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Nokia N8 Second Look: Detailed Debriefing

Live photos of Nokia N8

Contents:

  1. Necessary Foreword
  2. Positioning
  3. Design, Size, Control Elements
  4. Display
  5. Keypad and Text Input
  6. Memory and memory cards
  7. USB Flash Drives
  8. Battery
  9. USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
  10. HDMI
  11. Camera
  12. Impressions

In the Box:

  • Phone;
  • BL-4D Li-Ion 1200 mAh battery;
  • Power adapter;
  • USB cable;
  • HDMI cable;
  • USB OTG cable;
  • WH-701Wired stereo headset;
  • Nokia Stylus SU-36 (true for China, could be different in other regions);
  • User manual.

Necessary Foreword

From the start, I would like to make it clear that I have been on vacation for almost a month, having great time at the seaside. I do not feel deprived of technology, have access to Wi-Fi, which leads to some lazy news reading as well as an active participation in our forum discussions. I was not going to write about the Nokia N8 before my coming back to Moscow or even before the commercial launch. However, my innocent statements about the product not making an impression of the flagship model led to a series of hot debates and such grievance on the Nokia side that I am really amused. I got accused of words I hadn't said, evaluations I hadn't made – in a nutshell, my statements got interpreted and worked out in many different ways. At this point, I would like to point out that this is not a review. It is more of my personal impressions of using the Nokia N8 for a long time. Moreover, I do not have the phone with me on vacation and that is why my immediate willingness to share the experience won't be supported with pictures of it, or which is even more important, with pictures taken with its inbuilt camera (the latter is the central perk of the device). I could have provided you with pictures of an analogous, QWERTY-enabled model, which serves as my communication aid on vacation; there is no difference between the two. However, I stick to my rule that unless there has been a leak already, I am not going to be the one. Therefore, don't be a strict judge; the photos are official, they won't tell you anything new; it is the text that describes every little detail that you can hardly learn of anywhere else. It is the most complete description of the Nokia N8 and its technical characteristics to date. I am not going to cover the software side here, since we have a separate material about the S^3 platform; I will only touch upon the general speed issues. I will also do my best to answer any further questions on the forum. And please, for the discussion to take place, use facts not emotions.

Symbian^3 – Main Applications and Features

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Positioning

Nokia has been experiencing serious problems in the top segment for the last year. The reason to that is a series of unsuccessful products, which didn't manage to win the consumer hearts (e.g. the Nokia N97, Nokia N97 Mini, and Nokia X 6); those who did buy the products eventually became disappointed. In one interview, Anssi Vanjoki, the executive vice president of Nokia, mentioned that the sales volumes of the Nokia N97 were high, which was not true for the user experience. In another interview, he confirmed his company having lost the top smartphone segment but planning to get it back. In particular, that should be done with the help of Symbian^3 and Symbian^4 products. And the Nokia N8 is seen as the first product aimed at bringing back Nokia's positive image. It is a flagship model, the first ever product based on Symbian^3, and a photo solution, Nokia's first device with a 12-megapixel camera. The company has invested a lot of resources into its promotion; the amount of marketing effort will overshoot one devoted to the Nokia N97 and will be significant for the market on the whole.

Is the model the flagship indeed? I have been asked that question quite a lot. I have been told that it is not since it is not positioned like that by Nokia, since it is not the most expensive Symbian product – in a word, something isn't right. The announced price of EUR 370 (without taxes) is not one a flagship model has; the Nokia N97 costs significantly more than that even today, almost a year after the release. How can the Nokia N8 be a flagship?

In order to avoid further confusion, let's define the term. In my opinion, flagship is a product that enjoys the maximal sales and/or represents a company to the consumers, becomes its face. That is, it is a middle- or high-end product but not necessarily the most expensive one. Often, it is the most expensive product indeed, sometimes it is not unique (e.g. the Nokia N97 and N900). In our example, the Nokia N97 is both the most functional and expensive product from Nokia of the previous year, if the luxury Arte is not taken into account. The Nokia N900 is on the same level; it adds to the company image, albeit its sales are minimal. An implicit sign of those two being the flagships is the related marketing and PR activity of the company. At the moment, the Wave (Bada) and Galaxy S (Android) are Samsung's flagship models, the Desire is HTC's, the Droid/Milestone is Motorola's (although there exist the MOTOROI, DROID2 and some other devices).

