The new Nokia 9500 Communicator, unveiled at the Cannes 3GSM show this week, has almost everything executives on the move might salivate over. It will link wirelessly with your firm's computer network, enabling anything from emails to spreadsheet and customer relations management to be done remotely from the office. It has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio links, Symbian operating system, a camera, triband (for use in the US) and a host of facilities in addition to a phone. Nokia has linked up with IBM to make sure that companies can get all the back-end support they need.
When the Blackberry emailer - still a compulsive corporate buy - came out, it sparked imitators dubbed "Kill-Blackberries". None has succeeded in knocking it off its perch, although rival software with "push" email is appearing, and Blackberry technology will be in other phones (such as the Sony Ericsson P900). The question is whether the Communicator will kill off the laptop as an executive mobile device, since it claims to do most of the things a laptop can, including (wireless) PowerPoint presentations.
A brief play with a prototype revealed it to be another marvel of miniaturisation. Despite sharply increased specifications, it is lighter (220 grams) than earlier Communicators. Unlike the Blackberry, its clam-shell design opens to show a colour screen and a much more compact (but much less finger-friendly) keyboard than earlier models. If it lives up to its specs, Nokia could have a winner on its hands for those needing to be in permanent sync with the office. However, for anyone just wanting emails and limited web access, the Blackberry may be preferred, as you don't have to open it to read mail.
But this is a fast-moving market. RIM, the manufacturer of Blackberry, is not sitting still and Microsoft - with its dominance of operating systems - won't want Nokia moving into its space. This may be one reason why Nokia announced a product that won't be available, for about €800 (£538), in volume until the fourth quarter. It wants people to hang on before hooking up with the competition. A combination of Nokia and IBM is a potentially formidable force.
