If you're a
Symbian fan, a Nokia fan, or simply a lover of 12 megapixel cameraphone sensors, it's a great week to be alive what with the mighty
N8's specs and
Eldar Murtazin-penned mini-review all going live ahead of Nokia's official unveiling. But wait, the N8 fest isn't over quite yet: the
AWS 3G version of the phone just garnered the FCC's blessings, turns out. How do we know this is the T-Mobile-ready N8, exactly? Well, the device is listed simply by its internal code, RM-596, throughout the paperwork -- but the shape of the FCC ID label (which is laser etched, as the filing points out) is exactly what we'd expect given the shots of the N8 we've seen so far, and it looks like it'll appear on the endcap of the phone with the camera hump visible just underneath. Given the leaked specs, we're expecting a version with T-Mobile support anyway, so we're nearly certain this is it. If Murtazin's take on Symbian^3 is any indication, there might not be much reason to get stoked about this thing -- but hey, at least the FCC is going to be totally cool with you blowing your cash on it.
posted April 26th 2010 7:26PM
Anyone else a bit 'meh' on Symbian^3?
Probably most of us who follow Engadget will be. But then again, it isn't designed for us "power-users". It will still sell in droves all across the planet, just like the crappy N97 did.
@Almo
Yeah, true. All my phones have been Nokia, but I 'grew' out of them.
@Almo
"power users" ? you mean people who multitask on their phones, used it instead of their GPS, music player, camera etc.... oh an than make phone calls which don't drop. Are these the power users you are talking about?
@1q2w3e4r I agree with you. Looking at what you get and the "cost of ownership" on it, it's really great deal. I don't want a smartphone that I can't use completely and fully without a PC application. That seems like a DUMB phone to me.
@Almo
Wait, if these specs aren't for 'power' users, then who the hell are they for?
http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n8-3252.php
@kingstu said "I don't want a smartphone that I can't use completely and fully without a PC application."
As in Nokia's PC Suite? It's no worse than using iTunes for iPhone, or Active Sync for WinMo, or BlackBerry Desktop Software for BlackBerry.
Is there a smartphone OS one can use to it's fullest without any kind of PC application? Android perhaps?
@mukatuna that was his point, you don't need PC suite at all to use a symbian phone, including installing applications etc. and to be fair, you need to have a google account to set up an android phone, so not android.
@mukatuna
I hardly ever use Ovi Suite with my Nokias, the last time I did that was to update my old N81 that didn't have OTA updates. Every other Nokia can be easily used without a PC, not just without a PC application.
Syncing, updating, installing apps, downloading music, videos, etc. Can easily be done with just my phone.
@Almo What the hell kind of power users are you referring to? I own a Nokia N95-4 (thinking about upgrading it soon) which still has more capabilities than the current iPhone. Symbian is a power OS, like it or not. North America just despises it because it doesn't have the eye candy, but there are many who love the OS because of the endless possibilities it provides without limitations. And going back to eye candy, the OS is receiving a face lift with Symbian^3.
With the functionality of Symbian, Nokia's great hardware (especially in the camera department), and Nokia's apps (Ovi Maps is one of my favourite navigation apps cause I don't have to use any data to use my phone as a GPS anywhere in the world), I don't understand how this isn't designed for a power user. This is as much power as you can get.
@Pearl Jam
Have you used it?
@Pearl Jam
They are for camera lovers. Which is why it is the N8xx series, camera phones, and not N9xx series, flagship phones. It is the best they will be selling this summer, but it is not intended as a flagship.
@ALBGunner04 Symbian, like Socialism, is just buzz word that many Americans love to hate but few actually understand. It's easy to hate Symbian when, having never used it, that's what you've been told to do. Truth is... Symbian rocks and so does Western European Socialism.
Ah... the only one that says it isn't a "thorough" review.
Yay! It's nice to know that T-Mobile may get some good new phones, first the HD2 now this. :D
@Eric77lv I changed my mind, after looking at the spec sheet, no thanks. HD2 please?
@Eric77lv
And what's so different about the two?
The screen and the 1ghz processor with a subpar GPU?
