GLOBAL – The Nokia N8 has been causing a bit of a stir. This week, Damian Dinning has been taking us through a step-by-step guide to the camera. We’ve been asking you to vote on polls galore and we’ve heard the tech blogerati are itching to get their hands on the device. We already know the basic specs and the price, but is there more to the Nokia N8 than meets the eye? Here’s a run-through of some of the other things in the N8 that makes it one of this year’s most hotly anticipated phones.
Aluminium
The Nokia N8 is crafted from a single piece of anodised aluminium. The process of anodising the aluminum increases its corrosion and wear resistance. With the casings’ ultra scratch-resistant powers, you can scratch a set of keys on the back of the device and with a quick wipe the mark will magically disappear. The anodised aluminium doesn’t just banish scratches, it also means it’s possible to bring the N8 to the market in a rainbow of colours.
Buttons
Not one to scrimp on the detail, Nokia has made sure that all the bases – or more to the point, buttons – are covered. All the buttons along the side of the device are cut-outs from the same piece of aluminium, adding to the luxury feel of the device. Also, for the clumsy amongst us, the moveable buttons have been rubberised to save your digits from mishaps.
HDMI
Showing off your mobile content at home has never been easier. The HDMI connector allows you to connect your N8 to your TV and share all the pics from your travels. Alternatively, you can watch side-loaded true HD quality content in real time via HDMI at up to 30fps. Add to this Dolby Digital Plus Surround sound capabilities, and you’ve got the complete package. In the box, the N8 will come with HDMI adapter for you to connect with a standard HDMI cable.
Screen
With the capacitive touchscreen on offer on the N8, there’s the capability to pinch zoom in applications like Photos and Browser. Did you know that capacitive touchscreens will only respond to materials that are conductive? Handy if you’ve got sticky fingers and need to give the screen a quick wipe with a cloth. It also responds to just a touch rather that a press on the screen. No worrying about oops-a-daisy inputs here. With a 3.5 inches screen estate, AMOLED, 16M colours and a resolution of 640 x 360 pixels, it’s perfect for watching widescreen movies too.
Battery Life
Within the Nokia N8 is an integrated battery that’ll keep you in juice for days. Talk-time at its maximum is 720 mins (GSM) and 350 mins (WCDMA) and standby time comes in at 390 hours (GSM) and 400 hours (WCDMA). Not bad for a smartphone, we think.
Social Networking
We’re accustomed to keeping in touch with Ovi, on the Nokia N8 it’s even easier. Social networks can be accessed from multiple places such as the homescreen, maps and contacts. Live feeds from Facebook and Twitter are directly pushed to the homescreen for easy viewing. Also, you can comment, read and send messages, update your status and share your location, photos and more. Calendar events from social networks can also be added to the device calendar, so you’ll – hopefully – never miss an important date again.
Flash Support
YouTube fans and gamers rejoice – The N8 supports all the video features of Adobe’s latest Flash offering, Flash player 10.1 and most Action Script 3 based content. A point to note: the device does not support all of Flash Player 10.1 features and Action Script 3 for graphics rendering although all video-related features are supported.
Email
Nokia N8 features a completely new email client combining several accounts into one. In addition to Ovi Mail, there is a large amount of supported email clients with POP3/IMAP. There is also support for the business email solution, Mail for Exchange.
WebTV
WebTV is another new weapon added to the Nokia N8’s arsenal. The Web TV application delivers TV programs, news and entertainment from channels like Paramount, E! Entertainment, CNN and National Geographic. Locally relevant Web TV content will also available from the Ovi Store.
Sensors
The Nokia N8 has backlighting and ambient light sensor, magnetometer (compass), orientation sensor and a proximity sensor. Both the orientation sensor and magnetometer come in very handy for finding your way around using Ovi Maps. The proximity sensor and ambient light sensor, on the other hand, are your battery’s best friend. The proximity sensor will switch off the screen every time you bring the phone to your face to answer a call and the ambient light sensor will adjusts the display’s brightness dependent on your surroundings.
