The way to choose a smart phone for business is to look at what features the phone does not have, instead of looking at the features it has. And then pick one that has the least omissions and fits your budget.
Nowadays, most of the smart phones are packing in a lot anyway. But while other phones were packing in, the Nokia Communicators, without packing in much, and sporting the bulky ?school pencil box? image, had garnered a lot of loyal users. The Nokia E90 Communicator takes at least one complaint away and packs in all the goodies, including HSDPA, Wi-Fi, built-in GPS, a 3.2-megapixel camera, large 800×352-pixel LCD and a full Qwerty keyboard.
While the look is still rather bulky, it has been streamlined to look elegant and is available in two colours. This might not be the phone for you if you want a sleek and light one. But if you want your phone to make a statement, then the E90 will not disappoint you. A change from the earlier days has been the inclusion of the camera and even an FM radio. Nokia has probably realised that the business user also requires to chill-out a bit. While the camera is decent, the click button by the side is rather inconsistent and can be disappointing.
For those wanting to upgrade from a 9300i or other communicator, it would be necessary to make some key changes that are clearly useful. For one, the fax function is not available on the E90, but then how many use it anyway? Then, the calculator looks downgraded. However one can download some really sophisticated software at a very low cost. And, the user interface has changed a lot, with the escape key being done away with.
On the flip side, other connectivity tools make the older communicator look like a typewriter. The Quickoffice (for document viewing and editing), a PDF reader and team suite for contacts management, are a definite plus. In addition, the E90 also supports popular messaging clients like RIM?s
Blackberry and Intellisync wireless email. A Mail for Exchange program, which can be downloaded for free from Nokia?s website allows you to sync your calendar, contacts and email from your office server to the mobile device quite seamlessly.
For totally new users or for those who want to shift from other smart phones, its bulkiness will have to be dealt with. But then, while it looks bulky, the phone does easily slip into your pocket and will not take much space in your purse as well. The keyboard is quite friendly, and with some practice, becomes very easy to handle. The designers have created a decent bend on the screen, when the clamp is opened, for users to use both the hands to key in. Those who are used to a stylus-based input, will, however, find the change rather irritating.
The other key elements are in place. Battery life is one of them. Cutting through all the talk-time jargon, the E90 would require you to charge the battery once in two days, even with some heavy usage. This, many would reckon, is something that can satisfy them. It is a phone that would definitely please the globetrotter, who would find several features like the GPS and Google Maps a useful tool. Also, the system syncs in well with other spectrums as well. Not having a TV out could irk some, but then there are other accessories available in the market that could make good this deficiency.
Finally, priced at Rs 35,000 in the market, the phone does look rather pricey. There are many who would argue that one could get a decent notebook at that rate. But then they are two different devices. While the tag could look to be high at the moment, it looks fair when compared to other available options. Lastly, it leaves out little and packs in more.