According to that definition, the Nokia N8 has been selected as the flagship by the company in order for the customers to get acquainted with capabilities of Symbian^3 to create a better image for the platform. It is a focal model that will have the maximal sales across all Symbian^3 phones in 2010 as well as in the first half of 2011. Unfortunately, the company cannot make its whole product lineup Symbian^3 only in a blink of an eye, therefore we will observe a collection of models based on several versions of the OS in 2011. The low- and partially middle-end will be represented by solutions based on S60 5th edition. The high-end will consist of devices powered by Symbian^3 and Symbian^4, as well as some MeeGo solutions. It is a whopping zoological garden. That is why Nokia needs a focal model that has the best market potential and, likely, the maximal (for the company, not the market) sales.

Twin models and positioning in the Nokia lineup. A while ago, Nokia started releasing its products in pairs, and the N8 is not an exception. For example, the company first launched the Nokia X6 32 GB with the Comes With Music service, then introduced the 16 GB version without the music subscription, and the cheaper 8 GB version afterwards. The same happened to the Nokia N97. First, the flagship comes out, and then – the cheaper Nokia N97 Mini, which turns out to be better in terms of hardware, contains plenty of fixes and is generally more stable. It turns out that first buyers get troubles for the money since the successor models appear cheaper and significantly better. Nokia's going from top to the bottom (i.e. more expensive models coming out first) looked like humiliation of buyers of expensive products. Effectively, they were beta testers for the mass market. Starting with the Nokia N8, the path gets flipped and the mass market becomes the first wave to make the later, more expensive models more stable. The Nokia N8 is the golden mean.

There will be several versions of the device (according to my personal information source). First of all, it is a model with 32 GB of inbuilt memory and music service (for select countries). It will retail for about EUR 425-450 and most likely show up at Nokia World this coming September. The sales will start at the end of this or at the beginning of the next year. The second model is a cheaper one, with less memory, without the 12-megapixel camera. It will be called the successor to the "legendary" model and show up in the second quarter of 2011 at the price of EUR 230-240 (the price of the original N8 will have dropped down to EUR 300-330 by that time). There will also be a senior version of the N8, with a QWERTY keypad and form factor resembling that of the Nokia N97. However, the 12-megapixel camera will have to be sacrificed there, too. It may also turn out to be the first Symbian^4 product, which is still an open question.

You can see from the above variety that the Nokia N8 is not the most expensive solution and that is why it is the first to make it to the market. That is how Nokia's new strategy is different from the one back in 2009 or even early 2010.

Target audience. Since the model is aimed at winning back the sales in the middle-end smartphone segment, the emphasis is made on its multimedia features, in particular, HDMI-out, updated music player, HD video playback, and camera capabilities. Other characteristics of the product are being hardly mentioned. It is a good offer and correct positioning for conservative customers who prefer Nokia to other makes. For the market on the whole, it doesn't offer anything exceptional, though. Its positioning somehow resembles that of the Nokia N86, the company's first smartphone with an 8-megapixel camera. It wasn't first on the market, couldn't offer the best picture quality; the same story appears true for the Nokia N8. They even have similar prices and positioning. The company is trying to create some artificial excitement about the model, more than is needed for its positioning. There are several 12-megapixel models on the market already, which are not very popular not because of their prices but due to the lack of interest to such solutions from the mass user. The customers prefer a set of characteristics to a good camera. And models like that have been available for about a year. Therefore, Nokia is entering the segment, in which the cream has been skimmed off, and simply can't ask for a high price for what it has to offer. It also explains the decision to produce an inexpensive version of the Nokia N8.

Real positioning. The new device is to replace the previous top models, such as the Nokia X6. It is not to replace the keyboard-enabled solutions due to obvious reasons, though. Those who need one should wait for the N8 with a keyboard. When the Nokia X6 and N8 are put together for comparison, one can see that the latter is a breakthrough for Nokia; the user experience stays the same while the working speed and stability get a boost, some new, handy features are added. Following the same logic, one can say that the Nokia N8 is a good replacement for the Nokia 5800 if you bought the latter at the beginning of the sales. Overall, it is a solution for Nokia enthusiasts who do not have experience with other OS' or platforms. For them, the device makes a sensible choice, offers a series of improvements over its predecessors. It is an evolutionary development of the touch-sensitive phone from Nokia. However, for the market, the model doesn't suggest any new user experience, cannot catch up with alternatives from other companies, and doesn't have anything unique to offer. Why it is so, let's discuss below. I hope that the detailed description of each and every function will help you get your own impression of the phone.

