Nokia 9500 Communicator

The Nokia 9500 is powered by Symbian OS v7 (Series 80), and is a combined mobile phone and PDA - one of the latest in Nokia's Series 80 'Communicator' series. The 9500 is a major upgrade on the Nokia 9210/9210i and has the following features:

QWERTY keyboard
Tri-band for use in Europe& the US
wi-fi, Bluetooth, USB and Infrared connectivity
Camera (640x480 resolution)
SMS, MMS and Email messaging
80Meg of onboard RAM, plus slot for MMC cards
Hands-free speakerphone
Word processor, spreadsheet viewer and editor, presentation viewer and editor

Weight: 222 g
Dimensions: 148 x 57 x 24 mm
Screen: 640 x 200 pixels. 65,536 colours (not touchscreen)
Battery: 200-300 hours standby, 4-6 hours talk time

For full details, take a look at Nokia's 9500 page

Availability: Available from November 2004 - No longer available.

Take a look on eBay.co.uk or Amazon Marketplace
Take a look at a newer handset - See other Series 60 handsets in the range

Update: Replaced in 2007 by Nokia E90

More details:

The Nokia 9500 Communicator became available in late 2004 and is a replacement to the 9210i Communicator. It have a landscape screen and keyboard, which makes it ideal for the business user, as well as an up-to-date PDA familiar to anyone that's owned a Psion handheld PDA.

It's a powerful device with the usual PDA features such as Contacts, Calendar, cut-down office applications, email access and a built-in web browser. One of its strongest selling points is the keyboard, ideally suited to business users who can't get the hang of PDAs with touchscreen and handwriting recognition.

The Nokia 9500 weighs in just over at 220 grams and measuring 148 x 57 x 24 mm, making it more compact and around 10% lighter than the earlier 9210 communicator. If you're looking for something slightly less chunky, you could consider the Nokia 9300 - a slightly less feature-packed, but smaller, member of Nokia's Communicator family.

Connectivity is certainly one of this phone's strong points - as well as being a tri-band phone (for use in Europe and the US), it supports dialup, GPRS and EDGE data transfer, and comes with 802.11b wi-fi access as well as Bluetooth, making it extremely good at communicating with other devices, PCs and even networks. It also has USB and infrared (IR) connectivity as standard.

Tools screen

The 9500 runs the powerful Symbian Series 80 operating system, and Nokia have worked with leading industry partners to help design applications for the new Communicator and ease integration into business environments. In addition, the Nokia 9500 integrates with industry standard messaging platforms.

Media screen

Email access is supported, and web browsing is courtesy of the popular Opera web browser. To add to the power of this device, there's some extra software on the accompanying CD, the device supports MP3 playback, has the RealPlayer (audio and video), has a camera, and can be customised with special clip-on covers. Memory-wise, it comes with 80Meg (the 9210 only had 20Meg), and supports MMC memory cards for additional memory.

Web browser

All in all, there's a lot packed into this device - well worth looking at for anyone that wants a pocketable keyboarded PDA with top-of-the range features and connectivity.

