The Nokia 9290 Communicator aims to replace all of your portable devices by combining a cell phone, PDA, and wireless office into one. On the outside, it appears to be just a cell phone, but when you flip it open lengthwise, this tool sports a full-color screen and keyboard, allowing you to do messaging and compose business documents from any remote location.

The cell phone component of this device features the familiar Nokia interface, so anyone who’s used a Nokia before will be able to modify settings in a snap, without referring to the manual. Considering that it performs many of the functions of a PDA with its built-in keyboard, the Communicator is lightweight. However, in comparison to other cell phones, this Nokia is a heavy 8.5 ounces. We found that the phone, which is about the size of an eyeglass case, was awkward to hold in smaller hands because of its wide uncontoured body. The buttons on the keypad are spaced well for easy dialing, but the placement of the mouthpiece and earpiece on the opposite side of the phone from the keypad is highly inconvenient. Dialing a number on one side and flipping the phone over to talk on the other was annoying. During phone calls, we accidentally hung up on our friends several times when we brushed the keypad against our hand or shoulder.

The phone opens in half lengthwise to reveal a backlit, high-resolution, 4,096-color screen. Most competing PDA/phone combinations feature a vertical screen, but we preferred the wider view offered by the Communicator, which still has enough height to provide an eight-line screen at a readable font size. From here, seven buttons along the top of the keyboard go to the Communicator’s main functions: desk, telephone, messaging, Internet, contacts, calendar, and office. The QWERTY keyboard below makes it easy for trained typists to input information; however, the keyboard has only one Shift key--on the left--which slowed down our typing considerably. Also, the tightly packed keys made typos inevitable.

The Communicator's design flaws, though, are more than made up for by its other features. The PC-like icon-based interface is completely intuitive, so you can jump right in and start creating documents and organizing them in the Windows-like file manager. The Communicator supports a wide range of e-mail protocols, allowing you to send and receive messages with spreadsheets, business presentations, video clips, digital images, and music files attached. With 56 MB of memory, the device has adequate storage space for all documents. A 16 MB MultiMediaCard, packaged with the Communicator, is included in that 56 MB; the unit accepts cards up to 64 MB so you can also upgrade your memory. Surfing the Internet on this mini-laptop’s wide screen is also a pleasure, as pages load in full color rather than in tedious text-only mode.

The PDA functions on the Communicator include a directory, calendar, and to-do list, which can be synchronized with Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes on your desktop computer. The contacts directory lets you load up several phone numbers, an e-mail address, and even a photo for each of your contacts. A key convenience is the ability to dial a contact from the organizer and talk hands free on the speakerphone while simultaneously editing a document or accessing the Internet. In addition, the Communicator uses the same charger as other Nokia phones, so there’s no need to buy new accessories if you’ve owned a Nokia in the past.

While there is definitely room for improvement in this phone’s size and design, we still find it to be one of the better Web-enabled phones out there. Plus, the convenience of carrying one device instead of a cell phone, PDA, and laptop is too good to resist. --Cristina Vaamonde

Pros:

• Full-color Internet surfing on wide screen
• Can simultaneously talk on phone and surf Internet or edit documents
• Contacts, calendar, and to-do list synch with desktop computer
• 56MB memory, including 16 MB MultiMediaCard; unit accepts up to 64 MB card

Cons:

• Heavy, bulky design
• Phone keypad is on opposite side of device as mouth and earpiece
• Key spacing is a bit tight on organizer keyboard

How We Tested Battery Talk/Standby Time

When reading our reviews, you should view the test results of mobile-phone battery talk time and standby time as relative information only. Many variables, including carrier signal strength at your location, signal consistency (including incoming and outgoing calls), display and ringer settings, and battery charging methods and history, will affect performance. When handset manufacturers and mobile phone carriers list talk-time and standby-time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Some quote expected battery life ranges, and in this case you're probably safe to assume you'll experience at least the minimum rated range. Note that manufacturers of dual-mode digital and analog handsets publish battery-life rates for both digital and analog modes, as analog mode consumes much more power than digital mode.

Our Tests: We tested digital-mode talk and standby times with each phone. Prior to each test, we fully charged the phone's battery according to the manufacturer's directions. To test digital-phone talk time, we turned the phone on, established a digital carrier signal, dialed a number in our test lab, and, when the call rang through, took the receiving phone's handset off the hook. When all went well, we didn't do anything else except record the time when the phone died. In a couple of cases, the phones lost the signal and dropped the calls. If we were right there and could redial, we did so immediately and continued running the test. Otherwise, we halted the test, recharged the battery, and started the test over. Assuming consistent carrier-signal strength, this test should represent best-case talk time. And it's worth noting that several phones' talk-time performance significantly exceeded the manufacturers' ratings.

To test digital-phone standby time, we turned the phone on, established a carrier signal, and left the phone in standby mode. We checked the phone every few hours (for what was often days on end) until the phone finally cut out. Since no outgoing or incoming calls occurred during testing and because the phone was not moved, this method should represent best-case standby time, again assuming consistent carrier signal strength.