Taken with permission from the recent issue of "mobilis", a free mobile
computing magazine available exclusively on the Web at
http://www.volksware.com/mobilis
At the huge CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany last month, the
Finish telecommunication giant Nokia showed off its newest entry in the
increasingly fast-paced "smart" wireless communicator market. Following
recent hiccups with its mainstream wireless business, Nokia is looking
to leading-edge technologies to capture the imagination of people who
are growing accustomed to the idea of being able to communicate from
just about anywhere. As the wireless voice business becomes more and
more a commodity market, Nokia hopes to differentiate itself by closely
integrating wireless data, fax, and Internet access to its popular GSM-
based cellular phone design. The result: the Nokia 9000 Communicator, a
small and slightly enlongated phone that hides its advanced features
inside a clever clamshell design which can be quickly opened to reveal
a handheld-sized keyboard with several feature-specific function keys.
In addition to the GSM digital voice service, the Nokia 9000 offers a
compelling mix of wireless data capabilities including fax, email, and
short message send and receive services. Potentially more interesting
is that the Nokia 9000 offers an unprecendented level of access to
remote data through an Internet access feature highlighted by a
built-in World Wide Web browser, Telnet, and VT100 terminal emulation.
Based on version 3.0 of the GEOS operating system, the Nokia 9000 also
includes a full complement of personal information management functions
including a calendar, an address book, a notebook, to-do list,
calculator, and world clock.
At 174 x 65 x 36 mm and weighing 397 g, the Nokia 9000 is considerably
more portable than the ill-fated BellSouth/IBM Simon introduced a
couple of years ago. Instead, the 9000 features a sophisticated
industrial design that should make it more attractive in this
image-sensitive market. The Nokia 9000 is powered by an embedded Intel
386, and features 4 MB of memory for the operating system and
applications, 2 MB for program execution, and 2 MB user data. Somewhat
surprisingly, the device does not accept pen input, a feature that
would seem a natural for busy professionals that need to annotate,
sign, and return faxes from brokers and colleagues. The Nokia 9000 will
be available this summer in major markets in Europe and Asia where GSM
service is available.
from the April issue of "mobilis"
http:/www.volksware.com/mobilis