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The Nokia Communicator (9210/9300/9500) is a pretty
logical upgrade from an old and ailing Psion Series 5 or 5mx, as one of the few
current devices to sport a proper keyboard and with most of Psion's top PIM and
office applications more or less intact. Plus you get a good colour screen and
built-in telephony, with one less box to carry around.
But what are the downsides and how do you get round them?
And what about getting your data and applications across onto the new device?
Read on. There are a few hurdles to overcome, but once you're established in
this new 'Communicator' generation, you won't look back, trust me. There are
two or three things that a Psion Series 5mx is better for, but there are far
more for which the Communicator is better. Just remember that no device is ever
perfect and that you're simply taking one more step on a continuing
journey!
| Unicode issues |
The 9210 range was the first real
Symbian device, sporting the new 'Unicode' version of the EPOC operating
system. Instead of using just 16 bits per text character, with different code
pages for each country, you now have 32 bits of data per character, the same
set for every market. While this benefits the manufacturer, it's a pain for
you, the user, as it means that all text created on an earlier, 16-bit
character palmtop is now incompatible and needs to be converted. The best path
for each data type is determined by the application concerned, as you'll see
below. |
| Hardware |
One thing you'll obviously have to get
used to is that all your old Psion CF cards and accessories are totally
incompatible with the 9210i/9500. On the plus side, MMC cards are now
ridiculously cheap and many of the connectivity accessories for the Psion
aren't needed anymore because everything's now built-in. |
| RAM |
Yes, yes, Nokia skimped a lot when
putting RAM (8MB) into the 9210i, but unless you're trying to run all the most
ambitious games, you shouldn't get hit too hard by RAM limits. Just be aware
that opening up something memory hungry may cause apps in the background to
save data and close down, meaning that you'll have to wait a few seconds next
time you want them.
On the newer Nokia 9300 and 9500, of course, there's
four times more RAM (32MB), so you won't hit any limits. |
| Agenda (Calendar, Tasks) |
Just as on the Psion, these two
functions are all part of the same application. If you've got less than 20 or
30 entries in the next year, it's quicker to retype them on the Communicator
than to mess around trying to convert anything.
If you have more than this,
beg or borrow a copy of Microsoft Outlook, re-install PsiWin 2.3.3 if needed,
sync over your Agenda entries using Psion Synchronizer. Check Outlook has your
Agenda/Calendar information intact, complete with entry notes, and then do a
similar sync between Outlook and your new Communicator, a process which is
normally rock solid. If you're not an Outlook user, you can always junk it
after this one use if you really want to. |
| Contacts |
Very similar to Agenda, by far the
easiest way to move everything across is to use Outlook synchronisation,
described above. Again, check that notes on individual entries are preserved
and that all fields are carried across.
If your Psion contacts were in a
Data file, you can always use the DataContact utility first.
Alternatively,
by exporting addresses from Psion Contacts into vCard (.vcf) files, you may be
able to import them (individually, or en masse) into the Windows Address Book,
as used by Outlook Express. You can then set up a PC Suite sync to
this.
Finally, if all else fails, or if you have relatively few entries
(less than 50?), just take an hour or so to beam each contact across by
infrared. It's more or less foolproof, just a bit tedious! |
| Word, Sheet |
These applications are nigh-on identical
to their Psion brothers, but you'll be hit by the Unicode thing mentioned
above. So you'll have to go via your PC, with PsiWin handling the character
conversion as the files go through Word/Excel formats on your PC hard
disk.
When finally on your Communicator, you can leave them in PC Office
formats or, better, maintain them in the Communicator's native Word/Sheet
format, which will open and close far faster. |
| Data |
Unaccountably, Nokia specified the
Communicator without a port of Data, but there are at least four third party
databases now available to help fill the gap.
Getting your data out of Data
will involve using 'Export as text file' on the Psion and then importing into
your chosen database on the Communicator, either directly or via a PC-hosted
importer utility.
See also my 9500 tips page for
a way of using To-do lists in lieu of Data. |
| System screen |
With the Series 5, Psion introduced the
System screen as both a launcher and file manager. You can work in much the
same way on the Communicator, organising things by folder as you see fit, using
the built-in File Manager instead. On the 9210i, it's especially useful to
assign it to Ctrl-Office, so that it's never more than a keypress away. |
| Sketch |
A bit of a show-stopper, this one, as
the Communicator has no touch-screen, making Sketch rather pointless. There's
pretty good support for all standard image file types though, arguably more
useful than the Psion's monochrome doodling utility. |
| OPL |
Although Program (the OPL
editor/translator) wasn't included by default, you can add it
easily to the
Communicator, giving you the ability to create your own applications and run
dozens of others created by people like... err... me. |
| Jotter |
Essentially just a freeform database on
the Psion, you'll have to export content as text. What I did was keep each
jotter note as a separate .TXT file, putting them in named sub-folders to group
them by subject. Then copy the lot onto the Communicator, opening the notes in
Viewer or Documents or Internet or any installed text/ebook reader. |
| Third party software |
One of the strengths of the Psion world
was the thousand (literally) or so freeware, shareware and commercial programs,
ready for downloading and using.
Although the number for the Communicator
(i.e. Nokia Series 80) is much lower, perhaps not much more than a hundred,
bear in mind that because the device can do more, quite a few of the old Psion
programs aren't needed anymore. Then take away programs that were essentially
duplicates and those to do with the touch-screen and the numbers aren't too far
apart.
Most importantly of all, most successful shareware (and many
freeware) programs, especially those created in OPL, have been converted into
Series 80-compatible form. You may even be able to persuade the
author/developer to give you a free 'upgrade' registration code for the
Communicator version, although it's also common to pay an upgrade fee,
typically half the original purchase cost. |
To buy a 9500 new at a subsidised price,
see
here
If you have anything to add to (or ask about) this
article, please email me!
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