written by Mr D. on 20/11/2001
Good Points
The integration between PDA and telephone has the potential to be very useful. A colour screen and no more aligning PDA and phone via infra red to check and send email or faxes.
Bad Points
Its instability and screen size.
General Comments
Having owned a nokia 9110 for two years I was looking forward to the release of the nokia 9210 since it was announced in 2000. Upon buying it two days after its release date I was very impressed by the colour screen and much improved keyboard but felt that the screen could have been a little larger without increasing the dimensions of the phone. The software capabilities of the device are light years ahead of its predecessor and web browser is a significant improvement as is the inclusion of Java.
One annoying feature of the machine is the removal of one of the SHIFT buttons compared to the 9110. This mat sound silly but 9110 users became used to holding the device and typing with both hands and selecting SHIFT with either thumb. A number of users of the 9110 who upgraded to this device have pointed out the same annoying feature.
These are minor niggles compared to the unfortunate instability of some of the units. My device delivered with firmware 3.18 had a tendancy to crash on a regular basis, resulting in the machine completely freezing. This was a major setback if a document was being edited and hadn't been saved. However, even this doesn't compare to the frustration of discovering 4 hours after a crash that numerous SMS messages and Faxes have not been handled by the device. A business communications device having no ability to receive messages is catastrophic.
Nokia do not supply temporary units while a device is being repaired necessitating the user being left high and dry while firmware upgrades take place. In a device of this price this is something Nokia might want to look into. I am now on the latest firmware release (3.62) and I am afraid the device still crashes on a very regular basis ( 10 - 15 times a day ). Three days after it being returned from service the device is on its way back to Communicaid in the UK for another investigation and repair. I cannot be sure but the problem appears to occur far more often when I am travelling by car or train so it may be related to cell handover.
A couple of features which should have been included in the unit are GPRS and scheduled email retrieval although I am sure the latter will be provided by a third party software supplier.
Strangely, signal strength as indicated on the unit appears to be less than much cheaper Nokia phones. One bar on a 6210 or 3210 often results in no network being available on the 9210.
Overall the device could undoubtedly be an excellent business tool but I am afraid that its unreliability makes it unsuitable for serious business users. Having to open the device every 20 minutes to make sure that it is still working can get very annoying. I dread to think of the wear on the battery catch caused by the repeated removal and replacement of the battery.
8377_Damian.'s Response to Mr D.'s Review
Written on: 03/01/2002
It is refreshing to read a review that didn't pussy-foot around. I have a Nokia 7110 and have had similar problems locking up etc. It makes me wonder if Nokia need to invest more into the software design/testing.
<br>This review has actually put me off the thought of buying one of these, and think I will have a closer look at the 7620 just released
30377_Ice.'s Response to Mr D.'s Review
Written on: 18/07/2002
I've bought my communicator at Christmas and so far I managed not to throw in the trash bin. How come? I've upgraded my firmware to the 3.62 version, i've downloaded and installed 2 useful tiny programs from Nokia Forum (avail & spy) which are responsible for improved management of the memory. I've also bought Task Manager from PsiLoc, a very very useful program. I have now a 64MB MMC card, and my phone hangs less than once a month, which i think it's good.
<br>So, if you love it, take care of it, and it will repay you!
16832_Jason.'s Response to Mr D.'s Review
Written on: 23/03/2002
An accurate and honest review.
<br>I have had mine for two days, and already I have had to reset the unit by removing the battery three times.
<br>This unit has some serious problems, and it's very dissapointing considering how reliable the Psion range of handhelds was running the EPOC OS.
<br>I would not recommend that people buy this product until Nokia acknowledge the problems and release either a hardware or software fix for the locking up.
<br>As a by-the-way point, I have to say that the audio quality is also poor when using the product as a phone.
<br>What a waste of opportunity for Nokia.
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<br>Cheers,
<br> Jason