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Design, Size, Control Elements

The device feels nice in one's hand; there are no complaints about the build quality. It is a candybar with no sliding parts. To avoid any play, Nokia takes cardinal measures and abandons the usual battery compartment. The appropriate slot is secured with two screws on the bottom. Such solution does help; however, you would need a Philips screwdriver to change the battery if necessary. Another open question is what would happen if you dropped the phone. Traditionally, the battery would bounce away along with the cover lid to prevent the device mainboard from damage. On the contrary, the impact power would spread uniformly over a monolith construction. I have accidentally dropped the phone several times and in different places, bathroom included, but there hasn't been any serious damage, just some minor dents.

The model will be available in five different colors, varying across different regions, with usually three coming out at once. Those are bright colors, another Nokia's distinct mark of late – e.g. Dark Grey, Silver White, Green, Blue, and Orange. Each solution looks interesting.

The phone measures 113.5õ59.12õ12.9 mm, and weighs 135 grams. It is not too heavy, but feels solid in one's hand. The N8 is neither too small nor too big, just the golden mean. The dimensions are on par with other contemporary devices, there is no up- or downside to that.

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Display

The screen looks familiar. It is the one used in other Nokia models, such as the X6. It has the resolution of 640x360 pixels, 3.5-inches, covered with glass (that is what the special plastic identical to that of the X6 becomes called) and allows up to 16 million colors. It is based on AMOLED, which however shouldn't be compared to Samsung's Super AMOLED, those are two different technological generations. The Nokia N8 screen is comparable to the one in the Nexus One and is even superior to the latter in direct sunlight; the picture quality is comparable indoors. On the whole, the AMOLED screen is not that much of an advantage; the picture is similar to that of the X6, albeit better in terms of the color range. The difference is not that apparent (probably, due to the interface icons and design). It becomes clearer when browsing through the pictures.

In select modes, the screen can contain up to 16 text rows; there are three font sizes to choose from in the phone preferences. In direct sunlight, the colors fade away, which is typical (the notorious Super AMOLED is an exception).

It is one of the first Nokia products to support multi-touch (e.g. in the gallery or browser); you just need to make a special gesture (pinch-to-zoom) to zoom in or out. The screen is capacitative, with the build quality and behavior similar to that of the Nokia X6. While most of the time, the sensitivity is okay, every now and then the screen won't respond to taps (due to the software fault, analogous to the X6). There is no argument about whether it is the problem of the pre-release software or not; the final version of the X6 has similar problems. At the moment, Nokia is not capable of creating screens comparable to Apple's in terms of convenience or Samsung's latest models whose touch responsiveness is now close to that of the Apple iPhone. It is a minor problem and won't be noticed by most customers, though.

In a nutshell, it is a good screen that can't boast of its resolution or color range but is on a decent general level from the perspective of late 2010. It's good, not the best. The Apple iPhone 4 screen has a comparable diagonal but higher resolution, the Samsung Wave screen has superior resolution, color range, and brightness.

The integrated light sensor adjusts the screen brightness automatically based on the environment. The level appears to be generally lower than it should be, and it's better to select one manually from the menu (personally I prefer the 60-65 percent level).

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Keypad and Text Input

There are two input modes – the vertical keypad (supports T9 as in the QWERTY mode) and the full-fledged QWERTY keyboard. Unfortunately, Nokia takes other companies' experience very superficially, even if they have the lead like HTC or Samsung. The main keyboard doesn't have a button for switching the input layouts. That is, to type in two languages you will have to bring up the menu, change the layout, and then come back. It takes too much time compared to the single tap in the products from Apple, Samsung, HTC and other companies.

Another downside is the lack of special characters on the main keyboard (save for the dot and coma). The competitors allow you to input those from the main screen in some way (for instance, in Bada, you can press the spacebar and then pick the necessary symbol or choose them directly from the screen).

But again, I would like to point out that that is a minor problem, present in Nokia's wide range of touch-sensitive phone. It just affects a specific usage mode that hasn't been given much attention.

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Memory and memory cards

The phone features 135 MB of memory dedicated to common applications or your data. The internal memory of 16 GB can be extended by microSD memory cards of up to 32 GB.

The handset also has 256 MB of RAM (Nokia N97 Mini has 128 MB), which is a great leap forward for Nokia. It had to increase the speed and stability of performance. The speed really improved, while the stability leaves much to be desired. I have to say, that it is better than before, but there is room for improvement.

