SciTech-IT-Communicator<\/p>\n
JP\/17\/ZATNI<\/p>\n
An enterprise gadget that has it all<\/p>\n
Zatni Arbi
\nContributor\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Several years ago, the various capabilities of a Nokia
\nCommunicator 9000 Series were demonstrated to me.<\/p>\n
It was ages ago and, frankly, I no longer remember the exact
\nmodel that was used. All I knew is that it had a regular
\ncell phone interface on the outside and a notebook-like interface
\nwhen I opened it.<\/p>\n
I also knew that it was a very expensive gadget.<\/p>\n
When feature-rich smartphones came along, I began to wonder
\nwhy people still used this bulky cell phone-cum-PDA. Alright, you
\ncould type your notes on it, but you can also do that on a
\nsmartphone. With the latter, you can even scribble your notes.<\/p>\n
With a Communicator, you could send and receive faxes using
\nyour GSM number, but who sends faxes if you can use SMS or e-
\nmail?<\/p>\n
It seemed to me that whipping the oversized Nokia Communicator
\nto your ear was just a way to tell people who you really were. My
\nwife's nephew must have believed so, too, and some time ago he
\nstarted asking me how much this status symbol would cost.<\/p>\n
I said to him, \"If you want to be productive, a smartphone or
\na smaller PDA will do the work, and it will cost you less.\"<\/p>\n
One thing that I did not realize at that time was the
\npossibilities that the Communicator offers. While individuals
\nwill enjoy the various functions of this brick, enterprises will
\nbe able to reap benefits from its functionality.<\/p>\n
It is no surprise that the long-awaited Nokia Communicator
\n9500 has received support from IBM, Oracle and other players in
\nenterprise applications. Sales force automation (SFA) was just
\none application that immediately occurred to me when I read about
\nthe warm reception that it had enjoyed.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Nokia Indonesia, this time I had the luxury of
\nbeing able to try out a demo unit for a week.<\/p>\n
Now, here is a quick rundown of the features: The built-in
\nmemory capacity of the Communicator 9500 is a whopping 80 MB, so
\nyou can store tons of data on it with confidence.<\/p>\n
You can even expand that with a Multimedia Card (MMC).<\/p>\n
Some resourceful users, I have been told, even fax their
\nimportant documents to the gadget and keep them there. The
\nCommunicator then serves as their mobile filing cabinet.<\/p>\n
If their travel agent needs the first page of their passport
\nfor a visa application, for example, all they will have to do is
\nzap a copy to the agent via fax or e-mail, regardless of where
\nthey are at the time.<\/p>\n
For regular office work, Nokia throws in a word processor, a
\nspreadsheet and a presentation program as standard. If you have a
\nwireless digital projector, you can use this gadget to give a
\npresentation.<\/p>\n
What about connectivity? Th Communicator 9500 is a tri-band
\nGSM cell phone and will switch automatically from 900, 1800 and
\n1900 MHz used in all five continents.<\/p>\n
For data transfer, it provides GPRS and even EDGE connection.
\nA USB 2.0 cable is included in the box, but you can use an
\ninfrared or Bluetooth link to synchronize the data with the data
\nstored in your computer or another gadget.<\/p>\n
If you find yourself at a hotspot, you can even access the
\nInternet using the built-in Wi-Fi. Wow!<\/p>\n
Speaking of the Internet, the Symbian 7.0S operating system
\nand the Opera browser already support Secure Socket Layer (SSL).<\/p>\n
That means you can securely access your e-bank to check your
\nbalance or make transactions. You will see the padlock icon just
\nlike the one you see on your computer screen each time you check
\nyour Tahapan BCA account via klikbca, for example.<\/p>\n
For enterprise applications such as the SFA, the Communicator
\n9500 also supports the Virtual Private Network -- one of the best
\nprotection technologies for data communication that is available
\ntoday.<\/p>\n
The model, which is due to be launched this week, has a
\ndigital camera, too. It is a VGA camera, unfortunately.<\/p>\n
Nokia seems to have lagged a bit in increasing the resolution
\nof the digital camera that it uses on its cell phones. However,
\nthis cell phone can print directly to one of the compatible
\nprinters from Hewlett Packard (HP). The two companies have worked
\ntogether for some time to enable Nokia cameraphones to print
\ndirectly to certain HP printers.<\/p>\n
When closed, the Communicator 9500 has a regular cell phone
\ninterface. You can input text messages easily using the keypad.
