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Customers of the Nextel division of the mobile operator now known as Sprint Nextel have waited a very long time for a Windows-based smartphone, a wait which is finally over with the debut of the Nextel i930 by Motorola. So was it worth the wait? While many will undoubtedly find things to like about the new i930, there are a few major shortcomings that may give prospective buyers second thoughts before plunking down their cash.

One of the most unique features of the i930 (and potentially most valuable to some) is it's ability to operate on both the IDEN (800/900) and GSM (900/1800/1900) networks, making it the only Nextel phone that will operate both inside the United States and abroad. (Nextel's only other International phone - the V180 - doesn't work domestically.) For those who don't know, because it is a Nextel phone, you can use the i930 like a walk-talkie with other Nextel subscribers.

The i930 doesn't provide Wi-Fi capability, but you can still access the Internet (albeit at a comparatively leisurely pace) using Nextel's GSM/GPRS-based wireless data services, and you can also use the phone as a wireless modem for your PC. While not including Wi-Fi can be justified, less understandable is the i930's failure to include integrated Bluetooth for short wireless connections to headsets, printers and PCs, an oversight that seems almost inexcusable in a smartphone these days—particularly a phone at this price.

Hardware
Many will find the i930's a familiar clamshell design with dual display design comforting. On the outside is a small 4096k color screen that gives you at-a-glance info like date, time, battery life, signal strength, and Caller ID data, as well your list of recent calls. The internal 2.2-inch (176 x 220 pixel resolution with 65K colors) display gets high marks for brightness and clarity, even in direct sunlight. At first glance, the i930 (with it's glossy black-and-silver finish) appears to have a fixed stub antenna, but closer inspection reveals it to be a telescoping one. A Secure Digital (SD) card slot is available to augment the i930's 32 MB of Flash memory

Nextel phones have never been as slyphlike as those available from other carriers, but one of the first things you notice about the i930 is its bulkiness. Although it's footprint isn't particularly large by today's standards, in an era where the typical phone (even a smartphone) is less than an inch thick, the i930 is a considerably denser measuring 3.5 x 1.9 x 1.2 (HWD) with the standard battery.

Its 5.9 ounce weight is further evidence of the i930's corpulence.

The battery life cited for the standard 880 mAh Li-Ion unit that comes with the i930 is 165 minutes talk time and 95 hours on standby. I found the unit would generally run out of juice after about 2 hours on the phone, which will probably be inadequate for all but the most infrequent users. (And let's face it, if you're a light user, you're probably not in the market for this phone anyway.) There is an optional 1050 mAh high-capacity battery, but using it will of course make a bulky phone even bulkier. Carrying an extra battery around is an option, but it's an imperfect solution considering the i930 takes several minutes to boot up.

An integrated camera with flash lets you record video clips and pictures. The camera took decent photos, but videos are limited to 10 seconds in length and they dropped frames and looked blocky in playback. The process to switch between still and video camera mode was also a bit of a hassle.

Software
The i930's operating system is Microsoft's previous-generation Windows Mobile 2003, not the updated 5.0 version. Since the i930 provides neither a stylus nor keyboard, data entry is performed using the numeric keypad and the predictive text feature, which works acceptably once you get the hang of it. Fortunately, the i930's keypad is well-spaced to avoid accidental mistypes.

Like all Windows smartphones, the i930 ships with Pocket Outlook which in addition to e-mail provides a Calendar, Address Book and Task list, all of which can be easily synched to a PC via Microsoft's ActiveSync software. (The i930 comes with a dock and not simply a sync/charge cable.) Also included are the obligatory versions of Internet Explorer, and MSN Messenger software.

GPS
The i930 is a GPS-enabled (global positioning system) device for navigation and location-based services. It includes a utility you can use to look up your current coordinates, even if you're out of range of phone service—since it relies on satellites and not the cell tower network. There are a number of other GPS-related applications included with the phone, though most are subscription-based, carry their own monthly fees, and also require you to have a Nextel data plan at a cost of between $20 and $40 per month.

TeleNav software provides turn-by-turn directions with audible narration, Trimble Outdoors is trip planning software for hikers or other outdoor enthusiasts, and Mapquest Find Me, which lets you locate nearby businesses and share your location with others.

Conclusion
If you're a Nextel customer that's been jonesing for a native Windows smartphone the last few years, the mere existence of the i930 or it's support for international operation may be reason enough to buy it. Then again, the phone's heft, lack of Bluetooth and rapid consumption of go-go juice should give you pause.

Nextel sells the i930 for $499 by itself and $349 with a 2-year service commitment.