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20 Oct 2010
The N8 is a valiant effort from Nokia and definitely its best high-end smartphone to date. However, Symbian^3 is a big letdown and, while the N8 will satisfy multimedia and Nokia fans, it could struggle to attract business users against competition from the BlackBerry, iPhone, and to a lesser extent, Android devices.
Pros:
Great camera; decent battery life; impressive multimedia option
Cons:
Disappointing Symbian^3 OS update; poor touch screen keyboard; frustrating internet experience; cluttered interface
Price: £419.99 SIM-free or free from £25 per month on Vodafone
Manufacturer: Nokia
Nokia's N8 handset has finally landed, boasting the all-new Symbian^3 platform. Unveiled in June, the N8 boasts a dazzling array of multimedia features in a bid to tempt mobile buyers away from Android, BlackBerry and iPhone handsets.
Nokia hasn't skimped on the specifications, and the 3.5in 640 x 360 Amoled touch screen offers a visual experience close to other high-end devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S.
With dimensions of 113.5mm x 59mm x 12.9mm, the N8 fits nicely into the palm of the hand, and it's not too heavy at 135g. The scratch-proof anodised aluminium casing gives the device a stylish appearance and protection from everyday use.
Symbian^3 OS
Symbian^3 is an improvement over previous versions, but it is still not at the level it should be. There are three home screens packed with widgets and applications that can be viewed in landscape and portrait modes, a nice touch that many other smartphones lack.
Each home screen is divided into four rows, which can house four application shortcuts or display one widget such as email or social networking updates.
We were disappointed that the widgets cannot be expanded to take up the whole screen, as people now want as much information as possible crammed onto the screen. The same problem was apparent in the Nokia C6, which runs on an older Symbian platform.
In our tests we found that customising the home screen was a bit of a chore. It was not possible to move widgets between panels. Instead, each of the three screens has to be customised individually, and even then it was fiddly. There is no sense of integration like there is with Apple iOS4 or Android home screens.
Pressing the Home button brings up a more detailed classic menu catering to Nokia fans, and the company has been generous with the apps it has preloaded onto the phone.
Bloomberg, iPlayer, Skype, Spotify, Wikipedia, Yell and YouTube are all there from the get-go. Ovi Maps with voice guided navigation as standard is a bonus, and Nokia's Ovi Store also houses thousands of apps.
Symbian^3 OS, 113.5mm x 59mm x 12.9mm, 135g, 3.5in Amoled capacitive touch screen, 16GB internal memory, up to 32GB SD card support, HDMI output, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G.
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Do you agree?
Qwerty2
The whole reason QWERTY was invented was to make text entry slower. The original typewriters couldn't keep up with typing speeds, so it was necessary to implement an intentionally inefficient keyboard layout. By the time the faster typewriter golfball and daisywheel came out, so many millions of people were used to QWERTY that it was too late to change, despite a few valiant but doomed efforts to do so. So far as the review is concerned, the N8 probably hits the mark for many users who, like me, are unlikely to use many of its more advanced features. Also, I would be interested to learn what its connection abilities are when in a poor signal area, and how good it is with that most basic function - making a phone call. As a business user I have more than once been frustrated by my inability to just make a call, especially if I'm with a client who needs a quick answer. Two other important features that many smartphones fall down on are battery life (we're not all lying around at home next to a power socket) and reliability. Without those it's no more than an expensive ornament.
Posted by: David 14 Apr 2011
Biased and unprofessional review.
It's people like this reviewer who are causing problems for Nokia. He is obviously an android fan and wants to convince everyone else that everything symbian is bad. His review is subjective, misleading and not at all professional. I own a Nokia N8 and apart from the 12 mega pixel camera, there are many other positive features which the reviewer did not even bother to mention in his shallow review. If he had actually used the phone before writing his biased review he would have known this. I have about 1000 contacts, over 3000 songs, about 350 pictures and over 2000 messages on my N8 and the phone has handled all of this admirably and never crashed on me or shown signs of stress. The N8 is a very classy phone with a good, smooth user interface. Try it out, you won't regret it.
Posted by: tosb 26 Dec 2010
slaughtering of nokia
wat crap.....y evrbody is giving anti-nokia reviews....if u dont like nokia then say the word.....dont deter other nokia buyers frm taking it.....this is completely slaughtering of n8...
Posted by: mohammed haseeb ahmed 23 Oct 2010
Qwerty
I'm totally bemused by this new fad for tiny qwerty keyboards on phones.. I know a few folk with phones which have them and frankly they are pretty useless as you cannot use both hands to type on them (the whole reason Qwerty was invented). On something as small as a phone I find the older alpha numerical system quicker to use.
Posted by: Jon 22 Oct 2010