BIOS: Technology Means Business

Nokia, the world's top mobile phone maker, has updated its 9300 series of business smartphones. Based on Symbian 7.0S operating system (series 80 platform) and Java MIDP 2.0 the spectacle case-shaped 9300i (around £299 inc. VAT) is identical to the original 9300 released earlier this year, but adds one very welcome feature - support for wireless Internet access and networking via 802.11g. The phone is due out in the first quarter of next year, but BIOS managed to get hold of an early sample.

On the outside, the wholly silver Nokia 9300i is actually a lot slimmer and more elegant than expected (132x51x21mm, 167g). When opened, the device reveals a full keyboard and 640x200-pixel (65536 colours) display that is bright, exceptionally crisp, and has a wide viewing angle. There's even a second 128x128-pixel display on the outside of the phone so you don't have to keep opening it to make and receive calls, send and receive text messages, or alter some of the phones basic settings (such as toggling between profiles).

The biggest strength of the phone, however, is that its messaging functionality is superior when compared to most data-centric devices that combine PDA-like features with a mobile phone. The Nokia 9300's flip-open design and widescreen display also makes it a lot easier to browser the Web, manage your contacts and calendar, as well as create and view business documents, thanks largely to the fact that you don't need to scroll as much.

The tri-mode world phone supports GSM, GPRS and EDGE (up to 236.8Kbit/s) networks. Five-party conference calling via an integrated speakerphone and multiple e-mail clients (with attachments) is supported, including BlackBerry Connect, enabling encrypted mobile connectivity in and out of the office. The Nokia 9300i also integrates infrared, USB 2.0, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities, giving you four different ways to wirelessly synchronise your device to another computer or handsfree headset, as well as exchange data with other mobile devices and access Web-based content on the move.

The Nokia 9300i features one-touch access to personal information and office applications through eight dedicated function buttons on the device's integrated keyboard. A five-way joystick allows you to navigate menus to find the features and functions you need to quickly accomplish tasks and find information, but we found the joystick a little sensitive and we often entered menus we didn't want. Having said that, after a few hours use you should have become familiar enough with the pointing device to minimise these types of navigational errors.

The phone has 80MB of built-in memory, which should be more than sufficient for storing e-mails, documents, presentations, text and multimedia messages, ringtones, data files, calendar notes and 'to-do' lists - or downloading applications. If you do run out of storage space, the built-in SD/MMC card slot lets you expand up to 2GB.

As expected from a business communicator it supports a variety of e-mail clients, including IMAP4, POP3, APOP, SMTP, MIME, IMAP4-SSL/TLS, POP3-SSL/TLS, SMTP-SSL/TLS, OMA Data Syncronisation, BlackBerry Connect, Nokia Business Center, IBM WebSphere, Oracle Collaboration Suite, Seven Always-On Mail and Visto Mobile. You can even send and receive fax through your GSM number. Security features include SSL/TLS, IPsec VPN for secure mobile access to corporate information, and a personal firewall and anti-virus software. Web browsing is done via HTML/XHTML, HTML 4.01 and JavaScript 1.3.

The phone's pre-installed applications are what you'd expect from a device designed for communicating out of the box. For instance, there's a Word processor (Documents), spreadsheet viewer and editor (Sheet), as well as a presentation viewer and editor (Presentations). Thankfully, all of the programs are compatible with Microsoft's market-leading Office programs (Office 97 onwards). There's also an alarm clock, music player (MP3, MPEG-4 (AAC), RealAudio), calculator, voice recorder (recorded clips can be used as ringtones), video player (MPEG-4, RealVideo, H.263) and a file manager.

While the bundled applications are a welcome addition, the real strength of the Nokia 9300i is its call management features. In particular, it offers speed dialling, last-number redial from dialled calls list (dial key brings out the dialled calls list), automatic and manual network selection, closed user groups, integrated handsfree speaker, conference calling for up to five participants, and a log viewer for monitoring communications (e-mails, calls, MMS and SMS messages). You can view missed and dialled calls without opening the device, as well as change the profile (such as silent) and toggle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on and off, but there's no vibrate option - a feature we all come to expect from a modern phone.

The Nokia 9300i is a powerful and feature-rich smartphone, but it's not without a few shortcomings. Most noticeable is that the main keyboard isn't backlit and there's no built-in digital camera. In addition, T9 predictive text isn't supported and accepting Bluetooth connections aren't possible with the lid closed (Nokia wants you to open the lid and type on the QWERTY keyboard). You even need to open the device to accept a beamed business card and file it in the Contacts book, which shouldn't be necessary - especially considering flipping the phone open requires two hands. Finally, the SIM is almost impossible to remove without a sharp object to push it out far enough to grasp it with your fingers. On a more positive note, the built-in rechargeable Lithium-polymer (1100mAh) battery lasts around 200 hours in standby mode and offers some 4 hours talktime.

Nokia will offer two tri-band versions of the Nokia 9300i. One is optimised for mobile networks in Europe and Asia (GSM900/1800/1900 MHz) and one optimised for mobile networks in the Americas (GSM850/1800/1900 MHz), yet both versions are able to roam in GSM networks across regions. Nokia also offers a service portfolio for its business devices and solutions ranging from technical support to implementation, professional services and technical training.

Overall Nokia's 9300i will appeal to a wide range of professionals who want powerful functionality from a data-enabled device that is easier to use than a PDA-type smartphone. Striking a balance between phone and PDA, but without sacrificing the combined functionality that many people require but until now could only get from carrying multiple products, the Nokia 9300i is excellent. Having said all this, we still can't believe Nokia didn't include built-in Wi-Fi with the original model, the 9300. [8]