N8 hands on review

Great to see I am not the only one with certain perceptions about other phones. This was read on a site reviewing the N8 :

Summary: It’s not technology, it’s what you do with it

So would I buy the N8 for an entry price round about Rs40,000? If I was a serious buyer in the market for a high-end Smartphone and I wanted a sensible option, yes. The N8 comes with basically all the needs of today’s user and scores really well in all its categories and claims, and looks good to boot. It is worth the money (for those who can afford it) and it won’t disappoint once in hand.

The only hesitation I would have in giving a clear thumbs up to the N8 is the fact that ‘sensible option’ is not always a winner on the high-end of the phone market. There is definitely something lacking about the N8 when it boils down to comparing it to a similarly priced BlackBerry or iPhone, and this may purely be an issue of brand perception rather than actual phone quality.

No matter how fantastic the N8 may be, I still doubt it can compete with the BlackBerry peer pressure and the iPhone’s elite status prevailing in this market segment. If I was a serious buyer, I would ask myself, can I fight off the BlackBerry crowd who will condemn me for not buying a BB – and if I tell them I bought the N8 for its super cool features and technology, wont the iPhone crowd step in and laugh at me?

This is up to the serious buyer to decide.
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alf101 said:
There's probably about 50 phones out there that'll make you happy Lance.
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I'm sure... but the difficulty is sifting through all the marketing, and the fan boy comments, to find the one that will make me very happy, and keep you that way for at least two years.
 
LancelotSA said:
I'm sure... but the difficulty is sifting through all the marketing, and the fan boy comments, to find the one that will make me very happy, and keep you that way for at least two years.
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I took about 4 months to decide on a phone.
Looked at 20 Nokia variant's, 10 Samsung ones, HTC's, Erikson's and Blackberrys.

Eventually I just made a list of everything I'd want on a phone in the next 3 years, and from the phones PC software, then on the brand.
Then I made the choice, I like what I have, but at the same time there's lots of other phones I still like.

Obviously the N8 grabs you so just get it and never mind the rest.
 
alf101 said:
I took about 4 months to decide on a phone.
Looked at 20 Nokia variant's, 10 Samsung ones, HTC's, Erikson's and Blackberrys.
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I am as bad. Colleagues always joke about the amount of research I put into a phone purchase ;) They inevitably follow my lead though as they know the groundwork has been done! :D

Eventually I just made a list of everything I'd want on a phone in the next 3 years, and from the phones PC software, then on the brand.
Then I made the choice, I like what I have, but at the same time there's lots of other phones I still like.

Obviously the N8 grabs you so just get it and never mind the rest.
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Part of the reason I use a forum such as this is to get opinions from others. I particularly enjoy (although it may not seem that way ;)) comments from those who are set on other phones as it allows me to search out more info on their perceived strengths and draws my attention to what they perceive to be the weaknesses of the phone being discussed.

As stated before, I was slightly concerned about some of the things being said about the N8 but further research has negated these. I welcome more constructive comments as it gives me more areas to look into. ;)
 
So it seems that we may see some exceptional apps finding their way onto the Symbian^3 platform.... $10,000,000 is bound to attract some interest from developers.

Nokia is running this contest for two main reasons. First, it’s continuing to drum up support from developers for the Symbian^3 platform. Current developers building apps for Nokia devices are already happy with the programming tools, but Nokia wants to catch the eye of app makers building for Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android devices. Second, the Nokia N8 is arguably the company’s flagship smartphone so the company is wisely putting some marketing muscle and money behind it. Yes, Nokia announced three other Symbian^3 handsets at Nokia World last week, but the N8 was introduced back in April as Nokia’s “fight back” phone to showcase an improved Symbian^3 platform.
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http://gigaom.com/2010/09/23/10-million-reasons-the-nokia-n8-is-destined-for-att/

It seems that this may also be another attempt by Nokia's to break into the American market. Getting their phone subsidised by someone like AT&T will certainly help the cause.
 
LancelotSA said:
So it seems that we may see some exceptional apps finding their way onto the Symbian^3 platform.... $10,000,000 is bound to attract some interest from developers.


http://gigaom.com/2010/09/23/10-million-reasons-the-nokia-n8-is-destined-for-att/

It seems that this may also be another attempt by Nokia's to break into the American market. Getting their phone subsidised by someone like AT&T will certainly help the cause.
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Yes, I too was very excited about this news.

Two big reasons will get me to update to the N8 in November:

1) FM Transmitter
2) Be able to code for it :)
 
It seems like my decision has been made. I've decided to go the HTC route. HTC Desire HD. Now for the big question - when will MTN have this beauty in stock? Anyone???
 
Shads said:
It seems like my decision has been made. I've decided to go the HTC route. HTC Desire HD. Now for the big question - when will MTN have this beauty in stock? Anyone???
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Shhh, start your own HTC Desire thread! ;) We can later discuss what a big mistake you made! :D
 
Lol! I'm typical female - so impatient! I'll need to wait for both phones!!! I can upgrade on the 1st - and I must have a phone on the 1st! Can't wait!!! My friend just told me to choose the phone already and stop bugging her! LOL!!!

She asked what the most important element is that I'm looking for - and it is the camera. So I guess I should take the N8, but on some of the reviews (CNET UK, etc) they downgrading the N8. They give it credit for the camera, but not for the screen, design, etc.

LancelotSA, where did you get all those reviews you pasted on this thread?
 
Shads said:
LancelotSA, where did you get all those reviews you pasted on this thread?
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From all over the place. I just Googled and found the ones that interested me. Usually I'll use GSMArena but they haven't done a full review on the N8 yet as a result of it not having been released yet. The reviews I found are based on some time spent with the phone at Nokia World and others who got their hands on pre-production models so the final product should be even more polished.

I am already due for an upgrade so I'm waiting patiently! :)
 
These weren't final units, so hopefully the final OS product is more rounded (which it probably will be) -

Nokia N8: Hardware Is Gorgeous, But Crucial Software Disappoints

Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has given bloggers and journalists across both sides of the Atlantic a sneak peek at their great new hope, the N8, slated for a Q3 release starting in Europe. It’s no secret that Nokia needs a high-end smartphone hit, but judging from a range of reviews, the N8 might not be the one. The verdict for the latest iPhone killer is strikingly similar: Though the N8 more than delivers on the hardware, the software disappoints. ...
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SiriS said:
Correct, although not a review, but rather a summary of a few reviews.
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I do have to wonder about the accuracy of some of the comments and whether it is indeed fan boys disguised as journalists writing them.... one example is this :

U.S.-based InformationWeek was the most blunt, calling the software “depressing,” and saying that it “stinks.” It found overall, the usability of the N8, despite running Symbian 3, “is indistinguishable from the current version of S60 5th Edition.” The reviewer added, “The fonts are the same, the icons are the same, the graphics look the same, the menus behave the same, and the learning curve is just too high.” PCmag.com another U.S.-based magazine, agreed: “…while Nokia can build beautiful hardware, they haven’t closed the gap on experiences.”
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From my rather limited understanding, and bear in mind I don't get paid to review these things, one of the major differences, which vastly improves the user experience, is no longer needing to press something twice to activate it.

I won't even bother commenting on him saying that almost everything is identical and then adding that "the learning curve is just too high" :confused: WTF?

I'll take some of those with more than a pinch of salt.
 
Lancelot, did u come across any news on if the n8 will be able to run symbian 4 when its released. Im on operamini till monday, so decent searching is not possible!
 
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