@Eric77lv
This is a way better phone than the HD2!
Does Tmobile have the best relationship with Nokia in the US for bringing phones?
@poundcakekid I wish Nokia would figure put that Verizom would be a great asset for their sales in the US. Yes I know it's a CDMA carrier but for rural smartphone users, Verizon is really the only game in town.
@ipaladin Ack spelling fail. :(
Now is the time that people from United states can try Symbian....
I like symbian from s40 to s60 3rd ed.. tried s60 5th but being a full touch phone it needs a tweak. Im looking forward how they tweak it with S^3 with capacitive support.
Try symbian before talking shi*!!
@Raffstyle S40 isn't Symbian....
@Imran Yes it is, only difference between S60 and S40 is that S40 is a closed system.
I am beginning to wonder if Nokia is suicidal? Looks like I'm definitely going HTC+Android this year. I mean REALLY wanted to believe this company would return to its former glory but this is just ridiculous at this point.
Son I am disappoint.
@Eternity
I'm beginning to wonder if you're on drugs.
@Eternity Fact is that before full Qt based OS's come out all this is just a stopgap(Harmattan and S^4).
Still i quite like this one, but still not sure if i buy it. Just hoping for fast release.
I love my T-Mo service, to bad the same cannot be said for the Nokia N8.
Want = 0.
yayyyy so let me get this straight:
- 680 MHz A8 cortex CPU / 3.5 OLED,
-12 mega pixel camera carl zeiss optics,
- Xenon flash for my club photos,
- Dual led for video,
- Symbian stable platform yet always talked bad about,
- Nokia backing as i don't see why they get so much bad press what did they ever do to anyone, i thought they giving people what they want in this type of phone?,
- T-mobile 3g (good for me),
I guess at the end of the day even though i have my nexus one which i will keep us Americans follow the crowd. So because Android and the iPhone are the popular OS's everything else is **rubbish**?
@mykenyc85
I'm sorry but when the competition is dishing out 4" displays and 1 GHZ CPU's this seems pretty pale in comparison. I am a realist and even though I've defended Nokia to death in the past being a proud owner of an E71 and N95, I am really getting tired of their shit. The OS needs a huge overhaul to a modern intuitive and user friendly UI and they haven't really released a truly competitive product in a long time, except the N900 but that is a BETA beast in a class of its own. Oh and what were basically a dozen rehashes of the N95 in different form factors plus or minus features does not count! Don't let blind brand loyalty fool you. Everything this phone has to offer has already been done.... LAST YEAR. Don't believe me? browse Engadget.
@Eternity
And those 1 GHZ CPUs have rubbish GPUs unlike the overclocked OMAP3 that this Nokia is using. And my N900 doesn't feel "beta" at all.
Plus I can get at least 3 days from my E72 and this phone seems to have a similar battery life.
The Symbian kernel is much better for low power devices such as phones and it is a considerable advantage over desktop-OS kernels turned mobile that can hardly get a day of battery life and choke on anything less than a Snapdragon or an OMAP3.
@Eternity
But you have never used Symbian ^3 so how can you be quick to judge?
I too have had the N95, the last Nokia product i had was the N900. I don't care about 1ghz CPU because my Nexus one still lags on the home-screen where as a 2 year old iPhone is butter smooth. Also Android have nothing to really utilize that power, what games do we really have? Okay the big 4inch screen = more power hungry def don't care for that. It all boils down to preference i guess in the end.
But this thing have everything i will need, i take a lot of nightlife photos, i need something of stability, and a great battery life. My nexus barely gets passed 8 pm. I love android will always love android that's why I'm keeping my nexus but i will purchase this when it comes out.
@mykenyc85
@Eternity
But you have never used Symbian ^3 so how can you be quick to judge?
I too have had the N95, the last Nokia product i had was the N900. I don't care about 1ghz CPU because my Nexus one still lags on the home-screen where as a 2 year old iPhone is butter smooth. Also Android have nothing to really utilize that power, what games do we really have? Okay the big 4inch screen = more power hungry def don't care for that. It all boils down to preference i guess in the end.
