I do love mobile computing devices! That is clearly evident long before the modern day smartphone's grandfather even arrived. I was using Mobile PC's and Psions Initially pairing them with PCMCIA cards to plug in analogue lines for dial up internet (take a trip back in time on those here).
But, back to the grandfather of the modern and ubiquitous smartphone....
30 years ago this month, the Nokia 9000 Communicator was released.
Launched in August 1996, the 9000 Communicator combined a mobile phone with a full QWERTY keyboard and a large internal display. It offered email, fax, web browsing and other features that were incredibly advanced for the time.
Weighing nearly half a kilogram, it looked very different from the smartphones we carry today, but its capabilities made it one of the most innovative mobile devices of the 1990s.
In 1996 Nokia 9000 Communicator was unique because it was the world's first device to merge a fully functional cellular phone with a complete pocket computer into a single, cohesive unit.
While other companies had attempted mobile data devices, Nokia was the first to successfully pack desktop-level communication tools into a pocketable form factor that operated over a standard digital network (GSM).
Unprecedented Integration
- The "Two-in-One" Form Factor: Closed, it worked like a standard, albeit bulky, brick phone. Flipped open horizontally, it revealed an entirely separate interface with a large screen and physical keyboard.
- All-in-One Connectivity: It eliminated the need to carry a separate pager, cellphone, and PDA (like an Apple Newton or Sharp Wizard).
- True Mobile Internet: Users could browse the actual World Wide Web (text-based), send and receive emails, and send faxes directly from their phone line without plugging into a wall jacket.
The evolution of the Nokia Communicator family charts the transformation of the mobile office: from early, massive clamshell handhelds running dedicated micro-OS platforms to high-powered Symbian smartphones, culminating in modern touchscreens with slide-out keyboards.
Here is a quick chronology of how the 9000 generated into a family, from the 9000 in 1996 on..
1998: Nokia 9110 Communicator — The Slim-Down Iteration
Built as a direct successor to the 9000, it substantially shaved down the weight and bulk, dropping from nearly 400g to 253g.
Key Features: Added support for external storage (MMC cards), introduced standard serial/infrared sync, and came in an updated variant—the 9110i (1999)—which added built-in WAP browser support.
2000: Nokia 9210 Communicator — The Colour & Symbian Leap
This marked the biggest architecture jump in the series. It discarded GEOS and the x86 chip for Symbian OS (Series 80 v1.0) running on an ARM9 processor.
Brought the first full-colour internal screen (4096 colours, 640×200 pixels).
Gained PC-compatible office document viewers (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), sound clips, and video playback.
(Updated later to the 9210i in 2002 with more internal memory and a web browser upgrade)
2004: Nokia 9500 Communicator — Wi-Fi & Multimedia Flagship
Built as the high-end flagship Communicator running Symbian OS v7.0s (Series 80 v2.0).
Nokia’s first phone to feature integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b). Added an integrated VGA digital camera. Supported EDGE networking, Bluetooth, and larger internal displays (65,536 colours).
2004/5: Nokia 9300 & 9300i — The Compact Pocket Line
Nokia designed a smaller, lighter version of the Series 80 Communicator for business users who found the 9500 too bulky.
Nokia 9300 (2004): Dropped the camera and Wi-Fi to keep the body slim and pocket-friendly.
Nokia 9300i (2005): Brought back Wi-Fi connectivity while retaining the sleek form factor and redesigned 80-degree-to-flat hinges.
The 9300 range was by far my favorite, but was very susceptible to drops whereafter the clamshell should not fully shut ever again.
2007: Nokia E90 Communicator — The Ultimate Clamshell Powerhouse
Integrated into Nokia’s enterprise "Eseries" branding, the Nokia E90 Communicator was the final true two-in-one clamshell model.
Retired Series 80 in favour of a wider landscape adaptation of Symbian S60 3rd Edition.
High-resolution 800×352 widescreen internal display. Brought 3G / HSDPA, GPS navigation, a 3.2 MP autofocus camera, and dual-hinge mechanics.
To me as a fan of the brand and the communicator line, I dislike the E90 as despite its increased spec Series 60 Symbian just never felt like it had been fully developed.
2010: Nokia E7-00 — The Touchscreen Spiritual Successor
Instead of a clamshell with two distinct screens, the Nokia E7 shifted to a modern smartphone form factor—an anodised aluminium single chassis with a tilt-slide hardware QWERTY keyboard.
Ran Symbian3 on a 4.0-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with Nokia ClearBlack technology.
Included an 8 MP camera with 720p HD video, HDMI out, USB-on-the-Go, and 16 GB fixed onboard storage. It marked the end of physical keyboard flagships as touch-only slabs became standard.
But it was too little, too late. The iPhone was already a hit in the market. Read my thoughts on why here - Nokia's failure to anticipate the impact of new competitors.
Fun fact: An urban legend has it camera phones were finally allowed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after the launch of the E90, a Royal Family member who was a devout fan of the communicator apparently ensured it could legally be used (and sold) in KSA.
But to fully put in perspective how far we have come, take a look at how powerful a modern smartphone is. Look at the comparisons below. The Nokia 9000 had 0.000002% of the processing speed that my iPhone 17 Pro has. Even the first iPhone only had 0.00016% vs the current crop.
Technology certainly has evolved, where a Fax on a mobile was once deemed cutting edge, the latest iPhone was used to capture the in and on car action sequences in the F1 movie blockbuster.
* Relative CPU throughput normalized against aggregate multi-core DMIPS/instruction throughput of the Apple A19 Pro.
