[Review] Nokia 9500

On dec. 31, at our family get together, i had the opurtunity to see the NOKIA 9500 -communicator.
This is the first time that i am doing review here, so i try my best to review 9500.My cousin's 9500 is powered by HUTCH, costed a cool 40K
* More about 9500
Nokia 9500 is a series 80 with symbian operating system 7. It was dubbed as "communicator" because of its office application and PDa functions.
The Nokia 9500 Communicator offers high-capacity built-in memory – 80 MB, plus a MultiMedia Card (MMC) slot for even more storage space.
nokia95001pk.jpg

* First impression

First after seeing 9500, i cant help thinking about my school pencilbox! It is a almost perfect bar shape (15cm/6cm/2.5cm), and i measured this using a ruler!
It has 2 LCD displays, a bigger one inside its flap side and an usual one outside. The display is very good,i can tell it is better than SE K700i.
And now, the sound is a stereo quality and not like 6600, where it is diifficult to hear when we keep the phone in pockets...Voice Recorder as well.
It weighs a quite heavy compared our usual phones.
In my opinion, looks wise and feature wise, the communicator impressed me.

* main features

The key features of 9500:

# User Interface: Symbian operating system version 7.0S, Series 80 platform.
# Weight : 225 grams
# Dimensions : 15cm/6cm/2.5cm (my brother's ruler came handy here!)
# Battery / talktime : 1300 mAh / Up to 4-10 hours.
# Camera : video capture {RealVideo, MPEG4 formats supported},640 x 480 pixel resolution.
# Memory : 80mb(!) internal and in addition we can add MMC (available upto 1gb in chennai)
# Connectivity : IRDa, bluetooth, EDGe, USB 2.0 connectivity (Nokia Cable DKU-2),Wireless lan, Gprs ,HSCSD.
# Tri-band : EGSM 900, GSM 1800/1900.
# Display: 16 bit/65k TFT dispay, Full keyboard and two 65k-color displays in 128 x 128 pixels.
# Messaging: SMS {pix message as well}, MMS, EMAIL {supports SMTP, POP3}, and interesting FAX application as well.
# Ringtones: MIDI,WAV,MP3 formats.
# Business Applications: Document, Sheet , Presentation viewer and editor, Adobe Reader,MICROSOFT office compactible {the first phone where we can compose a powerpoint document}.
# Processor: ARM-9 based TI OMAP 1510 dual-core RISC processor
Now i shall tell abt abt it other things and my using experience...

* Keypads

keypad4gm.jpg

The first thing i noticed is it is not like the SE phones, which is hard and stocky. The keypad is soft and a feather touch is enough to make it go. This is usefull especially when we are SMS junky or more in this case when we are use to send emails or use MS Word.
Arrow keys have been replaced with five-way rocker key.The 9500 is equipped with eight application keys: Desk, Telephone, Messaging, Web, Contacts, Documents, Calendar and My Own which provide quick access to the most important built-in applications. My Own key can be configured to launch any system or an application of your choice.
Keys now work much more reliable and with firm resistance.
the keyboard also offers traditional arrow keys and the Enter key.

* Connectivity
There is nothing that people can complain of..., has whatever that can be put into mobs!From irda to bluetooth to serial local lan!
# 9500 Communicator supports Bluetooth. Supported Bluetooth profiles include: Generic Access Profile (GAP), Service Discovery Profile (SDP), Fax Profile (GW), Dial-up Networking Profile (DUN), Handsfree Profile (HFP), Serial Port Profile (SPP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP).
# USB 2.0 cable connection (PopPort).
# supports Infrared connectivity
# EDGe, all the hutch TV, airtel live can be accesed.
# Usual GPRS,HSCSD.
# The best part is can be configured to serial LAN also.