FAQ

Email from your communicator	If you're looking to use your communicator phone for sending and receiving e-mail, consider taking out an account with free provider, BT Yahoo. For details of connectivity, see our Series 80 connectivity page.
Where can I find Series 80 software?	If you're looking to enhance your Symbian phone by adding new software, take a look at Handango for a great collection of add-on software, utilities, applications and games for this phone. For ringtones, wallpapers and Java games, try Jamster
How do I install software?	Software for Symbian OS phones is normally supplied using a Symbian installation file (with a .sis extension). This is a single file that contains the components needed to get a piece of software installed and ready to run. A SIS file can be run on a Symbian phone (e.g. from the Inbox or via a file manager. It can also be run via the PC connectivity solution that was supplied on the CD with the handset. Sometimes SIS files are distributed inside a ZIP file (for compression). See the ZIP section of this FAQ for details of how to extract a SIS file from a ZIP file Assuming you have a SIS file on your PC/Mac (either downloaded from the Internet or on a CD), the ways to install a SIS file onto your handset are as follows: Beaming - Beam the file to your handset from your PC using Bluetooth or IR. If you don't currently have the ability to beam files to the handset via Bluetooth or infrared (either from another handheld device or from a PC), then you may wish to purchase an IRDA adapter for your PC (this means you'll be able to install software, backup and synchronise data between phone and PC). Beamed files can be found in the Messaging application, in the Inbox folder Install via PC - Assuming you've installed the PC connectivity suite that was supplied with your phone, look for the "Install software" option. You'll need to have the handset connected to the PC via serial, Bluetooth or infrared for this to work. By email - The alternative, is to email the file that you're trying to install, typically a SIS (Symbian installation file) to your own email account, and then use your phone to logon to your email (details) and download the SIS file as an attachment into your phone's Messaging Inbox. Via memory card - You can transfer the SIS file to the handset via the card slot and a PC MMC Memory card reader. Copy files onto an MMC from your PC, and then insert the MMC card into your handset. You'll can then use the file manager to access the file.
Compressed ZIP files	If you've downloaded an application and find you can't install it - make sure the file you're trying to install is a SIS (Symbian Installation) file. Many files are distributed in a compressed form (using the ZIP file format). If the file has a .ZIP extension, you'll need to unzip it first. You can do this with a PC application such as WinZip, or on the phone itself using the ZipMan application.
Accessories?	There's a wide range of accessories, including spare batteries, cases, chargers, in-car kits, hands-free units, data cables and fascias, available at Carphone Warehouse and MobileShop. For original spares and accessories, try the Nokia Shop UK
Operating system	Series 80 phones use the Symbian Operating System. To check the version number, from the front panel, type *#0000#. The handset can be upgraded to the latest version of the operating system at approved Nokia Service Centres - If the phone is still under warranty, this will be done free-of-charge. The process takes up to an hour, but service centre policies vary depending on how busy they are, and whether they have the reprogramming equipment onsite. Note that all data is lost when you upgrade, so it's vital to do your own backup first. Online upgrades are not available.
How do I connect my Series 80 phone to my PC?	The Communicator is supplied with Nokia's connectivity suite on CD - it's also available from the support area at www.nokia.com. Bluetooth connection. From the phone, select 'Desk > Tools > Control panel > Connections > Bluetooth'. Set 'Bluetooth active' to "Yes", then move to the 'Paired devices' tab. You should now be able to search for all Bluetooth devices in range. When you've found your PC, pair with it, and then you should be able to use the Nokia Connectivity package to select the file you want to send to the phone. If your PC doesn't support Bluetooth, then you can add it cheaply and easily using a USB Bluetooth adapter. We recommend the Belkin USB Bluetooth adapter available for around £15 from amazon.co.uk. For details of Bluetooth, see our Bluetooth page. IR connection. From the keyboard, hold down the 'Chr' key and press the right arrow to turn the phone's IR on. Line up the phone with the PC infrared port, and Windows should detect the phone. Then, use the Nokia Connectivity package to select the file you want to send to the phone. For more on IR, see our PC connectivity page There are several IR adapters available, including the pictured 'USB-IRDA Adaptor' from Maplin Electronics (Cat no: RV88V). Memory card reader. If you don't want to beam files from your PC to the phone, another option is to make use of the MMC card slot in the phone. Get hold of a Memory card reader for around £20 and copy files onto an MMC card plugged into your PC. Find out more on our Memory card page.
