Nokia E90 Communicator review

Nokia's E90 is the latest in its range of Communicator email phones. Like its predecessors, it has a normal numeric keypad and screen on the outside, yet opens up to reveal a larger screen and a full QWERTY keyboard.

The E90 is a brick compared to most mobiles, and is better suited to a briefcase than a pocket. It feels well made, with tough plastic that is pleasant to hold. The phone's hinge feels strong, and it opens and shuts with a solid clunk. The screen can lock halfway or fully open, but the halfway point isn't at a comfortable angle for typing when holding the phone or when it's flat on a desk.

The QWERTY keyboard is superb. The keys are surprisingly large and have some travel, so typing is easier than on any phone we've seen. The keyboard has more keys than most smartphones' QWERTY keyboards, so you can type most special characters using the Shift key and don't have to hunt around for obscure function keys.

The internal screen is also impressive. It has a high 800x352 resolution, so text and graphics are clear. It's also very wide, which makes it ideal for reading documents, while webpages just about fit without any reformatting. The web browser can cope with complicated formatting, large images and extras such as JavaScript drop-down menus. It's much better than the browser supplied with Windows Mobile smartphones. It's easy to get online with WiFi thanks to the E90's wireless networking wizard. There's both 3G and super-high-speed HSDPA for when you're away from a wireless hot spot.

You can synchronise your email, contacts and calendar with Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Organizer and Lotus Notes using the PC Suite software. The E90's email program supports POP3 and IMAP servers, but unlike HTC's TyTN II, it doesn't automatically download email settings for the most popular email providers. If you want to synchronise with a Microsoft Exchange server and use Push email, the server will need Nokia's Intellisync Wireless Email software installed.

The E90 has an integrated GPS receiver and Nokia Maps installed. If you have a GPS fix, Maps will automatically zoom in to your location. Map data is streamed over the phone's data connection and cached in the phone's storage, so you don't have to download maps that you've recently viewed.

Nokia's E90 Communicator is an immensely powerful smartphone with an excellent keyboard. It's very expensive, though, so if you want a messaging smartphone then HTC's TyTN II or Palm's Treo 500v (What's New, Shopper December 2007) are both better value.