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New BlackBerry Pearl, Nokia E62 Smartphones Offer New FeaturesSep 7, 2006 According to the Oxford dictionary, a smartphone is a mobile phone that incorporates a PDA, or personal digital assistant. I think of them mainly as phones that excel at e-mail. Of course, there's no specific blueprint for producing such a device, which is why they come in different flavors. You'll find devotees of Palm Treos, Research in Motion's (RIM) BlackBerrys and the Motorola Q. The field is about to get more congested, thanks to the latest BlackBerry, and a Nokia newcomer called the E62. I'm generally positive on the devices, despite a few quirks, and spotty coverage around my New Jersey home. Nokia is mum on pricing, availability and carrier details, though for what it's worth (probably a lot) the E62 I tested runs on Cingular's Edge wireless data network. Bet on seeing the phone soon. Nokia claims it will be "competitively priced." For its part, T-Mobile starts selling the BlackBerry Pearl on Sep. 12. Pearl runs on T-Mobile's own Edge network. It will cost $250 with a one-year contract, or $200 for two years, plus a data plan. It will be introduced in October by Rogers Wireless in Canada and a variety of carriers in Europe. A closer look: AppearancePearl is the best looking BlackBerry by a long shot, though that's not saying much. "Stylish" is not a word I'd associate with BlackBerrys, which is what makes this new BlackBerry so stunning. It takes its name from a pearl-like trackball at its center. It's refreshingly small, thin and light (just over 3 ounces), with a handsome black and silver finish. BlackBerry users I showed it to were blown away. Ordinary consumers might bite, too. It looks like a phone, rather than a gizmo geared to messaging and e-mail. As with the BlackBerry 7100 series, RIM manages to cram a full "qwerty" keyboard on just 20 keys, compared with more than 30 keys for other models. And the display senses its environment to adjust lighting. There's nothing particularly sexy about the wider and heavier (more than 5 ounces) silver Nokia. It's more pedestrian-looking, with a layout closer to what you think of when you think of, well, a BlackBerry or Treo. It has a full qwerty keyboard with large keys and bright display. Pearl lets you access up to 10 e-mail accounts, including AOL, Yahoo and Microsoft Exchange, as well as BlackBerry's own corporate and personal e-mail services. But the Nokia is no slouch. The E62 lets you access the BlackBerry Connect e-mail services to dispatch or "push" mail from your company or own e-mail accounts. Other e-mail options include Nokia's Intellisync Mobile Suite, as well as Good Mobile Messaging. It's compatible with Microsoft Office, Adobe PDF and other attachments, same as the BlackBerry. UsabilityThe Nokia wins here, (though I still prefer the Treo). You can easily use one or two thumbs to bang out a message on the Nokia, though the tiny joystick for controlling menus felt a little stiff, and Nokia's "call" and "end" keys aren't particularly intuitive. The E62 Web browser has scrolling features, but data delivery was sometimes slow. The Edge networks aren't as fast as rival high-speed EV-DO wireless networks from Sprint and Verizon. A small box appears on the screen to help you navigate a Web page's layout. The Pearl has a steeper learning curve, with technology known as SureType, introduced a few years ago on BlackBerry 7100 series devices. SureType is a method of predicting the words you type, though at times you'll want to turn it off. (See below.) ExtrasPearl is the first BlackBerry with a camera and built-in flash and zoom, but the picture-taking is no great shakes. It sports a speakerphone, voice-activated dialing, Bluetooth wireless and a media player for listening to music (stored on tiny memory cards). You can download and e-mail maps for driving directions. The Nokia also has multimedia capabilities, Bluetooth, voice dialing and a slot for tiny memory cards. There's no camera, however. As "GSM" phones (global system for mobile communications), the devices can operate in certain foreign markets. RIM says the Pearl provides 31/2 hours of talk time and 15 days standby; the Nokia E62 promises up to two weeks of standby and 51/2 hours of talk time. Both are fine alternatives if you're seeking capable smartphones. |
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