Alternative connectivity software	Rather than the software that came as standard with the phone, there's a rather useful third-party application called Oxygen II - This application supports Contacts, Calendar, Messaging and file management. For details of how this works, take a look at our Oxygen page
Extra memory	The communicators support MMC cards for memory expansion. Nokia can sell you their own MMC cards, but their prices for Nokia-branded cards are higher than for standard cards. We've not heard of any incompatibility with non-Nokia cards, so it's worth shopping around to get a third-party card. Here are a few online options: Amazon - Always a good choice for reliable delivery at good prices Jessops - Stockists of low-priced memory cards and accessories. Worth a look as their own brand of cards, for photographic use, can be cheaper than those on PDA sites TIP eBay.co.uk - bid for new cards at low prices! For more details, see our Memory Card page
What about wi-fi?	The Nokia 9500 supports 802.11 wi-fi wireless networking. For more details on wi-fi, see our dedicated wi-fi page
Hotmail and AOL access?	Hotmail and AOL use proprietary email systems, as opposed to the more common POP email systems - this makes it tricky to access mail on a mobile device. For email on the move, consider using a standard POP3 provider such as BT Yahoo (see setup details) that offers free email accounts that can be configured on mobile phone email programs. If you want to access your Hotmail or AOL email, there are a number of options: General: Try using a web browser on your phone (such as the Opera browser) to access Hotmail / AOL's service via their webmail interface. Hotmail: Use the built-in WAP browser and from 'Services', enter the URL http://mobile.msn.com , and you'll be able to access your Hotmail mail via WAP. There are some complications with this option, which we've detailed on our WAP page AOL: We've also been directed to an AOL Mail FAQ that suggests that a suitable email program can be configured to get email access via IMAP (as opposed to POP3). Many smartphones and PDAs support IMAP (check in the email section). For devices that don't support IMAP, you can download one from Handango AOL: A posting in our forum suggests another option: Open AOL. Go to AOL Keyword. Type 'AOL Mobile' . Open AOL on your Mobile. Under Get Started, Open 'Sign up now'. For more help, see our Connected? page
Receive & send faxes on your mobile	If you need to receive faxes, but don't have access to a fax machine, take a look at efax.com. They'll give you a fax number, and forward faxes direct to your email account as an attachment. You can then use the messaging application to retrieve your faxes on the move. You can also use this service to send faxes. For details, go to www.efax.com.
FM radio?	Some mobiles come with a built-in FM radio. We're often asked whether software is available to add a radio to a phone that doesn't have a built-in FM radio. Unfortunately, it's not that simple, as it's not just a software issue. Phones that have built-in radios contain dedicated hardware in the phone to do this (an FM RF tuner)... and if your phone doesn't have this software, then you're out of luck. If you're really desperate to listen to radio from your handset, note that it is possible to listen to streaming audio over the Internet via GPRS, although don't expect the results to be up to much! There are some Nokia headsets available with an FM radio in the lead, but failing that, consider a small separate FM radio, such as the Mikomi portable radio from Argos , which is small enough to carry around, and capable of good FM reception on the move.
Can I use it as a modem?	Yes, using Infrared or Bluetooth. Infrared - The handset has a 'Modem' option under 'Connectivity'. Selecting this option allows another device (such as a Pocket PC or Laptop) to connect to the Internet using infrared. If the equipment you wish to connect to doesn't have infrared, consider a 'USB-IRDA Adaptor' from Maplin Electronics (Cat no: RV88V). Bluetooth - You can also use the communicator as a modem from a Bluetooth PDA, or a PC with Bluetooth connectivity (such as a Belkin USB Bluetooth adapter). For more, see our Bluetooth page.
What's my phone's serial number?	From the front cover, enter '*#06#' as if it were a phone number, to get your handset's serial number (known as the IMEI) - useful to keep a note of in case your phone is stolen. You may also need this number when registering certain types of software.
Where's WAP?	On the Nokia 9210, a separate WAP browser was available on the Nokia CD. With the new communicators, the wap browsing is done using the supplied Opera Web Browser. For help on accessing WAP, see our Series 80 WAP page
SMS to PC?	If you're looking to copy your SMS text messages to a PC, you'll find that the Nokia PC Suite software doesn't support this. The best option is to try Oxygen II - This is an alternative PC Suite and supports copying of SMS, MMS and other message types, as well as a few other things that Nokia suite can't do. Take a look at our Oxygen page
Data conversion	For help with information on converting your Contacts, Calendar and documents for viewing on your phone, see our Conversion page for some general guidance.