Nokia N8: First Look, First Impressions

Last Monday, I received a call from Nokia West Africa. The summary was that I would be getting a Nokia N8 from them this Thursday (today). They kept their word, and I have with me now a brand new unit of the N8. My unit is greenblue. Believe me when I say that the pictures do not do this handset any justice. The greenblue unit positively makes a statement!

Earlier this year, I made an appeal for phone manufacturers and dealers to step up to the plate and provide us with loan devices for review. We have had CricketPDA, and now we have Nokia. Let it be on record that Nokia is the first manufacturer to do this kind of thing in this country. We hope that other manufacturers with a physical presence in Nigeria will also step up. Samsung? LG? What say ye?

It Gets Even Better

This has to be said. The guys at Nokia say that this unit is given to me for keeps. Yup; it is not going back. Before you go all blue with envy, the truth is its about time. Think of all the devices that I have spent hard cash purchasing for review purposes. Think of all the mobile devices (including Nokias) that have been purchased because of my reviews. Think of all the mobile devices (including Nokias) that I have given away free or at subsidized costs. Consider all that and you will agree that this has been long overdue. A Christmas present in November! Pass the thanksgiving turkey!!

Thank you, Nokia!

PS: It needs saying too that you can count on me to be as objective as I am known to be in all my reviews, this gift notwithstanding.

Nokia N8 First Impressions

Setting up the N8 was a dream come true. Getting my contacts, mails and calendar entries on it was as simple as setting up an Exchange account with my Google Apps email and in a few moments, I was home dry. Am I impressed or what?

Of course, getting my files, documents and media on it was as simple as popping in my 8GB microSD card. It couldn’t have been simpler than that. Shame on devices without an external card slot.

Next was social networking – and that too was dead easy. Using the social networking widget, i was connected to both Facebook and Twitter in minutes. I’m now back online on the go.

I plugged the N8 to my netbook and selected USB drive mode on the device. Immediately, I could copy other files. In addition, I was prompted to install Nokia Ovi Suite. The installation file was on the device. No CD; no downloads. Excuse me, but this is what I call easy setup.

The new Symbian user interface is cool. While the icons are the same old S60 5th Edition icons, eye candy is there. It is different from how it is implemented on iOS or Android or WebOS, but it is there. I don’t have a problem with different. Plus there is haptic feedback when you touch the screen, making the touch experience much more enjoyable.

My device came with the very latest firmware, V11.012, so I was good to go right from the start.

The sales pack contains:

• charger
• headset
• manual
• quick start guide
• USB data cable (also for charging)
• USB-on-the-go adapter
• male miniHDMI to female standard HDMI adapter

That is a very complete pack.

The N8 feels solid (and cold) in the hand. That Aluminium build makes it a solid device. But it doesn’t stop with the build. The user interface is lovely too, at least I can say that of the parts that I have interacted with so far.

So far, Nokia seems to have got it right with the N8. And I haven’t even touched that 12 world-acclaimed camera yet. Nokia has succeeded in making it super easy to pick the N8 up and get going. That counts for a lot. Expect detailed review parts over the next few weeks.

Reactions welcome, please!

Author: Mister Mobility

Master storyteller and founder of Mobility Nigeria, Mister Mobility, has used and reviewed hundreds of mobile phones since 2001.