ATLANTA-Being fashionably late to a party can cut two ways-it gets you noticed, but the assembled crowd inevitably registers a thumbs up or down on your appearance.
So Nokia Corp., Cingular Wireless L.L.C. and market watchers will observe with keen interest how Nokia’s 9300 smart phone sells in the United States now that Cingular is offering the handset with service on its network.
Cingular is selling the device for $350 with a service contract.
The Nokia 9300 was announced in 2004-which seems like a previous century by wireless standards-and is just making its U.S. debut, after expectations that Cingular would offer it in November 2005. The device arrives in time to go head-to-head with Motorola Inc.’s Moto Q, which the vendor said would be available in the United States in April, though no carrier alliance has yet been announced.
The Nokia 9300 clamshell-style handset runs on Cingular’s EDGE network but not on the carrier’s higher-speed UMTS/HSDPA network, which is in the process of being rolled out.
The 9300 runs Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry wireless e-mail software. The device also offers a full keyboard, color screen, five-way conference calling capability, speakerphone and Bluetooth connectivity. Cingular said it plans to offer its Xpress Mail push e-mail service on the device, targeting individuals and small businesses. The 9300 will also support the Nokia Business Center software solution for large corporations.
