card in place.

So yet again a smooth route to upgrade your data from a previous Series 60 device. We're into the sort of the 'third' iteration devices from Nokia (the 7650 and 3650 being the first, the 6600 and N-Gage as the second, and the 6630 as the third) so it's a fair bet that a significant number of 6630 adopters will be current users looking for 3G Speeds. Data retention is a strong point of Nokia's Communicators, but it's lacking in the Series 60 range - a set of phones that's almost designed to burn out and be replaced with new-featured phones every year.

Let's talk about some nice things though, and there are quite a bit of them. The camera for one. It's a megapixel camera, with a larger lens than most of the current phones (it's a 3.7mm focal length lens, as opposed to 3.5mm on existing phones). The extra length here means the lens does stick out of the back of the phone, so no lying the phone down flat. We've a digital zoom with ten levels of magnification, and it's a lot smoother moving between these and the 2x Zoom on the 6600. Quality is pretty much what you've come to expect from the smartphone. Great in good light and bit iffy if it's darker.

The 6630's application suite doesn't have any surprises in it. We've got all the usual suspects from the baseline 6600, as well as the Presence/Location application, The Quick Suite range of applications for viewing Word and Powerpoint files is included as well, along with a Printer module from HP, and Kodak Mobile imaging printing. All well done app that while don�t make a huge fuss, do what they need to do, and lift the Series 60 from the "workmanlike" tag to a smartphone that can actually do a fair bit for you on a day to day basis.

But it's 3G that really lifts this phone up though. Vodafone's 3G service is going to be looking at handsets like this to make their service profitable. Once we get a unit with a 3G sim in it, we'll let you know how much difference this final step makes to an impressive phone. It might not be much different to the Series 60 baseline, but then that baseline is already astounding enough to people who are new to the UI.

We Ask Nokia Why They Love the 9300

The Nokia 9300 - Designed By You

At first glance, the 9300 is simply a smaller 9500, with the Wi-Fi ripped out and the camera inexplicably removed. So why is Mark bouncing around the room (and winning the most excitable Nokia Employee award for 2004 in the process). "Because having used a Communicator since the 9000 was launched in �96 I've already decided I'm switching to the 9300. Once I get my sample back from the BBC-"�it's being filmed today for the news reports on launch day "-I'm keeping it for good." Calming him down, Mark tells me about the design process and internal decisions that led to the 9300's form factor and features.

"It all started with the 9500. We built that to a specification, a specification we reached by listening to what everyone wanted, and then putting it in the final design. So we worked on things like wi-fi, the digital camera, bluetooth with a wide range of profiles, and all the other tweaks that are in the 9500. We'd regard the 9500 as 'The Communicator' and the 9300 as a 'Super Smartphone.'

"Once we had the 9500 out there, we used that as the basis of the 9300. The 9300 was designed almost in its entirety through the feed back we received from the 9500. The 9300 is aimed at the Trendsetting Business people, commonly in 'The City' who are always moving, hopping on and off planes, going around the globe and never being at a base of operations. They're the segment who said they wanted a smaller smartphone , and it's those people who's feedback we listened to in our NOP sessions before designing the 9300."

"It really surprised us when they all came back and said they didn't want the camera on the phone. We thought that would have been a given. Turns out that there were two main worries from Businesses on the camera. The first was cost - they didn't want the camera to drive up the monthly mobile bills. The main one though, was security. Not everyone is allowed to tote a camera in sensitive business areas, where there could be confidential material and possible prototypes on view. It�s something that doesn't always mix with camera phones."

"There was a lot of noise asking for wi-fi LAN access, but it was a minority. Once we really looked at the feedback, it became clear that most people would prefer longer battery life," (wi-fi is notorious for eating battery power). "Besides, for those who want wi-fi we have the 9500 in any case, so why put in something that was not wanted by the target audience for this product?"

Who's Got The Look?

The 9300 does do something that no previous Communicator does. It opens out flat. "We could have made all the other Communicators do that if we'd known how important this was to our users," laughs Mark, but this has good implications for the screen as well. "This one opens out onto the table, and it's like reading from a paperback book." To help this, the screen retains it's clarity over a much wider viewing angle than any other Nokia devices to date. The screen itself is around 80% the size of the 9500, but retains the same dimensions of 640x200 pixels, thus ensuring program compatibility across the range.

