Hands-on with the Nokia 8800 Arte

From afar, it's really, really hard to understand the concept of a €1,000 (about $1,470) cellphone. Touch one, though, and it starts to make sense. The 8800 Arte -- the latest in a long line of luxury phones from Nokia dating all the way back to the trick 8110 "Matrix phone" in the mid 90s -- is a feast for the senses, thanks in no small part to a simply gorgeous 2 inch full color OLED display front and center. Of course, it also helps that the 8800 Arte once again sets a standard for quality materials and craftsmanship in Nokia's line, featuring perhaps the most satisfying slide mechanism we've ever had the pleasure of actuating. Put simply, this little beast feels as though it's crafted from a single hunk of metal, and indeed, that's probably not too far from the truth. The 3.2 megapixel camera is decent for a phone of its size and target demographic, and the same can be said of the 1GB of integrated storage; if it weren't for the lack of US 3G, we'd be just a hair away from being able to fully justify the monstrous price tag. For most of us, these gallery shots will be as close as we ever get to an 8800 Arte, so savor them, won't you?

Thanks to the good folks at Wireless Imports for the hookup!




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