But this thing have everything i will need, i take a lot of nightlife photos, i need something of stability, and a great battery life. My nexus barely gets passed 8 pm. I love android will always love android that's why I'm keeping my nexus but i will purchase this when it comes out.
@Goc
Your argument of GPU power is invalid:
http://androidandme.com/2010/03/news/samsung-galaxy-s-hummingbird-chip-to-have-3x-gpu-power-of-snapdragon/
It has 256mb of ram? seriously? and don't tell me that because the OS doesn't need all the ram that it is justified. You can NEVER have too much ram. But you CAN have too many megapixels if the lens quality is poor, it doesn't make a difference.
Extra screen real estate is never a bad thing if they keep the size of the phone about the size of a standard 3.5" phone. Don't try to justify the phone's shortcomings.
The out of the box codec support is: AMR, NB AMR, WB AMR, FR, EFR
Meanwhile you have Samsung phones with Divx playback as standard for a long time now.
Mono speaker? seriously?
1200 maH battery?
At this point the price is the only thing that will determine if this phone is win or fail. Depending on how Nokia prices it compared to the prices of the competitors. I am expecting no more than $400 for this subpar spec sheet. Only the iPhone can pull this kind of shit off but my standards for apple are really really low so that's irrelevant.
@Eternity
And you're showing me a yet-to-be-released CPU that comes in ONE phone from a manufacturer that is known to hardly ever support its own phones. There is simply no comparison between Nokia and Samsung because when I get a Nokia I know I will get constant updates for my phones. My E71 is a 2-year-old phone that just got its 4th major update, my 5800 just got its 5th major update. Both of them give me free navigation even though I bought them nearly 2 years ago.
Can I say the same about my Samsung i900?
Absolutely not. Samsung's support is almost non-existent.
And since this is Nokia's update to the N86 it will probably cost around $400.
And more importantly you're complaining about a specsheet that is 6 months old and the phone won't come out for at least 4 more months.
So it will be nearly a year old when this phone comes.
@Eternity
You are such an utter fail. Your entire post just smells myopic. And, you apparantly have NO idea about mobile processor architecture, GPU, or whatever. Stop talking. Please.
Actually, the N8 is a 5-band 3G handset. So it has pretty much every 3G band used in the world, so saying that it has ''T-Mobile'' 3G band is a bit misleading towards thinking that ATT users won't have 3G. Like with the N900 which was a huge fail.
Yet another almost-but-not-quiet phone for T-Mo. Can they really not convince manufacturers to offer beefy phones with a current/exciting OS?
I'm really loving this nokia tmo love.
Now just give a kickass meego phone and i'll be a happy boy
@look a cow
Nice mid-tier phone, will be cheap and users will love it.. well i dont care about that, need to see some Meego action soon Nokia.
It covers both ATT and T-Mobile 3G bands!!!
Everybody in American continent (except CDMA-only carriers) should rejoice.
If this comes out with no AT&T band I'm done with Nokia.
@Ajcag723
According to FCC documentation, it has ALL NAM 3G bands, including but not limited to
AT&T
Rogers
Telus
T-Mobile
Wind
@mingkee I saw that. It was in the spec sheet as well, but I wondered if they were just listing all of the bands that would be available via the various regions where the N8 would be available. Really, it's about time. The only other thing I would have like to see would have been a dual SIM slot so that I could theoretically put a t-mobile sim and an AT&T sim at once and have the phone choose on the fly the best network.
@user001 According to the FCC SAR Report, this thing supports AT&T WCDMA as well, see image below:
http://www.xti9.com/pics/NokiaN8.jpg
"Made in China"... tut tut Nokia. Whatever happened to good old Made in Finland? Such as my trusty Nokia E71. The best smartphone I've ever used, and still use today.
@mukatuna
I was just going to say this. When I buy my phones I always check for the "made in Finland" label.
Nokia need to send their flagship phone to U.S. Carrier.
@mykenyc85 I think Nokia killed Eldar's family and buried his dog in the yard. That could be one reason he hates them with a passion.
@N900
Lol i agree because Nokia to me seems to be trying to improve there devices for the consumer point-of-view.