Nokia N8

[bmer]

As Gizmodo wrote about this phone: "The phone was, unfortunately, irrelevant before it launched. Like a top-of-the-line horse-drawn carriage released shortly after Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon."

Yeah, Gizmodo really made clowns out of themselves with that N8-episode (not that they had much credibility in the first place, after all, they've been banned from many events and still boast how they revealed the iPhone 4 even though Engadget were also offered the prototype but they declined to pay). First they launched a ridiculous video trying to demonstrate that it takes ages to do simple tasks with the N8 and had the phone in the hand of some guy who seemed to use a Nokia phone for the first time in his life.
Then they write that they aren't going to do a review after all because the phone's OS in their opinion isn't enough up-to-date. That's like saying "We won't review it because we don't like it". I've never heard an excuse like this before. I'm not sure if they even realize how ridicolously naive their reasoning is.

Anyway...

I've tried the N8 several times as three of my friends have the phone. If you've used any of Nokia's other touchscreen phones, the UI is very familiar. IMO it's an impressive and competitive phone in its segment and definitely the best camera/media phone on the market.

What many journalists don't seem to understand is that the N8 is not meant to compete with the iPhone 4 (that task is reserved for the upcoming MeeGo devices) even if some of its features are comparable. Its target are Android phones in the mid to high-end segment or just below the flagship models.

Also some judge it only based on looking at the specs. Yes, it has "only" a 680 Mhz CPU but it also has an independent GPU (Broadcom BCM2727) which makes it comparable in performance to phones with 1 Ghz CPUs.
Symbian OS is also less resource-hogging and more power-efficient (consumes less battery) than Android.

Nokia developed the Symbian^3 OS for 2 years so the core is very much up to date. It's only the UI which feels somewhat dated but the original plan was to introduce the extensive UI updates with Symbian^4 (after they had done the big tweaks with the OS itself in Symbian^3). Now that they've decided to change to a model of continuous improvement and concurrently stopped calling them Symbian^3/Symbian^4, they can introduce new features as they get ready in smaller and more frequent updates rather than in big steps.

For Nokia the large existing Symbian phone base is both a blessing and a curse. The good thing is that they already have a lot of users and a vast selection of Symbian apps. The bad thing is that Nokia can't develop new Symbian versions from scratch or make revolutionary changes to the UI (like Microsoft did with the WinMo6.5 vs. WinPhone7) since it has to support the existing apps and feel familiar to Symbian users.

Writing apps for Symbian has been very complicated and inefficient so it was a big and important decision that Nokia decided to use Qt as the sole developer framework for both Symbian and MeeGo. This guarantees that the applications will work on both OS's. Qt also significantly reduces the amount of coding required to develop an app for Symbian.

There's a great article about Symbian's future on AllAboutSymbian: The future of the Symbian platform

 

[Centurion]

I'm both a Symbian and IO4 user and have reasons for liking and using both. What I love about symbian is that I can use my Nokia E52 as a Wifi hotspot to access internet in my iPod Touch and I also tether to my laptop while on the go. Plus, I can't wait to tether to the iPad 2.0 when I get my hands on it in February.

Ever since I used Nokia PC Suit in 2008 when Nokia allowed me to trial a 8800 Carbon Arte for 6 week, I have been pro Nokia. I love all my contacts and messages showing up on my computer the minute I'm within the blue tooth range. The coolest feature is the ability to send messages on my phone through the computer. My record is 8 conjoined messages

GPS? Nokia wins hands-down. I have used the GPS feature in Sweden, Germany, France and UK and unlike most phones, it doesn't need data connection. It's proper satellite navigation.

So from a functional point of view Nokia phones are great, but for entertainment they suck. In today's era of gadgets, phones are only good as their apps. Disspointingly Nokia hasn't created a consistent and future proof platform for developers to stand on and develop apps that will generate sales huge enough for developers to earn a profit.

Although I'm a Symbian 3 user, I perfectly understand why many other people prefer Android or IO4. The only reason I can use Symbian is because I enjoy carrying two devices. But if I was to only carry one device then a Nokia would certainly not be my first choice.

 

[bmer]

Although I'm a Symbian 3 user, I perfectly understand why many other people prefer Android or IO4.

Likewise, I'm an Android user myself but I understand why someone might choose an iPhone or a Symbian phone.

BTW which one do you have, N8, C7 or C6-01?

 

[Centurion]

Likewise, I'm an Android user myself but I understand why someone might choose an iPhone or a Symbian phone.

BTW which one do you have, N8, C7 or C6-01?

I have a silver E52, a 600mhz smart phone without a touch screen. Don't need a touch screen because the ipod touch handles all my email, music, videos, gaming and entertainment. All I need the phone to be is slim, with a huge battery, decent sized screen, handle text and voice calls. Two devices, two different purposes and I'm not looking to replace either

 

[NarutoRamen]

OUCH!!! Seriously Nokia, time to gently ask Apple for iOS!!!

iOS? LOL. The only reason it works so well is because its ONLY on apple hardware.

This phone needs a REAL OS...like Android.