While using the model (especially if you store data, pictures, etc) you will encounter Memory Full mistake at times. I am sure this will happen with commercial models as well and does not depend on the firmware version. This is caused by the insufficient amount of RAM with its increased consumption for the new interface, another level of multitasking and other features. I need to highlight that the current firmware has the carrier specific features disabled and they usually require a certain amount of RAM. Theoretically, the firmware supports higher number of run applications.

To remain impartial I made some tests with different firmware versions. I tried to run the maximum number of applications and then switched between them. My personal record is slightly more than 10 applications. When it comes to the browser we suffer from the lack of memory. Open two or three pages, go to the player and the phone will indicate that it has not enough of memory. Also, if you switch from the browser to the camera the phone may slow down, especially if you use video, which is a drawback. Not to cause an unnecessary uproar I would like to mention that Symbian requires less memory than other OS and platforms, but similar devices usually need 512 MB and more to provide for the maximum number of "heavy" applications. The head-to-head comparison of RAM amounts is not correct, but it should be noted anyway.

Interesting observations on the topic are available here.

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USB Flash Drives

In the box you can find the connector for external USB memory devices (for example, flash drives). When you connect the flash drive you can copy the data from it to the internal memory and play the file. This memory is displayed in the file manager as another drive. This option has never been used in phones before and it is quite interesting. At least, theoretically. I will try to explain.

A long time ago we had such gadgets as PDAs with USB Host function, which allowed connecting a camera, flash drive or anything else. This feature did not become widely spread, though many proud owners of PDAs boasted this unusual capability. You can read the review of one such PDA.

Review of the PDA Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 720

To transfer files I prefer to use the phone with 32 GB of memory and not the flash drives. If I need to copy more files I can take an external hard drive. Unfortunately, we cannot connect a 2.5" external drive to Nokia N8, because of the insufficient power supply, and while I managed to connect a 3.5" external drive with its own power supply, the phone could not detect it (probably due to the limit on the drive size). I tried SSD, but it was not detected by the phone as well. When I get the commercial device I will try to play around with different storage devices.

When you connect the flash drive all launched applications saved in the common memory (and not in the phone memory) come to a halt. After you finish working with the flash drive and it is disconnected these applications automatically resume their performance (not all applications can regain their status). If you plan to use applications, which require network connection and status to be regained at all times, they must be installed in the phone memory.

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Battery

BL-4D battery has the capacity of 1200 mAh. The manufacturer claims up to 390 hours in the standby mode and from 5.5 to 12 hours of talk time (UMTS/GSM).

The handset features new architecture, which coupled with Symbian^3 provides increased operation time for every mode. Nokia gives the following parameters for the model:

  • Video playback – up to 7 hours (I managed 5.6 hours);
  • Music playback – up to 50 hours (standard headphones, repeated tracks – 47 hours);
  • Data transfer (Web TV) – up to 3 hours and 20 minutes (2 hours and 15 minutes, which may depend on the network quality);
  • Video recording time – 3 hours and 20 minutes (2 hours and 10 minutes with maximum settings and manual screen brightness);
  • Video playback through HDMI – up to 6 hours (around 5.5 hours for preinstalled test files in the closed cycle and up to 4.5 hours for usual movies);

I really like the fact that the handset works for a long time in every mode. Nokia engineers made a great contribution here and we have to be extremely grateful for that. This model is unrivalled among other S60 solutions when it comes to energy efficiency, which is a considerable advantage. For the market in general it is not a record as Apple iPhone 4 can play video for up to 10 hours and music playback reaches 40 hours. These parameters are comparable and we ignore the difference in displays.

On the downside, I have to mention the average operation time of no more than two days, though it is not bad, because many devices need a recharge after 24 hours. The major share of power is used by the home screen with widgets (they need a lot of resources as any other data transfer apart from Wi-Fi). The battery is also heavily used when you browse the web pages. Taking into account the operation time, it becomes clear why ARM11 boasts only 680 MHz, which is a compromise for the better operation time. If you set the screen brightness at 70%, the operation time in my profile goes down by 10%. The maximum brightness will eat out around 20 %.

The total recharge time is about 2 hours.

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USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi

USB. In USB settings you can choose one of the following 3 modes:

  • Data Storage (Mass Storage USB) – the phone memory and memory cards are detected; no drivers required and the OS recognizes the handset without additional help.
  • OVI Suite – work with OVI Suite, access to all phone features, back up of all data, etc.
  • Printing & Media – photo printing, MTP regime.

