Jan/Feb 2005

As Nokia's latest 9500 Communicator mobile phone comes into wider use, Telepartner Systems has announced an upgraded range of field service applications to support the new device.

The Communicator is Nokia's clamshell-style mobile phone device, which hinges open to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard and offers some powerful computer functions. The new version runs under version 7 of the Symbian operating system, and has a 80MB of internal memory (expandable via a memory card slot).

According to Lindsay Kennedy, Telepartner's managing director: "While most PDAs now use a touch screen and stylus, Nokia have continued with the popular keyboard format. We continue to like this device because it was designed first and foremost to be a phone rather than a PDA with phone functionality."

The Communicator 9500 supports GSM, GPRS, and EDGE mobile networks, and offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. Other features include a digital camera, built-in office applications, support for Java programming, and comprehensive messaging including email, SMS and MMS.

Telepartner says its customers already have over 5,000 of Nokia's earlier Communicators in service, and use its field service applications across a wide range of activities. Its key offerings are its Despatcher and Mercury family of software, which provide a range of wireless automated field despatch functions.