 

[go0gle]

I have a silver E52, a 600mhz smart phone without a touch screen. Don't need a touch screen because the ipod touch handles all my email, music, videos, gaming and entertainment. All I need the phone to be is slim, with a huge battery, decent sized screen, handle text and voice calls. Two devices, two different purposes and I'm not looking to replace either

Your e52 runs on Symbian ^1

Great post bmer!

the HDMI out is fantastic..I've been using it a lot, works flawlessly. I got this to bypass the adapter Amazon.com: Premium Canon Mini HDMI cable (10 ft): Electronics: Reviews, Prices & more

Since this is a car forum, here are several shots (taken with the N8) of my vehicle

 

[go0gle]

sunset

 

[Cashmere]

^stunning pics

 

[Centurion]

For a camera phone the photos are pretty good, but just like with every other smartphones, photos are only decent during broad day light. For that reason I can never rely on a cellphone camera for any photography other than a random photo of something obscure or amazing I have encountered and must photograph. Still the advancements are sublime. Hopefully in 2-3 years cellphones will be good enough to serve as party/backup point-n-shots.

 

[Padi]

Damn google you are lucky, a 300-series coupé and a n8
I've got the same situation as Centurion, a Nokia 5730 ExpressMusic and an iPod touch, works fine for me too.

 

[go0gle]

@ BMW power: Thanks man

@Centurion: The N8 covers ~90% of the times where I would need a point and shoot. Night shots are actually pretty good with the xenon flash and the large sensor in the n8. For the other 10% I have a DSLR ... but it is really a drag to bring it with me most of the time.. too big. You should try the N8, see for yourself

@padi: I think they are both best in their class

 

[bmer]

So go0gle, did you try Opera Mobile 10.1 Beta 2 or the Digia @Web?

I have a silver E52, a 600mhz smart phone without a touch screen. Don't need a touch screen because the ipod touch handles all my email, music, videos, gaming and entertainment. All I need the phone to be is slim, with a huge battery, decent sized screen, handle text and voice calls. Two devices, two different purposes and I'm not looking to replace either

I understand your logic, my friend has a similar setup: iPod Touch + 6700 Classic.

BTW the E52 uses the older Symbian 9.3 with S60 3.2 a.k.a. 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2.

It's needlessly complicated but Symbian 9.4 (S60 5.0 or 5th Edition) was later renamed Symbian^1. Symbian^2 was only used in a couple of devices in the Japanese market. Symbian^3 (although they don't use this name anymore) is the latest version and is installed in Nokia's latest phones: N8, C7, C6-01 and the upcoming E7.

On another note, here's something cool. It's still a prototype application but nevertheless.

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[go0gle]

Yes, I have it (the latest beta) on my phone.. it still crashes every once in a while. I can't wait for nokia to come up with a better browser, it doesn't have to be the best really, just a little better than the one they have now.

I haven't tried digia yet, thanks for the tip!

(edit) just tried it, very unstable. It crashed several times.. non of them are optimized for the new Symbian just yet

The phone comes with a mini HDMI to regular HDMI adapter in the box, but I decided to try and bypass the adapter with this cable..works like a charm! And for $4 : )
Amazon.com: Premium Canon Mini HDMI cable (10 ft): Electronics: Reviews, Prices & more

Last night we watched Terminator Salvation in HD (720p) on a 46 inch Sammy LCD... great quality! The HDMI out is fantastic..it makes it so easy to bring movies with you and watch them on a big screen! The phone also records in 720p so it is nice to see your videos on a bigger screen as well!

The file was around 2.5 GB in .mkv format

Bravo Nokia

 

[VroomVroom]

Lost faith in Nokias after the countless repairs of both of my previous Nokia...

 

[go0gle]

I am loving the camera on this thing..

One more shot of the car from today.. I should wash it first next time

 

[Sunny]

Damn, I wish they offered it with Android. Which brings me to my other peeve, someone should start with a camera and add a phone to it, than the other way.

 

[go0gle]

Damn, I wish they offered it with Android. Which brings me to my other peeve, someone should start with a camera and add a phone to it, than the other way.

Do you think Android is better than Symbian ^3 or is it just personal preference ?

I work at a bank, most of my co-workers have smartphones..we just need them to do our jobs, and most of them have Android based phones. I can tell you that they don't do anything more than my N8. I think its a personal preference at this point..

Here is another beautiful sunrise

http://ipicture.ru/Gallery/Viewfull/1995750.html

And here is something else that is pretty cool, which I found out about today. When you use sports tracker, it not only shows you your route, but also where you took a photo

Here is how Nokia "drop test" them I guess.. it is kind of lame if you ask me, but I can confirm, the phone is very well built

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcfvRfJeLPQ

 

[NarutoRamen]

^^That is pretty awesome dude. I'm liking this phone more and more. Honestly, you're doing a better job marketing Nokia phones then they are. Is there marketing department asleep?

 

[go0gle]

Thank man! I am just sharing my opinion on a consumer product, while trying to stay as objective as I can

Yes their marketing and PR departments are in deep sleep..

Just imagine if the iPhone had 720p HDMI out (and the video player could play most video codecs out there out of the box), USB on the go, and free voice guided navigation, and an amazing camera...and the 5 bands of 3G radio which no other phone can offer at the moment.
there will be so many headlines and news stories "the first that...the first this, the only that, the only this.." Steve Jobs will make sure everyone knows that the iphone had all these features.

Nokia on the other hand.. well I haven't seen a single ad or.. well anything about the N8 here in the US. Nobody know about it..

 

[NarutoRamen]

Steve Jobs will make sure everyone knows that the iphone had all these features.

They're all D-bags...they brag about crap that isn't even new. Facetime? Yeah, welcome to early 2000s.