Data transfer speed reaches 5.5 Mb/s. When USB cable is connected the phone starts recharging.

Bluetooth. This is the first Nokia model with Bluetooth 3.0 also known as High Speed. During the file transfer to other devices with this technology Wi-Fi 802.11 n is used and theoretically the transfer speed can be around 24 Mb/s. The transfer of 1 GB file from Samsung Wave S8500 to NokiaN8 and back showed the maximum speed of 10 Mb/s over a distance of three meters. During the transfer of large files the connection often gets interrupted, which does not happen during the transfer from Nokia N8 to the same model or from Samsung to Samsung. It may happen due to the incompatibility of settings. The transfer of large files to usual S60 smartphones also often results in the loss of connection (without the use of BT 3.0).

The phone supports different profiles: Headset, Handsfree, Serial Port, Dial Up Networking, File Transfer, Object Push, Basic Printing, SIM Access and A2DP. There are no questions as to the use of headsets. Everything is quite traditional here.

Wi-Fi. 802.11 b/g/n standard is supported, but it is not the first model on the market with such a range of protocols. The feature works just fine. There is Wi-Fi networks lookup wizard and the corresponding widget (I installed it and enjoy the convenience).

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HDMI

This phone has HDMI Mini connector and the adaptor to connect the device to TV via HDMI. If you choose this connection you can display all screen content on TV, listen to the music or watch video (5.1 multichannel sound is supported if you have the appropriate sound files). The preinstalled test clip on Nokia N8 shows how to use every element of your acoustic system. The sound goes from the left component, then right and so on. The quality of video playback on the large screen depends entirely on the file and Nokia N8 serves only as the file carrier or the player (up to 6 hours if you deactivate the screen and do not touch the phone, but I managed slightly less). During the playback it is better to switch to the "Flight" mode.

The feature works without problems. It is marketed as something revolutionary, but it is not the case. For many years phones come equipped with the TV Out and all top Nseries models had TV cable in the box. According to research only a small number of users benefited from this feature. We will see if the aggressive promotion of this option in Nokia N8 can make people use HDMI for showing photos and video. The cable offered is more convenient to carry as it is more compact than TV-OUT cables in the past, but you have to carry it around anyway, which may be a problem for some people as the cable is unusual (even microUSB is not easy to find in every home or office and here we have something different).

The feature should not be criticized just because it is not widely used, but at the same time it is not correct to say that it is necessary for the majority of users. It is just a niche option and in future there will be more models with such a connector (Motorola XT720 (MOTOROI, some other models). It is one of the available features, but it is not crucial.

I think that many owners of Nokia N8 have no home cinema with 5.1 system and they cannot use the feature. But these are just my own ideas and they are not supported by any research.

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Camera

It is pointless to review the camera until we have a commercial model. Drivers change every week alongside with the pictures quality (from horrible to sublime). To my mind the camera resembles the one in Sony Ericsson Satio or Pixon12 from Samsung. It offers the same level of pictures. HD recording has not been optimized yet and it influences the overall performance, but you will not be disappointed unless you follow Nokia slogan that this phone can replace the digital camera. This camera is good for a mobile phone and while the absence of shutter in the photo solution is unpleasant, it was made to avoid the problems of Nokia N97 (where the shutter scratched the lens).

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Impressions

This is the fastest Symbian smartphone, pure and simple. It overtakes Sony Ericsson Vivaz and similar phones will become more numerous in future, which is good. But is it the fastest smartphone on the market? Unfortunately, I have to give a negative answer. The speed of its interface and software are well behind Apple iPhone 3Gs, let alone iPhone 4. This is just my personal judgment, but this is how I feel. Many Android smartphones are also faster. Bada phones are equally fast and sometimes even have the edge. Sadly, it is not the fastest device and I mention only available models without taking into account Android 2.2/3.0 (it is too early), which will show considerable increase of performance. There are also several top devices, which cost a couple of times more.

Nokia highlights the multimedia features of N8 and while they are good, they are not too impressive. Video player is common, the screen is not the best in its class (iPhone 4 and Super AMOLED from Samsung are superior and many Android phones offer higher resolution). The camera is one of its advantages, but only in terms of photos and resolution. The picture quality has not improved dramatically and the video recording is on par with other models (Vivaz and Motorola XT720 are comparable, as well as other phones as it is a standard functionality for the market).

