The next mutation of a cell phone, the Nokia 9210 (&9290 US version) (Nokia 9210)

Member Name: Mnehr

Product:	Nokia 9210
Date:	17/12/02 (854 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent integration of cell phone and PDA. The best wireless internet browser

Disadvantages: GSM service still not widespread in the US.

I have actually been sitting on a <b>Nokia 9210/9290 US</b> for a while without writing a review on this excellent phone/PDA combination. After testing the <I>Handspring TREO 180</I> and the <I>Kyocera 6035</I>, I have come to realize my experience with the Nokia 9210/9290 US was behind my dissatisfaction with other PDA/Cell phone combinations. Normally I am not a fan of Nokia phones as I find them both inefficient to use as well as substandard in quality to comparable Motorola products. The <b>Nokia 9210/9290 US </b> and a few other 3g GSM/GPRS European type models have changed my perspective on Nokia as well as Cell Phone/PDA mutants.

In the past I have downplayed the quality of GSM digital carriers in the US. Up until recently, the only major carriers that used GSM digital technologies were Nextel and Voicestream. While GSM was becoming the most used wireless service through out the world, here in the US it was quite substandard in its quality and availability. Recently both AT&T and Cingular have announced plans to convert their TDMA networks to a third generation GSM/GPRS system. While I still find the quality of GSM substandard to CDMA, GSM service is slowly becoming a viable option for most people here in the US.

With this said, a whole new world of wireless phones are slowly making their way to the US. One of the flagship models of Nokia?s European line is their 9210/9290 US. The 9210/9290 US gives us the result of attempts that many other wireless phone makers are attempting in combining many features into one package. With the 9210/9290 US one can easily replace their cell phone, PDA, 2-way pager, <I>Blackberry</I>, fax machine, and at least one of their spare PCs in their house. What I am most impressed about the <b>Nokia 9210/9290 US</b> is the way the features have been integrated with each other in a logical and truly functional way. Other cell phone/PDA combinations I have used (spe

cifically the aforementioned Handspring and Kyocera models) added these PDA functions onto their cell phone platform with out truly integrating the two devices.

<b>Ergonomics and Style</b>
For its size, the 9210/9290 US surprisingly does not feel too heavy. At 8.6 ounces it is just a hair heavier than the popular Nokia 5185I (6 ounces) and just over twice as heavy as the Motorola V60c (4 ounces). While this seems heavy in this age of featherweight phones, its weight relative to its size doesn?t feel all that bad to hold for extended periods of time. As I have stated, this is a fairly large phone, and for those used to micro sized phones like the V60, using this phone takes some getting used to. The overall height of the 9210/9290 US is 11 inches counting the antenna, or just over 9 inches of body area. At 2.5 inches wide and ¾ inch deep, this phone will remind most people of the size of the early NEC or Mitsubishi analog cell phones. I have always preferred phones with a little more ?meat? on their bones if I am going to use it a lot, as they seem more secure in your hands. The size of the 9210/9290 US, however, is just a little too large to use comfortably like a conventional phone. The best way to use this phone for extended conversations is either to use a headset or use the phone in hands-free mode. This is one of the few phones available on the market that I actually find comfortable holding between my ear and shoulder when talking on it. This phone actually has enough bulk that it does not slide out of this awkward, yet often used, talking position.

To use the PDA features of the 9210/9290 US, one flips open the phone from the side. Here you will find a 5 inch wide by two inch tall display and a keyboard that takes up almost the full space of one side. The keyboard on the 9210/9290 US is actually one of the easiest to use of any PDA. The keys are almost 3 times the size of the TREO 180s keys and are spaced ap
art m
uch better. Unlike other PDAs, the 9210/9290 US does not have a ?touch screen? that one uses a stylus; all functions are controlled from the keyboard. The size of the keyboard and the easy to use navigation buttons keep me from missing using a stylus.

Comparing the ?style? of the 9210/9290 US to most other phones on the market is like comparing a Suburban to a Ferrari. What this phone lacks in the popular styling elements it makes up for with its functionality and features. The dull gray color may not be attractive to most people, and I am not aware of any companies who currently supply interchangeable faceplates for the 9210/9290 US. This is not a phone that one buys for ?styling elements? like they would most other Nokia phones.

<b>Features</b>
I could literally write a novel on all the features this phone has and how each interacts with each other. To be concise, the 9210/9290 US uses one of the most efficient PDA interfaces I have seen, and it provides a seamless connection with the functionality of the phone.
The operating system the 9210/9290 US uses is <I>Symbian OS</I>. This most closely resembles Microsoft?s Windows CE operating system and will be very familiar to anyone who uses a Windows or Mac operating system on their computer. Although it does not use Windows CE, the Symbian OS and its underlying software components are compatible with most Microsoft Document documents including <I>Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.</I> Unfortunately Palm applications are not compatible with the 9210/9290 US, however, in my opinion, most PDA users would not miss the few Palm type apps they cannot find in a Windows format.

