Nokia is launching a slimmed-down version of its flagship
Communicator. The Nokia 9300 will go on sale worldwide sometime in
early 2005, priced at between $785 and $845.
It weighs in at less than six ounces (170 grams), compared with 8.6
ounces for the most recent Communicator, the 9500. The 9300 lacks
the 9500's digital camera and Wi-Fi chipset - lending to the
machine's smaller battery - but it is also noticeably slimmer than
its predecessor. Like all previous Communicators, the 9300 has a
traditional "candy bar" shape and can be opened along its side to
reveal a larger LCD screen and QWERTY keyboard.
The new handset is the latest in the phone maker's eight-year-old
line of Communicator smart phones, devices that come with an array
of advanced features allowing them to double as mini-laptops.
The 9300 comes with advanced personal organiser features, as well
as support for RIM's (Blackberry) wireless email software. Other
features include in-built office applications supporting documents,
spreadsheets, presentations, and a PDF viewer. The handset works on
most global mobile standards, has an MP3 and multimedia player, and
supports Java for new application and games downloads. The 9300
also has an 80MB storage capacity, which is expandable to
2GB.
Still more attributes of the Symbian-based GSM/GPRS phone include
an assortment of e-security protocols - including anti-virus
software - support for HTML/XHTML web browsing and Bluetooth,
infrared and USB connectivity.
According to pundits the 9300, is an attempt by the firm to broaden
the appeal of the Communicator, which has a loyal following among a
small group of technophiles. Like early Motorola mobiles from the
late 1980s and early 1990s, current versions of the Communicator
have been dubbed "the brick" by those turned off by the devices'
size.
Niklas Savander, senior vice president of Nokia's business device
unit, said: "The Nokia 9300 will appeal to a wide range of
professionals who want powerful functionality from a data-enabled
device without compromising the look, comfort, simplicity and
usability of a standard mobile phone. We believe the Nokia 9300
strikes that balance in one stylish smartphone, without sacrificing
the combined functionality that many people require but until now
could only get from carrying multiple products."
Nokia is facing mounting pressure from rivals which have recently
moved deeper into smart phone territory. Motorola, Microsoft,
PalmOne, Sony Ericsson and others have all hitched their carts to
the smart phone market, which as yet remains unproven, despite
claims of 170 million unit shipments annually by 2009. Nokia is the
top vendor in the sector, shipping some two million smart phones in
the second quarter of 2004 and taking 33.2 per cent of the market,
according to research firm Canalys.