Strategy Analytics: Nokia 9300 Outperforms Treo 700W and Blackberry 8700c As Motorola Q is Finally Released

Strategy Analytics, the firm found that the Nokia 9300 was the best new converged device in the U.S. beating the Blackberry 8700c, Palm Treo 700w and Cingular 8125.

According to the reprot, "strong user ratings for the feature applications, menu/user interface and input of the Nokia 9300 gave it the edge over its competitors, including a 7 point advantage over the Windows Mobile based devices for application usability. However the 9300 was the lowest rated device for perceived style appeal. As found in previous Advanced Wireless Panel testing, participants who were unfamiliar with a Blackberry struggled with the steep out-of-the-box learning curve of the 8700c."

Paul Brown at Strategy Analytics said, "The Nokia 9300 excelled in the ease of use of its applications, as well as having the most user-friendly menu and simplest means of input. Having a large keyboard is a clear advantage of the 9300 - but this detracts from its style appeal, with the consumer still favoring a small and compact device."

David Kerr at Strategy Analytics added, "The release of the Motorola Q has been much anticipated. The Q is another stylish iconic design from Motorola, but the question remains whether it can match the performance of the Nokia 9300 and the still wildly popular Treo."

Other key findings include:

• Palm Treo 700W was rated highest for style and design
• Cingular 8125 placed second for ease of input, applications utility and menu/user interface behind the Nokia 9300.
• The Blackberry 8700c scored particularly well in terms of handset size and weight, as well as receiving favorable marks for visual appeal but the learning curve for new users remains a significant barrier

Interesting that there is no mention of data usage or networks in this release. The Nokia 930o, Blackberry 8700c and Cingular 8125 all run on Cingular's EDGE (2.5G) network. However, the 8125 is Wi-Fi enabled which should count for something. The Palm Treo 700w is on Verizon's EVDO 3G network so data speeds are even faster. Was data usage/access not a factor and/or not considered in this report?