Nokia Communicator 9210 (Nokia 9210)

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Product:	Nokia 9210
Date:	13/07/01 (896 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: -

Disadvantages: -

Nokia is famous for its intuitive commands and its user-friendly interface, but the 9210 Communicator’s interface is a bit more complicated than the one of the ordinary phones. No wonder you might say, a communicator contains more opportunities than a traditional mobile phone. Of course it does, which is why the 9210 probably will be easier understood by PDA users than regular Nokia pone users. We won't hold this against Nokia, of course, but if you are an average phone user, take our advice and dip into the manual before you try to set the device up for HTML and WML browsing. Unfortunately the Norwegian operator Telenor, which WAP.com uses, had not made an SMS set up for this phone yet so we had to do it manually. E-mail set up was not difficult and it was a pleasure to read e-mail on this screen compared to black and white phone screens. Don’t worry about taking your time setting the Communicator up, surfing or talking. The battery lasts for a long time – much longer than the battery of Ericsson’s R380.

Telenor personnel explained: “It is such a new phone, we have not made the set up yet.” On the other hand the 9210 is made for SMS set up so it is just a question of time before operators submit the handset to their SMS set up programs. Otherwise, simple phone features like messaging, calendar and contacts are easy to use and look beautiful on the colour screen. Another reason to read the manual from page one is that it could be a bit difficult to intuitively understand where the earpiece and the microphone is. Contrary to what you are used to, you’ll have to speak into the back of the phone with the front facing your palm.

Design/style



This is not a small handset to slip into your trouser pocket, but it is nevertheless a well-shaped brick. While the first Communicator came in a darker and duller grey, the 9210 looks better in its lighter and more shimmering grey tone. The area ar
ound the small, outer, phone display is nicely designed with curves in a lighter grey than the rest of the phone. There is an antenna on the 9210 but it blends in with the lines of the phones when raised. When you are not using the phone for talking the antenna is hidden in a small hollow on the top of the phone that fits the antenna perfectly. However, the antenna seems a little fragile and it would come as no surprise if this is the first thing to break on a 9210. WAP.com were only allowed a few days to test this handset and that is why we can’t foresee the long term effects and the weaknesses displayed after a few weeks of use.

Vital statistics




Dimensions: 15.8x5.6x2.7g
Weight: 244g
Dual band: EGSM 900/1800 (The exact same handset under the name of 9290 also supports 1900)
Messaging includes SMS, Fax, E-mail
Internet includes WWW and WAP
Contacts
Calendar
Office includes Word, Spreadsheet and Presentation viewer
Extras: Calculator, Clock, Games, Recorder, Unit converter, Imaging (Digital camera connectivity), Video player
Some of the applications are pre-installed on the memory card. There are also additional applications available on the CD-ROM
Symbian OS
HSCSD (up to 43.2 kbps)
Memory card slot
Connectivity: IrDA, Ir-TranP, Cable (DLR-2L)
E-mail: POP3, IMAP4, SMTP
File conversion support: Symbian OS ß> Rich Text Format, Text (MS-DOS), Text (Windows ANSI), Word 6.0,95, Word 97, Word 2000. Excel 5.0, 95, Excel 97, Excel 2000.
Lotus compatible.
Application memory: 14MB
User memory: 2MB + 16MB Application Card
Execution memory: 8MB (SD-RAM)
Battery (High power, BLL-3 1300 mAH Li-lon): Talk/Data/Fax time 4-10 hours, Standby, phone on: 80-230 hours, Standby, phone off: up to 400 hours.

Browsing



One question inevitably pops up in connection with Nokia’s 9210 launch: Why not GPRS? The 6310 and 8
310 are coming with GPRS this autumn, but Nokia has chosen to include the high-speed (HSCSD) variant only in this Communicator. The High-speed works fine but the HTML pages took some time to download. Especially sites that contain flash and other dynamic features require a patient user. Not only did the download of WAP.com’s site take a while, but most of the pictures did not get through at all.

This was the same problem we had when we tested the Compaq Ipaq – a nice colour screen that made us long for WWW, but a downloading time so long you could make a cup of tea while waiting and still have time to spare. Still, it is a thrill to see colour Web sites on handheld devices. The text comes through and it is usually more important than the pictures to go with it. Navigation is easy via the keypad, which looks more or less like your PC keypad. The WAP set up was a bit complicated since it had to be done manually. However, with a few phone calls to our operator and a bit of patience we got it right. WML pages have the advantage of being quicker to download than HTML pages. However, they are pretty dull to look at in comparison. If the SMS set up for WAP access on 9210 is not launched soon most users will probably just stick to HTML.



WAP related features

This handset is bursting with features. Because it was only at our disposal for a couple of days, WAP.com were unable to test all the different applications such as the various add-on applications. Citymaps, Collins Dictionaries, Michelin Red Guide and games like Rally, Chess and Checkers can be added if you wish. Music and other games will also be available. The recent alliance between Nokia and Iobox (web music company) and Tellstar (record label company) enable pop stars like Craig David to enter the world of Nokia. The two UK based companies Kuju Entertainment and Rage Software have also made deals with Nokia to make games for the Communicator together with the Fin
nish company Springtoys. All the games made up to now are sports related; soccer, snowboarding and golf. Java is the key word here.

Another wicked option is to take pictures with a digital camera from Nokia called Eye. It is small and handy and transfers your pics to the communicator via an infrared port. The communicator can store a limited number of pictures. Why not have your girlfriend’s picture appear together with the phone number and address details when she calls? The phone has 2.5 MB available, and that is not enough to run all kinds of different applications as well as storing pictures. Setting up Communicator PC synchronisation required some manual reading again but the result was good.

If you are comfortable with writing, using the small keys on the keypad, you can write Word documents, Sheets and use your presentation viewer on the communicator - it has it all. Other features like calendar, SMS and contacts are a dream on the display, which equals you PC screen in quality. The colours are bright, the lines are sharp and you can actually see the screen from different angles. The best proof of its quality is the pictures, looking just like the GIFs and JPGs on your PC and giving you a small taste of the future. What a comedown it will be to return to the old black and white screen after this 9210 test sample is sent back to Finland…


Overall


This is definitely something for the advanced mobile phone user. If you are using your phone for something other than talking and messaging this is probably the best handset around right now.

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