You can't help to not notice the size of the 9300... or rather the lack of size. Looking at a closed 9300, you'd find very little difference between this and a regular 'dumb' Nokia phone like the 6310. It's light enough, and small enough to be used just like any other mobile phone (and yes, the speaker is on the same side as the number pad, just like any other mobile phone).

Along with the phone, the retail package will come with a desk Stand / Sync Station that makes it feel even more of a modern PDA than any other communicators. The 9300 also takes interchangeable 'Xpress-on' covers to customise the casing on the phone.

Technical Notes

Two or three issues weren't covered in the basic spec sheets, and I took the chance to clear these up with Mark. The first is the really geeky 'what CPU is it using?' which sent the Press Notes flying until it was tracked down. "It's an OMAP 1510 ARM running at 150mhz." The other was what bluetooth Profiles would it accept. Turns out it has... Generic Access, SDP Discovery, Fax, Dial Up Networking, Hands Free, Serial Port, GOEP Exchange, Object Push (as both Client and Server), File Transfer, Java API and SIM Access Profile.

The SIM Access Profile is probably the most interesting. it means that the 9300 can happily use Nokia's bluetooth car kit, something that the target audience was keen to see implemented.

Programming and App Development

Finally, Mark wanted to mention the expanded range of email support, particularly the Nokia One business server support and the BlackBerry Push software. If you've never come across this, it connects your phone to a server at your office (for example). When it receives an email, it 'pushes' it onto your phone, without you having to do anything. In effect, when you receive an email at your office, it shows up on the phone. Reply to it from the phone, and the same mail on your office server will reflect this.

The beta SDK for the 9500 and 9300 is available now from Forum Nokia, and has all the BlackBerry API's in it for application development. It should leave beta and go 'official' in a few months. Other development languages (C++ and Java MIDP) are supported throughout the Communicator SDK's, also on Forum Nokia. There's no word on Python being ported from the Series 60 alpha, but the OPL team are reporting they have a 9500 runtime ready for installation.

They're Excited About This

That Nokia want the 9300 to succeed is evident. While it's not quite the Treo Killer that the Americans wanted, it does win hands down in the design stakes, it seems to be everything the Europeans wanted in a stylish and modern business phone. With the lack of camera and wi-fi, what seems to be a miscalculation on first examination is actually going to be a key selling feature of the 9300 when it's released early next year.

Mark, thanks for taking the time to talk to us as the 9300 was announced.

Nokia 9500 Communicator Preview

A long time ago, the only phone on "All About ER6" (which was the original name for the site) was the Nokia 9210. Nokia's Communicator series has been around for some time, but the 9210 was going to carry the new Symbian Operating System, and do everything a mobile businessman would need. Now, with an updated version on the horizon, All About Symbian paid a visit to Nokia to check out the Nokia 9500 � the Communicator for the 21st century.

The Nokia 9500 is going to be Nokia's big business phone. Not the biggest in sales, but the biggest in sheer size. The Comunicator line up has always been the brunt of the 'brick' jokes, but to get in the functionality of the PDA, and the benefits of a usable qwerty keyboard for touch typers there needs to be a certain amount of size and volume.

If you're keeping track, the 9500 is smaller than the 9200 series phones, but retains all the familiar hallmarks of the previous device. It has the same basic user interface (although with a prettier UI skin) throughout device. We have the four command buttons on the right hand side of the (not touch sensitive) screen, information/ status bar on the clamshell design, a 640x200, 64K colour screen and an almost, but not quite perfect, keyboard.
If you're looking for a big quantum leap in devices, then you'll be disappointed. While the 9500 may have all the latest bells and whistles such as GPRS and Wi-Fi), it's defiantly an evolution of the 9210, which in itself was an evolution of the 9000 and 9000i. This is actually one of it's great strengths, a focus of purpose.

The Phone

But first of all, the 9500 has to be a good phone. This is probably more important than any other of the business phones in the Nokia range. The 9500 is geared towards mobile business, and doing as much as possible. And like it or not, that means good old fashioned voice calls.
Probably them most important ergonomic change is what you'll notice here. Like very other mobile phone in the world (it seems) you now talk into the front of he 9500, placing the outside screen against your ear.

The number pad is very reminiscent of the Siemens SX-1. Not that's it's all over the shop and is laid out in a funny way, more that the outer keys seem to be cut from the same 'one sheet' of plastic. Call quality was comparable to a Nokia 6600 in the pre-production model I was testing, and this should be similar on the production versions.

