The Nokia 9000 Communicator is billed as the new-style mobile office, where voice is just one element of the digital data handled. This relatively small and lightweight mobile phone lookalike opens up to reveal a 55-key QWERTY keyboard and 640 by 200 LCD monochrome display. Using the GSM-standard phone it is not only possible to make voice calls, but also to send faxes and short messages, and access the Internet and a built-in organiser.
The Communicator may be the way of the future, and a great idea for digital data multitasking, but Internet access speeds are a little disappointing at present (9,600bps), and the $3,000 price tag slightly inhibiting.
Ail Communicator features are accessed via application keys located on the top of the keypad. With a device this small it stands to reason that the keys are also small. You wouldn’t want to write a
manual using this device, but short messages, faxes and emails on the run are easily managed. One important omission, particularly for an Internet device, is the tilde (*) character.
The top half of the open Communicator is centred on a clear, small LCD screen. The left part of the display contains application and system-related information, including battery level and field strength. The centre of the screen is used for the selected application and the right-hand side shows relevant commands. Scroll keys and command buttons sit on either side of the screen.
The Communicator includes the usual digital voice features. You can talk on the telephone in the traditional mobile manner (well, almost — after dialling remember to flip it over and talk into the back) or open up the device and talk while using one of the other features, such as the con
tact database or calendar. You need to speak a little more loudly and clearly in the latter mode, and try to ensure there isn’t much background noise around at the time, as hearing can become difficult.
Also, you need to turn the phone on from the outside, with the insides closed, before you can make any kind of cellular connection, despite the fact that all of the applications inside are functional as soon as you open up the device.
Fax services are accessed using the Fax application button on the keyboard. All faxes sent can be stored (along with short messages, emails, memos and notes) in the Received Faxes folder. Outgoing faxes, and all other data sent, leave via the Document Outbox. These are sent whenever possible, and attempts are made to send them 10 times (we had no trouble sending any of our test data at the first attempt).
If your network supports it, the Shon Message Service capability supplied with the Communicator allows you to send and receive messages of up to 160 characters.
The Communicator will receive faxes, short messages and data automatically, as long as the phone is switched on and is in a covered area. It uses 8M of memory, with 2M set aside for user data storage, 2M for program execution and 4M for the GEOS 3 0 operating system. That leaves a fair amount of room for the Contacts application, the heart of the Communicator. If the recipient has a contact card, the fax, email, phone and other applications use the stored information. This is a great timesaver, as these can also be searched. All communications events are logged.
The Communicator’s Internet capabilities comprise Mail, Web, Telnet and Terminal applications. Connections are made via a GSM data call. Don’t expect the speeds you may be accustomed to at home or at work. At present they are slow and cumbersome—the GSM standard will only support 9,600bps, which was lightning-fast when it was first developed. A new standard — high-speed circuit-switched data (HSCSD) — is to be implemented towards the end of next year, and will allow speeds up to 64 Kbps.
Email is fast and efficient, and compliant with SMTP, IMAP4, POP3 and MIME1. The Telnet application, used to make a connection to a remote computer via the Internet, caused us a little trouble con-
necting to non-standard port numbers. A terminal connection to a remote computer via a data call is also an option.
Browsing the Web is a little awkward and slow, but it is an amazing tool on a device so small and versatile. You need to use the command buttons and arrow keys to jump to links, for example, hit Go to activate the links and highlight, and then Fetch to jump to a site. You can save URLs to a hotlist, too, but it involves hitting the Back key first to see the save function.
This multitasking, out-of-the-office companion also contains a notes feature (where you can access and store documents); a calendar with both a month and day view; to-do list; alarms; and extras such as a handy world time clock and calculator.
You can use any ISP that offers PPP connections to the Internet — all you have to do is make a data call to the provider. At present, Telstra is the only mobile service provider acting as an ISP, through its MobileNet service.
At $3,000 this is definitely a business machine, and useful for travel in GSM-compliant countries (which doesn’t include the US). While the device will make business easier, some may be impatient for speed increases.
