I decided on my next mobile telephone, the Nokia N80 (http://www.nokia.com). It’s a quad-band GSM phone with the full array of the top features that I wanted. First, it is a phone, not a computer shrunk to the size of a handheld and using a computer user interface.
Nokia’s Symbian 60 series OS is designed for mobile phones and therefore nice to use. It has a great screen resolution and all the functionality that I view as useful. It has a radio and music player that I was surprised to find so useful and with good sound quality.
The main functionalities I need are an ability synchronize to my laptop’s contact list and appointment calendar. I also needed (or wanted) occasional Web browsing, occasional e-mail, and a decent camera (3 megapixel). These all worked well, although I needed to download a third-party plugin for Apple iSync from nova media MDS GmbH (http://www.novamedia.de) for 9.99 Euros.
It has many 3rd party apps for the Symbian OS, jumps on the local Wireless LAN (WLAN). There are some nice accessories I may get, such as wireless keyboard and Bluetooth headset, but for the moment the nice wired earpieces and microphone are what I need.
This has excellent voice quality and signal strength. I prefer to order from my carrier (T-Mobile) or directly from Nokia, but I waited as long as I could stand and ordered a European unit. I considered the N73 (more camera, less business). The N80, unlike the N73, has document viewers, which I can used\ (although rarely). I think I’m way ahead of the obsolescence curve (the UPnP functionality is a example of why).
I highly recommend this phone.