The Keyboard

I was all set to have a hairy fit with Nokia for yet again putting in an almost unusable button cursor, before looking to the left of the round nipple. After four iterations of the Communicator, Nokia have finally put in some regular cursor keys. Brilliant! Of course we still have a 'wacky' ring cursor if we want to have nightmares, but I confidently predict that everyone will be using the regular key cursor from, oh, the second minute.

The qwerty keyboard (just like the outside number pad keys) seems to have been cut from a single sheet of plastic, which gives it a very stylish look, but beyond the 'hunt and peek' typers, it can cause problems when doing a lot of typing. There's not a huge amount of tactile feedback for touch typers, and having no space between the keys means that larger fingered users are going to continually miss keys. I know it looks more futuristic and clean than the individual keys of the 9210, but I can't see any practical benefits to the user in changing the keyboard from the 9210.

Along the top of the keyboard are dedicated buttons for each application or group (eg Desk, Internet). A nice addition from previous models is �My Own," a key you can set to your own application from inside the control panel.

The Styling

It's very futuristic looking, in a sort of mid-seventies Science Fiction show set in 2005. The mix of colours and materials on the outside help to reduce the apparent size of the device. Opening the device, there's not much you can do with a clamshell design, so they keys are on the bottom andthe screen is on the top, but the dark keyboard, silver edging and very bright screen gives a nice contrast and helps you focus on where you are working.

Compatibility

I've already mentioned the fact that the 9500 is a clear evolution of previous devices, and Nokia re clearly thinking that a lot of existing users of the older 9210's will be upgrading to the 9500's. One of the built in applications allows you to take your data from a 9210 (either through the Ir DA? port or backing up via an MMC). Touches like this will be appreciated by old users who are being provided a clear upgrade path, something not present in any other Symbian OS devices.

The 9500 can happily beam information between my Series 60 phone over both bluetooth and Ir DA, including camera images, contact information, java applets and calendar information.

Connectivity

While all the other connectivity options in the phone have been upgraded to the current 'recommended specification' (ie we have Bluetooth, GPRS, Tri-Band Connectivity, a 'legacy' Ir DA port, and proper MIDP Java support), the big news for the 9500 is it comes with Wi-Fi built in.

The Wi-Fi on the 9500 is purely for TCP/IP, so if you have Wi-Fi providing access to the Internet, then you'll be able to use that for your connectivity, rather than pay for a GPRS or GSM-Data call � the uses for this are legion. We have a small Wi-Fi network at the AAS Office, so we're going to be able to use the 9500 while we're here for no cost on our mobile phone bill. And on foreign trips, it's not difficult to spend �1 and get an hour of Wi-Fi access at City Centre hot spots.

This feature alone is going to make the 9500 an attractive business machine. Compared to devices like the Pocket PC's and Palms of this world, there are very few of them that are competent phones, and have Wi-Fi, and offer a great application suite.

Lots of Toys

I'm not going to delve into the software too much here in the preview, because a few hours isn't enough to really test out the functions, and I didn;t want to spend the time taking a million screen shots showing something that's roughly identical to the existing 9210 Series 80. What I do want to look at is some of the extra features that have been added since the 9210 in both software and hardware that got me excited about the new Communicator.

Digital Camera
Does the 9500 Series need a camera? Strictly speaking, probably not, but given that they've squeezed everything else into this machine, it'd be a shame not to try. We've got a perfectly adequate VGA Camera at 640x480 resolution, with a x2 Digital Zoom. Exactly what the Nokia 6600 has, in fact. It works with the phone in the closed position, and sits slightly above the bottom surface so it isn't scratched when using the phone in the open position. I suspect that some Marketing Drone decided that a high end phone needs a camera or it won't sell � I'm not complaining, but it feels superfluous.

Presentations and Powerpoint
The built in Powerpoint viewer now has another string to its bow. It can send a VGA signal over Bluetooth. This means that with an adaptor (manufactured by Erin, but available through Nokia) you can send a Presentation direct to a projector from your phone.

Series 40
The outside of the phone, when closed, also presents an interesting problem, because you need to have something on the screen to interact with, to see who's calling, to find mobile numbers, or simply to check the time. Nokia have taken the interesting decision to put a full phone Operating System on the outside as well. Nokia's Series 40 runs in the 256 colour 128x128 external display, so a host of Java games, full access to your address book, and all the functionality of a regular mobile phone are available. This is a huge improvement over any other Communicator, so congratulations are in order for this.

Hopes and Dreams

I want one.

