So you want wireless access to your e-mail and the Web while you are on the go? With new GPRS handsets hitting the market just about every week, there should be at least one which could handle both voice and data. To check out the options, I tried out some gadgets on field trips, testing Net and e-mail access speed, ease of use and look-and-feel. Clutching two Web-enabled phones and a Handspring Visor with VisorPhone, I headed out to roam the world and the Web. The two Web-enabled phones were the Nokia Communicator 9210 and Ericsson T39. The 9210 is a large, but lightweight, GSM device running the Symbian operating system. The tri-band T39 is a lithe beauty with GPRS and Bluetooth. After the colour display on the Nokia, the monochrome T39 is disappointing, but it is not fair to compare them as they serve different purposes. The T39 is a standard phone with a small display, e-mail client and basic PIM functions, while the 9210 is a PDA with voice and computing from a tiny keyboard. On the T39, finding a feature can take time. Shortcuts, as used in the Ericsson R520m, would be handy. SMS and e-mail are easily accessed, though setting up e-mail is less straightforward, and the same criticism applies to the Nokia 9210. You must completely RTFM (read the manual). If you have tried WAP on a 9.6 connection before, WAP on the T39 is nirvana. It is fast. I tested on CSL's GPRS service. E-mail was fast to download and easy to read from the T39, but composing becomes a workout for the thumb. The Bluetooth lets users sync data with PIM functions on Palm Computing's Bluetooth-equipped m500 or m505, or an infrared-enabled notebook with Microsoft Outlook. One geeky feature on the T39 is choice of background picture. With a Bluetooth connection or an IR-port on your computer, you can save any image as a four-colour GIF, activate the IR-port and drag in the picture. Too many relationships with electronic gadgets unfortunately end up unhappily, so you hang on to that receipt and signed warranty. That happened to the Nokia 9210. It would have been a great device . . . if it worked. In three weeks, my unit failed as a phone, so I had it replaced. The replacement worked OK, then the keypad began to stick while typing in Word, leaving no way to stop except exiting the program. Some keys would stick without being touched. I got it replaced. Yesterday, the third unit died without any warning. Both the phone and the PDA, fully charged the night before, were completely dead. The shop said many customers had problems with the 9210. Emily Hung, assistant marketing manager at Nokia Hong Kong, said the firm had some complaints, but they were not so serious. The Handspring VisorPhone, on the other hand, is a neat little device. The price - HK$2,600 - is reason enough to get one. The VisorPhone, unlike the GSM sleds for the Palm V series, is a small module that slides into the back of the Visor. It adds a little bulk but nothing serious. However, it has familiar GSM drawbacks with data. Downloading WAP pages was slower than the T39, but not frustratingly so. Setting up, receiving, composing and sending e-mail were a breeze. If data is a priority, then this is a better option than the 9210 or T39. Wait for the GPRS VisorPhone, according to Handspring, due out late next year. However, it took the GSM VisorPhone more than 12 months to appear in Hong Kong. Got a gadget idea? Drop Carolyn a line at carolyn@scmp.com
