Nokia N8 Unlocked GSM Touch Screen Phone with GPS, Voice Navigation and 12MP Camera (Blue)

About a month ago, I ordered five of these so I could see each color before purchasing one. All colors were very impressive but I went with the blue. My wife, who was not in the market for a phone, saw the green one and wanted it immediately. So we have two. My prior phone was a Nokia N900 which I used for a little over a year. I really liked the N900 but decided to try the N8 because it appeared the Maemo software on the N900 was turning into more of an Nokia experiment. I could be wrong but enhancements and upgrades for that phone seemed unlikely. Most of our friends have IPhones so for just that reason we didn't want one.The N8 was a very impressive surprise. The looks and design make it cross into a more elegant catagory. It's kind of like taking off an average looking wrist watch and replacing it with a Rolex or Omega.Below are the pros and cons.Pros:1. The size (particularly the width) and weight are perfect for using one hand to perform functions. The width of many popular smart phones make one handed use awkward. Also the phone is all aluminum, a fact that distinguishes it from 99% of the competition whose phones are all plastic. This is a visable and tangible difference, one you definately feel when you pick up this phone.2. The glass is a special material (gorilla glass)and we've noticed that occaisional miscues that might have put small permanent marks or scratches on our other screens don't faze this one. We purchased Zagg protective film but decided not to use it unless it becomes necessary.3. For calls and music, my N900 had two separate speakers and the sound was very good. The one speaker on the N8, actually sounds better and is much louder.4. As noted by others, the photos and videos taken with this phone are in a class of their own. The end product is superior to most dedicated cameras.5. Battery life: For both my wife and I, who are middle of the road users, the battery lasts a solid two days and even more depending on the usage. We typically charge on the third day. I was charging every night with the N900. As a side note, the N8 has an attractive analog clock and day/date screen saver that we leave on all the time and it seems to have little or no effect on battery life.6. This is a small item, but the N8 provides the means to have a wrist strap. I typically put the phone in my pants pocket with the wrist strap in position to grab when I hear the ring. I got used to this on the N900 after a few months and found it very handy to use in many situations.7. When you press and hold down the "call" button, you are prompted to say the name of the contact you wish to call. The N8 brings up that contact, along with others that may have the same sounding name. If you don't interrupt the process, the selected contact is called. This is not a hit and miss thing. For the most part, it's pretty accurate particularly as you become more familiar with what the phone likes to hear. This same voice command also works for calling up applications.8. There is a feature that will record phone conversations. This recorder can be used for any purpose, business meetings, family arguments etc.9. There is a second camera on the screen side of the phone for use with applications like Skype.10. All of the on board applications perform as expected or better in some cases. As far as we are concerned, all the hype about symbian being inferior to "whatever" is just that, hype. Personally, I feel a very high percentage of users do not enter into a zone where using symbian is going to hamper their use of a smart phone.11. Along with the typical useless programs, Ovi store also has several good ones. For example, we loaded "Swype" which is a text entering program. On the virtual keyboard, you move your finger across the keyboard and without lifting your finger, stop at the letters you want. After you've completed the word, you lift your finger and the word is inserted into the text. A little hard to explain but it's pretty cool. Another one is "Own Voice" which is a program where you record your voice as the one that gives GPS instructions. i.e. "Turn left...no no, your other left."12. I guess it goes without saying that as a phone, Nokia has always been a little ahead of the curve and the N8 is no exception. Reliable excellent call quality and ease of use.On the con side:1. It seems to me that the camera lens should be covered when not in use. It hasn't really been an issue with us but it just looks like something that should have been addressed.2. The speaker slot is located in the camera lens housing which protrudes out from the phone. If the phone is tipped just slightly forward when laying on a table, the speaker slot gets blocked off and a ringing phone will not be heard. The difference between hearing and not hearing the phone is only about 1/32 of an inch from the phone being perfectly flat. The Nokia silicone cover emiminates this issue.3. I found the Nokia Ovi Suite for the PC something of a challenge. Not exactly user friendly. Loading programs was cumbersome and a lot of the times didn't work. I found the majority of the problems I encountered were due to me not using the correct procedure or starting from the right screen. However, I also found that making a mistake was usually the only way to effectively get the correct procedure. In any case, there's been an update and between that update and me learning about what not to do, things seem better.So in conclusion, Both my wife and I feel the N8 is an exceptional smart phone. Stylish, functional and elegant.Update: I've had the N8 for 8 months now and must say it continues to be amazing. I've had no problems of any kind. Even though I've been pulling it in and out of my front pants pocket the whole time, there is not one mark on the gorilla glass. Looks like it did when new. It's overall handsome exterior still grabs admiring comments. I back-up my data frequently because if I was to lose this phone, I would definately get another N8. I've seen the new E7 with the slide-out qwerty keyboard and although very similar and tempting, it's missing the FM transmitter and the wrist strap holes like the N8. Also, I've been told that although the E7 screen measures larger, the actual display is only slightly bigger than that of the N8.