There we go, a nice clear opinion. The size of the phone doesn't bother me (it will bother some though). I've carried a PDA since 1992 so used to a small Filofax sized box of electronics somewhere close to me. The 9500 hardware changes are everything that the 9210 users have wanted (but note that there's nothing stunningly new outside of the Wi-Fi option). There's a lot of functionality that's not been changed, purely because it already exists and works very well thank you.

The software changes still need to be examined in depth over a period of a fortnight (at the very least) and I'm looking forward to trying to break the review unit (all in the cause of research for you lot, you understand). Till then, the 9500 appears to live up to all the promises it has been making. With an early Q4 launch date in the UK rapidly approaching, there's not long to wait now.

9500 vs 9300 - What's The Difference?

The Really Quick Answer

The 9300 is smaller, while the 9500 has Wi-Fi connectivity and an integrated Digital Camera.

For Those Of You Still Reading

The 9500 and the 9300 are obviously aimed at seperate markets. The 9500 was always pushed as a business phone, and lots of individual users were saving hard to make sure they could afford it - the Communicators have been notorious at launching at a very high market price - and All About readers aren't know for being able to wait till the price drops. The 9300 is going for the consumer PDA market and attempting to take on devices like the XDA and the Treo's head on.

Media Features

For a phone that appears to be aimed at the consumer, the obvious difference is the most unusual. There's no Digital Camera on the 9300 (only on the 9500). Given that the networks like to push this feature, and it's one of the complaints you hear about the N-Gage QD, there must have been some design decision discussions in Finland.

They both comes with a built in Media Player supporting MP3, AAC, WAV, MIDI and Real formats.�Hopefully the OGG Player project (http://symbianoggplay.sourceforge.net/) will be able to take on board this project, because their Series 60 and UIQ implementations are smooth and hassle free. There are a number of headsets available, both wireless and cabled, and the 9300 has�the regular�POP port, so it may be possible to use your own headphones. Polyphonic ringtones are supported on the 9300. You don't have the Image Viewer app on the 9300, which makes sense as there is no digital camera, nor do you need the video recording app - just streaming video on the 9300.

Connectivity

Internet Applications
The core of the Communicators (and the name gives it away) is the Messaging Application. Here there's no difference - both phones support SMTP, POP3 and IMAP4, as well as MMS and SMS sending and recieving. Note that there's no mention of Mail Authentication - if you use the BlackBeryy Push Software (it's an additional purchase) then that may support some form of authentication.

The WAP browser from the 9210 is no more, as the new integrated browser supports WAP 1.2.1, as well as HTML, XHTML, Javascript and smart rendering. Note the 9500 also supports WAP 1.3, as well as 1.2.1.

Data Connections
Tri-band is available on both phones, in both a European (900/1800/1900) and an American (850/1800/1900) flavour. As well as standard GSM, (which was all the 9200's had) we have both GPRS and EDGE enabled in both the 9500 and 9300.

Desktop and to Other Devices

If you hadn't seen the Wi-Fi on the 9500, you'd be very impressed with the 9300's connectivity options. As well as the IrDA port lurking on the edge of the machine, we've got Bluetooth and a fixed USB cable for conenction to your PC. Bluetooth profiles aren't listed yet, but we've got the Wireless Booms and Headsets available as extra's, so we can assume the Headset profile is present, as is the Hands Free profile for the car kits.

Day To Day Usage

That picture above is the relative size, the 9300 is a lot smaller than the 9500. It also weights a lot less (167g compared to 227g). The last complaint of the Communicator series (the size) is finally being addressed. While still quite large compared to devices like the Siemens SL55 or Sony Ericsson T6100, the 9300 is a reasonable pocket sized phone.

Estimated battery life on the 9300 is about 75% of the 9500, and they use different batteries, so no ordering a 9500 battery for your 9300. Both phones have the 80mb of internal memory, and space for the old style regular MMC cards. The smaller form on the 9300 may mean the keyboard is a bit more cramped, but until we get both units in our hands, it's going to be impossible to say. Finally, there's no bundled games on the 9300 CD. If you're desperate for Bounce, Triplepop, Snake Ex and Card deck, you're going to need to download them from Nokia's 9500 or 9210 web pages.

And (as Raven's just pointed out in the forums) the 9300 hinge will open 180 degrees, allowing the device to sit flat n a table. The 9500 only opens around 130 degrees.