The Symbian OS is one of the most efficient PDA operating systems I have used, and I would actually rate this OS just above Windows CE and far above Palm in both its ease of use and its integration of functions.
The Symbian OS includes a plethora of software that will li
terally me
et every need that I can see one would have in a handheld.

The <I>office</I> applications included on the 9210/9290 US include a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation viewer. All of these office applications are compatible with both Microsoft and Lotus? PC counterpart documents. Of course, no PDA would be complete with out an address book and calendar, both of which are well integrated into the device.

The address book provides a good example of how well this device integrates it different operating functions. One can actually link an appointment on the calendar to a name in the address book. One can jump from their daily appointments to their address book with one button, found on the side of the display. The address listing can include the obvious name and phone number, and also e-mail, address, and notes, and even a downloaded photo of that person. When in an address book listing for someone, the navigation buttons on the side of the display give you the option to call, e-mail, or fax that person. If you choose the call option, the phone immediately dials that person in hands-free mode. If you choose e-mail, a ?new message? window will open with the parties? e-mail address already entered. Finally, if you choose to fax that party, your word processor screen will open allowing you to both open and fax an existing document or compose a new document. All of these features are ?one touch?, unlike other phone/PDA combos which force the user to make notes of various items that are not ?cross compatible? (such as dialing a phone number directly from the address book.)

Even with all of its PDA and office functions, what really stands out on the 9210/9290 US is the web browsing service. The 9210/9290 US is compatible with both WWW and WAP enabled web pages and unlike the shoddy service I have had with the ?Blazer Browser? on the TREO 180, I have been able to easily connect to non-WAP enabled sites. The
full color dis
play is crisp and with out question, is the best display I have seen on any handheld device. In addition to full web surfing, the 9210/9290 US is also compatible with <b>Real Audio</b> formats and provides ?streaming? audio and video, allowing the user to view and/or listen while it is downloaded. On EGSM service (Cingular?s GSM is EGSM compatible) downloads are slow, however, as GPRS becomes available, download times will be greatly increased. The browser on the 9210/9290 US is fully Java compatible.

E-mail compatibility on the <b>Nokia 9210/9290 US</b> is exceptional and is compatible with most mail servers including Microsoft Exchange, Opera, Lotus, Oracle, Sun, and Corel. As with most hand-held devices, the only real problem you will have is with AOL mail servers, but this is to be expected from anything AOL.

The phone features are all that one would expect. The phone is compatible to view caller-id, although, this is still dependent on your carrier?s features. There are only few choices of ringers mode, and, unlike most other Nokia phones, downloadable ring tones are not available yet for this phone. The phone book is not a separate function of the PDA but is integrated with the PDAs address book. Nokia has simplified their clumsy menu functions for things like system and network settings and volume settings. My only complaint in the phone functions is they can only be accessed when the phone is closed and only viewed on the phone display, not the PDA display.

<b>Hardware</b>
Technically, the 9210/9290 US easily outperforms most PDAs on the market. It includes a 32-bit ARM9-based RISC CPU, 40mb of memory with an expandable slot for an additional 64mb memory card. This memory is needed as the 9210/9290 US has the capability to not only download streaming audio and video, but one can also download photos from their digital camera onto this device. If you are planning to use a lo
t of image downloads
I would recommend purchasing the 64mb memory card.

Battery life on the 9210/9290 US is stated to be 4-10 hours of talk time and up to 230 hours of standby time. I have found, however, that the one will get, at best 3 hours of talk time and 3 days of standby if they are only using the phone functions. If you are using the PDA functions, expect those times to be greatly reduced.

<b>Service</b>
Service on the 9210/9290 US is currently greatly limited in the US. The service is only available for GSM 1900 MHz. Both AT&T and Cingular are currently switching to a GSM compatible system, however, for the most part, this is not yet being sold to the public (as of June 2002 this has become available in most markets). I currently do not know of any plans Nokia has to make the 9210/9290 US for the CDMA or CDMA2K market, however, if this does become available, I would highly recommend this service over the 3g GSM services. If you travel regularly to Europe, this phone should function seamlessly as their EGSM system has been long since established, especially in Western Europe.

<b>Overall</b>
As the third generation GSM digital services become available in the US, more and more high end, highly functional phones like the <b>Nokia 9210/9290 US</b> will become available. The 9210/9290 US is by far the best integration of cellular phone and PDA on the market and is, to my knowledge, the only Windows compatible cell phone/PDA available. Service being the only limitation, I would highly recommend the 9210/9290 US. The commercial price for the 9210/9290 US is about $500US, although I feel that when they start selling these in the US the price should have dropped to around the $300 range.

The more I use this phone and discover for uses or flaws, I will, as I have my other reviews, continue to add updates of these findings.

Summary: