Significantly, the tri-band GSM/GPRS EDGE 9500 series, which will come in 900/1800/1900 MHz and 850/1800/1900 MHz models, is one of the first handsets to integrate 802.11b Wi-Fi. This means users will be able to leverage wireless access points to get on the Internet, a corporate intranet and enterprise, and download email.
These access points are becoming increasingly common, as you can find them in airports, book stores, cafes, and many other places. While you'll be able to perform similar functions with the GPRS EDGE data part of the device's cellular capabilities, 802.11b is much faster and it won't eat into a your carrier's data plan, which often charge by the megabyte.
In addition, the integration of Wi-Fi makes the 9500 a no brainier as a potential voice over IP phone (VoIP). VoIP allows users to bypass standard phone lines by using the Internet as the means to make phone calls, potentially saving users and companies, in particular, a lot of money. So employees may be able to use the 9500 as their standard phone in the office and as there cell phone when out of the office.
As for other features, the 9500 is a significant upgrade over the 9200 series. The device runs the latest version, 7.0, of the Symbian operating system, the most common operating system found in smartphones. It has two color displays that support up to 65,536 colors. The main screen, found on the top half of the mini-laptop like device, has an excellent resolution of 640x200, which would allow users to display almost a whole web page. The other screen is located on the top back of the 9500 and it has resolution of 128 x 128. A standard phone keypad is situated bellow the smaller display.
Nokia has developed a number of interfaces that run on top of the Symbian OS to use on its and licensee phones. These interfaces, the most well known of which is Series 60, are designed to make the devices more user-friendly. The 9500's main display, like with past communicators, uses the Series 80 interface, while its smaller screen uses the Series 40 interface. Unfortunately, the Series 80 interface was first developed three years ago and doesn't include pen-input. A new interface, the Series 90, first introduced last fall, reportedly offers better menus and pen-input. The first Series 90 smartphone is the Nokia 7700, which hasn't been released yet.
Top View
Other known features of the 9500 include a large thumb-keyboard like the earlier Communicators, but it adds a VGA (640x480) digital camera, which can be used for taking snapshots, short video or MMS (multimedia) messaging. For connectivity, it integrates Bluetooth, a wireless personal area networking technology, that allows users to connect to printers, for instance, that have been Bluetooth-enabled. More importantly, 9500 users can use a wireless Bluetooth headset with the handset.
The smartphone supports the J2ME Personal Profile environment, it weighs 7.83 ounces (222 grams), and it offers USB connectivity via Nokia's Connectivity Cable DKU-2. In addition, Nokia unveiled a desk stand for charging and synchronization; Mobile Holder, which holds the 9500 in place in the car; and the Antenna Coupler, which provides a connection to an external antenna.
As for the 9500's email client, it supports IMAP4, SMTP, POP3 and SyncML. The smartphone's browser supports HTML/XHTML and JavaScript 1.3, while Nokia offers SSL/TLS and Ipsec for security. As with any handheld worth its salt, you can view documents, spreadsheet and presentations in a variety of formats.
According to Nokia, a number of companies have committed their support to the Nokia 9500 Communicator series, including:
--Cap Gemini Ernst &Young with its @Anyplace Mobility Offerings
--Cisco Systems with wireless LAN infrastructure interoperability
--Computer Associates with streamlined management of the mobile device
--Fujitsu with its IT services and solutions
--HP with its mobile printing solutions
--IBM with WebSphere Everyplace being optimized for the Nokia Communicator
--Oracle with access to the Oracle Collaboration Suite - email, files, calendar, web conferencing, faxes etc.
--SAP AG, which intends to investigate opportunities for SAP solutions for mobile business arising from Nokia's Communicator platform
--Symantec and its mobile device Internet security solutions, including firewall and antivirus
The Nokia 9500 Communicator isn't due until the fourth quarter. It is slated to costs around 800 Euro or about $1000. As more details emerge, such as memory capacity, processor speed, battery power and availability, we'll be sure to report them at SmartPhoneToday.
Back View with Camera