Not�a Lot To Choose

The 9300 really is just a 9500 with no Wi-Fi and no Camera. There's very little to choose from, apart from the 9500 being out 3-4 months before the 9300, and we'd assume a difference in price of around 100-150 Euros. They're software compatible with each other (and with the older 9200 Series) so when they're side by side in the shops, it will probably comes down to a simple choice of a lower price or the two extra features.

Nokia 9500 Communicator Specs.

Nokia 9300 Communicator Specs.

Series 80 Phones

Nokia 9210
The first Symbian OS 6 device. This phone has a clamshell design opening upto to reveal a large colour screen (640x240) and a full keyboard. This is a dual band GSM phone. Expansion via MMC card and clip on modules.

Nokia 9290
The US version of the Nokia 9210(i). It is identical to the Nokia 9210i except it is designed for GSM networks in the US.

Nokia 9210i
An upgraded version of the 9210. Upgrades include improved memory and software. New software included Flash Player, Opera Browser and more.

Nokia 9500
Powered by Symbian OS 7.0, and bringing the 9000 Series up to date with the modern smartphones, the Nokia 9500 has Wifi, GPRS and Bluetooth built, has more than 80 MB of memory and is slightly smaller than its predecessor.

Nokia 9300
Smaller than the 9500, but still running Series 80 and Symbian OS 7.0, the 9300 is aimed squarely at the consumer market, taking on devices like the XDA and the Palm Treo's.

Nokia 9300

Nokia 9300

The Nokia 9300 device combines popular voice communication features with important productivity applications in one well-appointed device. Now the tools you need to stay in touch and on top of schedules, email, news, and messages are conveniently at your fingertips.

Design

The modern design of the Nokia 9300 device is the first indicator of the sophisticated features which lie within. Sleek and compact, the device opens to reveal a full keyboard and wide 65,536 color screen.
Organizer

Stay organized throughout the day using the Nokia 9300 device. You can use the built-in calendar to set reminders for important events, access the tasks list to write a memo or shopping list, and browse the Internet to look up directions, find a business address or recommend a good place to meet for dinner. It is easy to synchronize data on the Nokia 9300 device with applications on your PC using Nokia PC Suite software, so that the most up-to-date information is stored on each device.

Key Features

Advanced voice features: handsfree speakerphone, conference calling
Full keyboard and two 65,536 color displays
Messaging options: Email with attachments, SMS, MMS
Office applications: document, spreadsheet, presentations
Organizer: Calendar, Contacts, Tasks with PC synchronization via Nokia PC Suite software
Large memory storage: 80MB built-in memory plus MultiMediaCard (MMC)
High speed data connectivity with EGPRS (EDGE)
Mobile Internet connectivity
Symbian 7.0S OS (series 80 platform), Java MIDP 2.0 and Personal profile
Wireless connectivity via Bluetooth and Infrared to exchange information with other devices
Pop-Port� interface for mobile enhancement connectivity
Tri-band (EGSM 900/1800/1900) operation for use in five continents

Tri-Band Operation

EGSM 900, GSM 1800, and GSM 1900 networks in Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific, North America, and South America where these networks are supported
Automatic switching between bands
AMR Voice codec for 1900 frequency band

Size

Weight: 167 g
Dimensions: 132mm x 51mm x 21mm, 126 cc

Phone features

Timed profiles
Customizable profiles
Alarm clock
Music player with MP3, MPEG-4 (AAC), real audio and midi
Wallpaper: Full-screen color image
Changeable color schemes
Calculator
Screen saver: Digital clock in cover

Memory Functions

80 MB built-in memory for saving contacts, messages, files, images, sounds and applications
Memory card (MMC) slot with hotswap functionality for additional memory

Display and User Interface

Communicator Display

Resolution 640 x 200 pixels
Active transflective color display
Supports up to 65,536 colors
Adjustable display brightness control

Cover Display

Resolution 128 x 128 pixels
Supports up to 65,536 colors
Active TFT color display

User Interface and Navigation

Cover

One user configurable soft key
List menu
5-way navigation key

Communicator

Full QWERTY keyboard with 8 application shortcut keys
One application shortcut key user configurable
9-way joystick
Symbian operating system version 7.0s
Series 80 platform

Messaging and imaging

Multimedia Messaging (MMS)

Multimedia messaging (MMS) with compatible devices: Send and receive messages with text, a sound clip, and an image or a video clip to other compatible devices
Multi-slide presentations as MMS with compatible devices
Delivery reports
Multiple recipients
Scaling

Email

Access your own and privat email accounts
Java midlet
Support protocols: IMAP4, POP3, APOP, SMTP, MIME, IMAP4-SSL/TLS, POP3-SSL/TLS, SMTP-SSL/TLS, SyncML1.1.1.

Fax

Send and receive fax through your GSM number

Text messaging (SMS)

SMS distribution list
Message register
Picture messaging: Send pictures with text to other compatible phones

Imaging

Possibility to attach Portrait images to Contacts
Video player: RealVideo, MPEG4, and H.263 formats supported

Connectivity and data transfer

Connectivity

Pop-Port� interface
USB 2.0 connectivity (Nokia Connectivity Cable DKU-2)
Connect wirelessly to a compatible phone or a compatible PC
Infrared
Bluetooth wireless technology
Install applications with Nokia PC Suite for the Nokia 9300 communicator
Internet browser: HTML 4.01/xHTML
Support for wml 1.3 content
OMA DRM Forward Lock for content protection
OMA Device management 1.1.2
SyncML 1.1.2

Data Transfer

EGPRS* Multislot class 10
Data transfer up to 236.8 kbit/s in EDGE networks
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Multislot Class 10
Data transfer up to 53.6 kbit/s in GPRS networks
Circuit-Switched Data
HSCSD (High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data)*
Fax Transmission

Call Management

Speed dialing in cover
Last-number redial from dialed calls list (Dial key brings out the dialed calls list)
Automatic and manual network selection
Closed User Group
Voice recording
Integrated handsfree speaker
Conference call (up to 6 participants)
Log viewer for communication: email, calls, MMS, SMS

Java� Applications

Downloadable games and applications via Java� technology (MIDP 2.0)
Personal profile Java 1.0

Ringing Tones

Fixed ringing tones: 40 polyphonic ringing and alert tones
Voice clips can be used as ringing tones

Applications

Word processor (Documents), spreadsheet viewer and editor (Sheet), presentation viewer and editor (Presentations)
Compatibility with MS Office programs (MS Office 97 onwards)
Other applications: Calculator, File Manager, Voice Recorder, Music Player

Software

PC Suite

Nokia 9500

Nokia 9500

The 9500 is the sucessor and latest in the line of the 9000 series of the phones. It is the second 9000 series phone powered by Symbian. It is Nokia's first phone which includes Wifi and is aimed very much at the business (enterprise market).

The phone uses Series 80, although this has been significantly updated from the previous version to allow support for WLAN, GPRS and other newer technologies such as Bluetooth.

Specifications
Series 80 Developer Platform 2.0��
Operating System:�
Symbian OS 7.0s��

Java Technology:�
CLDC 1.1
MIDP 2.0
Nokia UI API
Wireless Messaging API (JSR-120)
Mobile Media API (JSR-135)
Bluetooth API (JSR-82 no OBEX)
Java Technology Wireless Industry rel. 1 (JSR-185)
FileConnection and PIM API (JSR-75)
CDC 1.0 (JSR-36)
Personal Profile (JSR-62)
Foundation Profile (JSR-46)
�
Browser:�
XHTML over TCP/IP
HTML over TCP/IP�
�
Messaging:�
SMS
MMS+SMIL
�
Digital Rights Management:�
OMA DRM forward lock
Delivery Method:
HTTP Downloand
MMS
�
Video Support:�
3GPP formats (H.263)
MPEG-4
RealVideo
�
Sound Formats:�
MIDI tones (poly 24)
AMR (NB-AMR)
WAV
MP3
AAC
�
Band Functionality:�
GSM��
Operating Frequency:�
850 / 1800 / 1900 or 900 / 1800 / 1900��
�
Screen Display:�
Color Depth: 65536 Colors (16 bit)
Color Depth: 65536 Colors (16 bit)
Resolution: 640 x 200
Resolution: 128 x 128
�
Physical Measurements:�
Dimensions: 148 x 56 x 23.6 mm
Weight: 222 g��

Memory:�
Heap size: 20 MB��
Shared Memory for Storage: 80 MB��
Max JAR Size: Memory allocated dynamically��

Keypad Descriptions:�
Grid & Qwerty key mat
3 labeled softkey
5-way scrolling
�
Local Connectivity:�
Infrared
Bluetooth
USB
WLAN
�
Network Data Support:�
CSD
HSCSD
GPRS
EGPRS
�
Extra Features:�
VGA camera
SMTP/POP3/IMAP4 email
WLAN (802.11b)
Word/Excel/Powerpoint compatibility
Handsfree speaker
SyncML
MMC