\nThe cover can be replaced, too -- for example, when it has
\naccumulated a lot of scratches over it.<\/p>\n
That is great. The black cover, the silver casing and the
\nslightly rounded edges create the impression that this model is
\nsignificantly smaller than its predecessor. In reality, it is
\nnot. The design, however, is far more appealing.<\/p>\n
Open the gadget and you have a screen and a keypad. Like the
\nexternal screen, the internal one can also show 65,000 colors. It
\nis very bright and crisp.<\/p>\n
The characters are small, but they are easily readable. The
\nscreen has 640 by 200 resolution, which is half the height of a
\nregular VGA display. Therefore, you will have to scroll up and
\ndown when reading a page.<\/p>\n
On top of the keypad -- where the function keys are on a
\ncomputer keyboard -- there is a row of application shortcut keys.
\nGently press the telephone button, and the screen will give you
\nyour contacts list.<\/p>\n
Press the Document key, and you can start typing your notes
\nimmediately. Press the Web key, and you are ready to surf the
\nInternet. You can navigate around the screen with a nine-way
\nscroll button that controls the mouse, too.<\/p>\n
No doubt about it, the Communicator 9500 has almost everything
\nthat you may need in a mobile communication device.<\/p>\n
Of course, we all look forward to the day when we have WiMAX
\nservices and a Communicator that supports the technology.<\/p>\n
However, here are some items on my wish-list for the
\nCommunicator 9500.<\/p>\n
First, it would be nice if Nokia enlarged the external display
\nscreen a bit more and used the larger screen fonts that, again,
\nmy favorite N6800 uses.<\/p>\n
Second, the scroll button could be made with a roughened
\nsurface so that your thumb does not slip when you press it (do
\nyou remember the N3650?).<\/p>\n
I am still learning to use the button, since it somehow moves
\nup or down when I actually want to press it down.<\/p>\n
Third, each of the keycaps on the full QWERTY internal keypad
\nshould have a recess in the middle, instead of a bulge. That
\nwould make two-finger typing operations easier.<\/p>\n
Fourth, for the next model, perhaps Nokia should look at the
\npossibility of using thinner metal alloy for the casing --
\nsimilar to what the Motorola Razr V3 uses.<\/p>\n
Some of those who saw me using this Rp 9.5 million device
\ncommented that Nokia should add a touch screen and a stylus. I do
\nnot agree with them.<\/p>\n
It is difficult to make a touch screen as sharp as the screen
\nthat the Communicator 9500 now has. A larger screen is more
\nlikely to improve user experience.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, I am positive that I can live with these minor
\nshortcomings -- especially as past models of the Communicator
\nwere gadgets that felt as though they would last forever.<\/p>\n
Despite the steep price, there are tens of thousands of
\nCommunicator users in Indonesia. They have formed a user club,
\ntoo.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Nokia Indonesia has been doing its best to
\nsupport this premium product. A Nokia Mobile Solution Center has
\nbeen set up in Dharmawangsa Square, Jakarta, where Communicator
\nusers can learn how to configure and personalize their gadgets.<\/p>\n
Like most other gadget freaks, I do not mind paying more for
\ngadgets that are sturdily built and do not break easily. So far,
\nthe Nokia Communicator has been one of them.<\/p>\n
Oh, I have begun mentioning this gadget to my wife. Well, you
\nknow the standard operating procedure when it comes to buying a
\nnew expensive electronic gadget, don't you?<\/p>",
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