Click to View

Cingular Wireless say it will soon roll out Nokia's 9300 smartphone, one of the newest handset models in the Finnish phone giant's communicator series. Today's announcement occurs over one year after Nokia first introduced the handset. The 9300 has already been shipping for months in several European markets.

At 5.2 x 2.0 x 0.83 inches and 5.9 ounces, the 9300 is the smallest and lightest communicator yet from Nokia. The company helped launch the smartphone category over five years ago with the original communicator model, a handset that looked like a typical (if large) cell phone closed and a mini laptop open. All communicators since have been variations on this design.

The 9300, as anticipated, is the first device in the United States to ship with Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry Connect service, which enables third-party handsets to support RIM's famous "push" e-mail and data access solutions.

As a result, Cingular says corporate customers may choose to use the 9300 with the behind-the-firewall BlackBerry Enterprise Server, while individual and small business users can use BlackBerry Connect to access Internet Service Provider (ISP) e-mail accounts through the BlackBerry Internet Service.

Cingular's Business Markets Group president Kent Mathy asserts, "The Nokia 9300 phone marks the convergence of two eagerly anticipated, business-focused wireless products—the Nokia 9300 and BlackBerry Connect—with Cingular's nationwide EDGE network." EDGE service is available in 13,000 cities and towns, and along more than 40,000 miles of major highways in the U.S.


9300 Communicator

More E-Mail
The carrier says it will offer a second "push" e-mail solution - Cingular Xpress Mail - for the 9300. Available in Cingular retail stores and based on the e-mail platform from SEVEN, Xpress Mail delivers access to e-mail, calendar and contacts, and offers the ability to view attachments. Cingular Xpress Mail supports Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes corporate e-mail, as well as popular POP3/IMAP personal e-mail accounts.

The 9300 will also support Nokia Business Center announced earlier this month. The Nokia Business Center is a new software solution enabling collaborative business applications for the mobile world, starting with push e-mail.

Having so many competing e-mail and data access solutions is good for the consumer, as choice is always good. But it could easily become confusing.

Cingular will start selling the 9300 through its direct B2B sales division in November. It plans to offer smartphone for as low as $300 with a two-year contract and after $50 mail-in rebate. Customers can choose from either a $44.99 BlackBerry unlimited data plan or a $34.99 4 Mb BlackBerry data plan when they also choose a qualifying voice plan.

For more on the 9300, see Preview: Nokia 9300 – The Smallest Communicator Yet.