After close to a year (believe it or not) of research, I finally purchased this phone in March. I wanted a single device to do everything - media-player, PDA, Internet capabilities and a good camera. I had no intention to jump aboard the Apple bandwagon (although I understand why people love their I-Phones) and the Android platform phones weren't giving me what I needed hardware-wise.Finally I took the plunge and purchased my blue N8. I was very happy (and very lucky) NOT to receive one of the many defective units that a lot of other reviewers are complaining about. For those who might care, mine says "Made in Finland." The phone worked straight out of the box. I played around with the basic functions for a couple of hours before installing the OVI software and doing a live-update via my computer. The OVI suite that came pre-installed for some reason didn't recognise the phone when I plugged it into the USB port, and I eventually had to download the software off the website and reinstall. It worked flawlessly afterwards. I'd strongly advise you update the firmware as soon as you get your phone - many complaints I've read here are resolved by this update.I won't get into specifics of the hardware as Amazon's product description covers everything you need to know. Here's simply a breakdown of what I LIKE:* The unit itself is very attractive and sturdy. For added protection (and if you pay US $399 for a phone you better be concerned), get an Otterbox case, which comes with a free screen protector.* Setting up email was quick and easy, as was my Facebook connection. Telephone contacts were easily downloaded from my SIM card and I can synchronise contacts with their respective Facebook profiles.* I get Quick-office which allows me to EDIT and CREATE files, not just view them.* Synching with my Outlook calendar is easy using the OVI suite.* The Wi-Fi wizard could not be easier to use. I don't have a data plan, but the speeds I get at the various hotspots are very good. I've been able to comfortably do live updates, install apps and send/receive photos and other attachments with no trouble.* Two years back I bought an Olympus 12MP camera and was very unhappy with the battery life and photo quality - I had previously owned an Olympus 5MP which took better pictures than its replacement. The N8 camera far surpasses my Olympus, especially with night shots. The on-board editing software is fantastic.* Video is high-definition. I don't need to spend extra $ on a digi-cam now.* FM transmitter! This was the deal-breaker for me. I can toss my CD case I've been carrying in my car for the last few years and put all my music on this phone to play through my car deck. The other phones I had previously short-listed for purchase (HTC and Motorola Droid X) didn't have this very handy feature.* The video player is compatible with most file formats. The display quality in unbelievable, making watching movies on this phone an absolute joy.* Battery life has been satisfactory so far. I do moderate browsing throughout the day but frequently use the music player/FM transmitter and a couple of other apps. No complaints here.So now we get to the SYMBIAN. I think it's a matter of personal preference when it comes to the OS/GUI on this phone. I've used Apple & Android phones enough to understand why people like them. While the OS on the N8 may not be as "fun" to use, it is simple to figure out, very responsive and gets the job done. I don't need more than that from a mobile phone OS. Actions such as pinch-and-zoom, scrolling, etc. are routinely performed with no problems whatsoever. I have experienced the occasional (i.e. infrequent) application "seizure" but no more so than on other smart-phones. I bought this phone primarily for the hardware and an OS that is simple and to the point. The fact that Nokia has discontinued Symbian development has not made me regret this decision. The OS is stable, and there are at least 2 major firmware releases due which will provide additional functionality (portrait QWERTY keyboard, etc.). As for 3rd-party apps, I have all the important ones I need from the OVI store. To be perfectly blunt, the majority of apps out there are frivolous nonsense that I can do without.All things considered, here are a few things to note (in the interest of lending balance to this review):* I am sure the OVI maps are great, providing you can get maps for your area. I live in the Caribbean and there are NO maps available for this part of the world. So, I'm unable to enjoy one of the features I was most looking forward to. I did download Google maps, but this of course requires an active Internet connection for the GPS.* The Music Player is VERY basic. I'd like to see Nokia improve on this in one of the updates. Same with the movie player.* The on-board battery meter can be misleading. Download the Nokia Battery Monitor utility (very nifty) and you'll notice that it routinely displays the charge with a 3-4 percent difference from the on-board meter.* The web browser isn't impressive. Get Opera mobile.* It would've been nice to have included a lanyard in the box.* The stereo headset I received looked really good, but unfortunately mine didn't work. I didn't bother to write Amazon on this, as it's not that big of a deal with me.* No e-book reader application. This was a disappointment, as the pre-installed PDF reader just doesn't do it for me.In summary, I've gotten a phone that can can do pretty much everything an I-Phone does WITH the best on-board camera on the market for considerably less money. This is a great device that comes highly recommended.