I am upset by one more typical Nokia mistake when the company economizes on components. 256 MB of RAM are not enough and the browser has not been polished to allow its simultaneous use with multimedia features without the crash of applications in the background mode. The insufficient amount of memory is a hardware issue.

During my trip to Finland I actively used GPS receiver on Nokia N8 and could not have any complaints. Everything worked well and navigation was accurate (the company must have corrected Nokia N97 mistakes). I like this feature in the model and it is well integrated.

The phone features one speaker, which is quite loud, but it is not a music phone. In terms of drawbacks I can mention the browser, the screen is not the best for video playback (it's normal, but not the best). You can call it fault finding, but in general the model is not breathtaking.

As the owner of Nokia N97/X6 I have a dubious impression from Nokia N8. On the one hand, we have the same old interface, which is quicker, but has similar defects (the screen does not react at times and the home screen widgets often reboot). On the other hand, there are nice additions – photo and video editor (I do not need them at all), USB OTG, HDMI connection (another extra) and the integration of applications into the platform (for example, Search and maps). The mail client has been improved, but it does not overwhelm you, anyway.

It is interesting to note that Nokia's many projects will be developed independently now. This can be seen by the example of the maps, which can be downloaded to devices separately when the new version becomes available. In October, a beta of the eighth version of the browser will come out, whereas the final one is apparently due in February or March along with the first major update for the Nokia N8. The same is true for the e-mail client. I like the new approach better than waiting for another complete firmware update.

One may often also hear rumors that the device supports DivX/Xvid right out of the box or that the necessary firmware is being worked on. The device does not support those codecs, hence a separate player is required (yet to be developed, none of the existing software worked on my N8). And it is very unlikely for Nokia to add such support in future, since it is not a major issue for the majority. That is also why one shouldn't take that as a big disadvantage. Indeed, the Korean phones have it, but it's not that important.

This is an evolutionary development. There is an improvement, but hardly a breakthrough. If not to take into account the camera we can find many more interesting solutions. The customers do not care about the speed of development for the platform, but just want to know whether to spend their money on this product. I think it offers value for money as Nokia plans to have high sales for Nokia N8 and it is priced accordingly. Samsung Wave is the benchmark. It is already available at the same price, but entered the market 2 months earlier. You can compare the products, but they are different, though target the similar audience. We should not forget the devices from HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Nokia N8 is good for those who have never used anything but Nokia and have no experience with Android. This OS is on the rise now and attracts a lot of attention. In October the interest and the sales will be boosted even more, because Android is already a mature OS and have either reached parity with Symbian or is even racing ahead.

All in all we have a good product for Symbian users. They will not be disappointed as the phone will work better than previous models, though it is far from ideal. Those who look for the top technological solutions should look elsewhere. It can rest on technological laurels for a couple of months, if at all. Nokia N9 offers a completely new interface. Having borrowed many features from Android (status line and some animated elements) and Bada MeeGo will look comparable with modern OS. S^3 did not have such a polished interface. It is a transitional product and Nokia N8 is the same. The goal for the model is to keep Nokia sales on par with competitors, which offer better technologies and drive Nokia prices down. It should throw dust in eyes and distract the attention from OS and its transitional character and in 2-3 months the next version of Symbian should be released. Nokia N8 is a decent, but unremarkable product. The buzz around the model will fade away in several months and Nokia will offer new flagships, which will be more technologically advanced. Only the price may help the model and Nokia understands it pretty well.

To conclude, it is an excellent update to the Nokia lineup but not a market breakthrough, a happy occasion for Nokia enthusiasts while just an interesting photo solution for the rest. If the latter functionality is not a priority, one may want to look into other products. Unlike the Nokia N95, it is not an "all-in-one" solution unfortunately.

P.S. The full review will be available after the commercial version is released and here you could read about the impressions based on the long-term use of the model in its different versions. New firmware updates are coming out every week; in the five weeks' time before the official launch, the software will undergo a significant change. A special, PR firmware version doesn't exist at the moment.

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Related links

Symbian^3 – Main Applications and Features

Review of GSM/UMTS-handset Nokia X6/X6 16 Gb

Eldar Murtazin ([email protected])
Twitter    Livejournal
Translated by Maxim Antonenko ([email protected]), Olexandr Nikolaychuk ([email protected])

Published — 24 June 2010

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