* sounds

We all give importance to sound and speaker volume and this 9500 is better than the usually nokia phones.
It supports stereo sounds, MP3 ringtones. The speaker volume is really high, and unlike the 6600 where we almost cant hear the sound when kept in pockets and we will have to use the vibrator for call alerts.
We can buy seperated jack for FM radio.
WE can also record voice using the voice recorder.Overall in my opinion, the sounds and rigntones is good.

* Camera

cam2hg.jpg

The 9500 is also the first Communicator to have a built-in digital camera. The resolution is VGA (640x480 pixels) only.
There is zoom feature also but i did not check that out...the phone screen works as a viewfinder with pretty good refresh rate.
Both still pictures and video recording with audio are supported.

* Data transmission

The 9500 is the first Communicator to support GPRS (53,6 kbps). It supports EGPRS (EDGE), providing download speeds of up to 236.8 kbps. Of course, it still also supports CSD and HSCSD GSM data calls (up to 43,2 kbps).
We can also use the IP passthrough function which allows using desktop PC's broadband connection via USB cable.
* Dispays

9500 is equipped with two screens - large PDA screen inside and small phone screen outside.It is of high quality and its white background makes it very clear even without backlight!The screen is covered by an anti-reflective layer - one can hardly notice any difference in quality even in direct sunlight.
The PDA screen is of 640x200 resolution, but now it is 16-bit (65,536 colors).Colors are vivid and the contrast is very high. Both contrast and brightness can be adjusted in Control Panel.there is also a keyboard shortcut for quick brightness adjustment.
Overall, it has a very good dispay and while watching video files, it looks as though we are watching it in TV. it is so alive...
* Office applications

# Document, Sheet , Presentation viewer and editor, Adobe Reader (.pdf).
# Compatibility with MS Office programs (MS Office 97 onwards).The only phone as i had mentioned before, where we can compose MS powerpoint File.
# PDA features
# i also saw the usual converter, calculator, etc...
* Looks and built

This is another area where we all give a lot of importance to. I need not tell u TE members, it is the sexiest phone ever by nokia.It also comes with a stand. It looks like a pencilbox.
The best way to test any phone is by droping it down! But i dint want to talk risk, just in case if it is not that strong enought to absorb any such shock...
The keypads, as i have mentioned, is good and operates to a feather touch. It does not have a touch screen as many of the PDA phones.
The earpiece has been moved from the back of the device to its front, so we need not open up the keypad to talk.
9500 has two long rubber stripes at the back of the phone for grip purpose.
MY opinion:
So i think 9500 is a very good buy, if u dont mind it's hefty price tag.

The other thing is most of its features are network dependent, so if u use BSNL then i am afraid, we cant put it to use and play with this much
HUTCH provides the EDGE and other support features for rs.600 pm, so in addition to paying for the phone, we need to pay extra to use all the features. It's like airtel BLACKBERRY, where u will have to pay 1200 rs. and also u will get ur phone bill!

In spite of having 64mb RAM, it is slow, like what i noticed in 3660.I cant tell how much much it will drag if we install more softwares and programs.

All the Functions like 65K Colors;intergreated camera; PdA functions;Bluetooth & Edge Makes it the Worlds most advanced phone Till Date.The greatest and sexiest Phone I Had ever seen.In fact it will give o2 PDA phone a good run for its money!

-----

Doctor Grudge
 
tifôsi said:
Ahem! :huh:

Anyway, great review! no one can guess its ur first.

i heard some ppl complaining about the absence of T9 on the front keys.
is that true?
Well, about that TA thing, it was ripped man (wrt to deejay's request), well will edit it TE.

And i dint see any absence of that T9 thing, it's perfectly ok.
 
OOPs! sORRY!
Made a fool of myself i guess. i didnt know u did this review sometime ago , u see, so please excuse my ignorance.
 
drgrude said:
Can i too post some stuff in the main page?
Plz man, there are couple of more reviews to come and i want to post there, can I?
Sorry..you can't.
ATM we don have measures in place to allow ppl outside staff to post there.
If and when we are able to set things up properly, we'll be more than happy to let you do it but for now, only staff members can do it. :)
 
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