Nokia 9290 Communicator Review

[Ioman]

We have just posted a new review.
Title: Nokia 9290 Communicator Review
Date: October 20th 2002
URL: http://www.designtechnica.com/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=41

[dang]

I had some great photo comparisons between this phone and my 8290, but the developer actually lost them. Unfortunately by then I had already returned the phone to Nokia. Sorry about that folks.

-dan

[Ioman]

I think the review is great man. I was able to play with this phone for a while and i felt it was rather large. I think that a good alternative would be the Handspring Treo. I would get the Treo with the Qwerty keyboard though. I would not want to type the bill of rights on the small keyboard, but I personally thought it was not that bad to use. I defintely would rather use a qwerty keyboard over a stylus any day.

[llbbl]

Nice review...

Following my advice, I like it !

[IronSerif]

great informative review...
I love the design, just couldn't imagine typing something of good length on it :)

[llbbl]

Originally posted by IronSerif
great informative review...
I love the design, just couldn't imagine typing something of good length on it :)

I think it is supposed to operate more like a phone with built in web functionality. Not really supposed to completely replace that laptop where you compose that next big book while on the road. You can jot down quick notes and read stuff you have transffered from the PC. It reminds me of something that James Bond had a while back in one of his movies. I think before Pierce Brosnan took over. The one where he controls the BMW from the back seat.

[IronSerif]

Anything that James Bond has/uses is cool :)

[charlie]

I am very surprised that the review fails to mention that while the 9290 is a capable gsm phone, it does not support gprs. I would purchase one tomorrow if it did, but sadly this phone was out of date before it was released.
:confused:

[llbbl]

Originally posted by charlie
I am very surprised that the review fails to mention that while the 9290 is a capable gsm phone, it does not support gprs. I would purchase one tomorrow if it did, but sadly this phone was out of date before it was released.
:confused:

Good point. For all of those who might not know exactly what he is talking about let me remind you.

GSM


* Short for Global System for Mobile Communications, one of the leading digital cellular systems. GSM uses narrowband TDMA, which allows eight simultaneous calls on the same radio frequency. GSM was first introduced in 1991. As of the end of 1997, GSM service was available in more than 100 countries and has become the de facto standard in Europe and Asia. GSM South Africa was one of the first to implement Phase 2 of GSM. | BACK TO TOP |
http://www.dynamic-webs.co.uk/information/dictionary.html

* Global System for Mobile Communications. GSM is a digital wireless communications technology that uses a variation of TDMA, allowing multiple users to share a frequency band by dividing it into time slots. While TDMA and CDMA define only the air interface, GSM defines the whole wireless network. The GSM standard has provisions for text messaging, and GSM devices use a smart card called a SIM (Subscriber Information Memory) card that provides personal account information. GSM is currently the most widely used digital wireless communications technology.
http://www.zucotto.com/whiteboard/glossary.html

* Global System for Mobile communications. The most common digital cellular system in the world. GSM is used all over Europe, plus many countries in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, and North America. GSM's air interface is based on narrowband TDMA technology, where available frequency bands are divided into time slots, with each user having access to one time slot at regular intervals. Narrow band TDMA allows eight simultaneous communications on a single radio multiplexer and is designed to support 16 half-rate channels. GSM also is the only technology that provides incoming and outgoing data services, such as email, fax, and internet surfing. GSM makes use of a SIM card that allows memory portability between dumb GSM phones.
http://geckobeach.com/cellular/intro/glossary.htm

* GSM is the pan-European standard for digital cellular telephone service. It is also one of the technologies available in the Americas. GSM was designed for markets to provide the advantage of automatic, international roaming in multiple countries. The SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card is a vital component in GSM operation. The user can store all relevant data for the phone on a removable plastic card. The card can be plugged into any GSM compatible phone and the phone is instantly personalized to the user.
http://www.bguide.net/appliedcomm/Glossary_ghi.html

GPRS

* General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), is a packet-based wireless communication service that brings data rates from 56 up to 114 Kbps, and continuous connection to the Internet (termed as an "always-on mode") for mobile phone and computer users. The higher data rates offered by GPRS will allow users to participate in videoconferences and access multimedia web content. GPRS is based on Global System for Mobile (GSM) communication and will complement existing services such as circuit-switched cellular phone connections and the Short Message Service (SMS). GPRS is not a replacement for WAP, since GPRS is a transport-level protocol, whereas WAP is concerned with data, security and mark-up of mobile content taken from the Internet. GPRS is associated with the third generation (3G) mobile phones. GPRS trials are already taking place and the technology is expected to become dominant. back to top H
http://www.thevan.com/products/thevan/support/glossary.php

# General Packet Radio Service is a standard for wireless communications which runs at speeds up to 150 kilobits per second, compared with current GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) systems' 9.6 kilobits. GPRS, which supports a wide range of bandwidths, is an efficient use of limited bandwidth and is particularly suited for sending and receiving small bursts of data, such as e-mail and Web browsing, as well as large volumes of data.
http://www.dynamic-webs.co.uk/information/dictionary.html


The tool I used to look up all this info can be found here. It is one of the handful of good tools available to find out more about acronyms.

http://labs.google.com/glossary

[llbbl]

Originally posted by dang
I had some great photo comparisons between this phone and my 8290, but the developer actually lost them. Unfortunately by then I had already returned the phone to Nokia. Sorry about that folks.

-dan

ooooh I thought your nickname reffered to "dang" as in dang it. I see now that your last name begins with G. You probably have noticed this before, but I thought it was an interesting little discovery I made. :)

[Ioman]

Originally posted by charlie
I am very surprised that the review fails to mention that while the 9290 is a capable gsm phone, it does not support gprs. I would purchase one tomorrow if it did, but sadly this phone was out of date before it was released.
:confused:

I am surprised by this as well. Here is a link to the full specifications:

http://www.nokiausa.com/communicator/features/fullspecs/1,5415,,00.html

[llbbl]

Data speed up to 14,400 bps ready

Well that is pretty friggin slow.

I think eventually phones will be either satellite or WiFi based. It would be sweet if you could connect to Boingo or the Starbucks network using a phone like this.

GPRS means you have to be outside ?? If you are on a train underneath the Ocean travelling from Britian to France, I doubt that the speeds you get from that floating piece of plastic in the sky are going to be that great.

[charlie]

You are confusing gprs and gps. Gprs is a data network that runs under gsm systems while gps is the global positioning system that works with satellites.

[llbbl]

Originally posted by charlie
You are confusing gprs and gps. Gprs is a data network that runs under gsm systems while gps is the global positioning system that works with satellites.

Gotcha, ok thanks for the clairity!

[Ioman]

Originally posted by charlie
You are confusing gprs and gps. Gprs is a data network that runs under gsm systems while gps is the global positioning system that works with satellites.

It is sad to see that the data network in the US is several years behind Europe whom have been on a 3G network for sometime.

I am really interested in getting my hands on one of the Pocket PC phones personally.