DailyTech - In the Face of Increasing Competition, Nokia Announces N8 Smartphone

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Gadgets In the Face of Increasing Competition, Nokia Announces N8 Smartphone
Brandon Hill (Blog) - April 27, 2010 8:29 AM

33 comment(s) - last by ChipDude.. on Apr 28 at 4:16 PM

Nokia reboots with the Symbian^3 based N8

With most of the talk in the smartphone market shifting towards Apple, Microsoft, and Google, it's easy to forget about Nokia. Apple's iPhone is the media darling, Google's Android phones are quickly charging down the battlefield with brute force, and Microsoft is hoping to recharge its batteries with Windows Phone 7.

So what is Nokia to do in the face of these fierce competitors? Well, today Nokia announced its N8 smartphone. The N8 uses Nokia's new Symbian^3 platform and aims to offer a superior multimedia experience.

The N8 features a generous 12MP camera (complete with Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss optics) which can record high definition video. An HDMI connector is also included to display content on to a large computer display or revision. A 3.5" capacitive touch display is included (360x640), and the N8 supports A-GPS, Bluetooth, 802.11n, Micro-USB, and USB On-the-Go.

Other features include 16GB of internal storage which can be expanded thanks to a microSD slot, FM radio, FM transmitter, TV-out, Dolby Surround Sound and the N8 will also naturally support the free Ovi Maps navigation program.

The N8 has 256MB of RAM and a 512MB ROM and the phone measures 4.47" x 2.33" x 0.51" and weighs 4.76 ounces. The N8 comes standard with a 1200mAh battery.

While its exterior probably practically screams "early 2000s", Nokia says that the N8 is "carved from a single piece of anodized aluminum and looks glorious decked in one of five eye-catching colors (Dark Grey, Silver White, Green, Blue, Orange)."

The Nokia N8 will ship in Q3 at a price of roughly $500. When it arrives, it will have a wealth of competition from the like of the iPhone 4G/HD, Droid Incredible, and HTC EVO 4G.

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Nokia Dual SIM Phones

By Qapa on 4/27/2010 9:06:50 AM , Rating: 2

Does anyone know anything about when are the Nokia Dual SIM Phones really coming to life?

At the end of 2009 I heard it should be in the end of H1 of 2010.

Any updates on this? Anyone? Thanks :)

PS: I do mean real Nokia phones (not chinese) and real Dual Sim (not those SIMs that can have 2 numbers and then you need to turn mobile of to switch). In other words, like the Samsung ones, both SIMs ready to receive or make calls, put a call on hold on one SIM to speak on the other, maybe even create a conference between both.

RE: Nokia Dual SIM Phones

By semo on 4/27/2010 9:33:30 AM , Rating: 2

i don't think you'll be seeing much of those any time soon. there is a reason why phones come locked and therefore cheaper on long contracts... the provider doesn't want you using their competitors' service. Also on the technological side you need to have 2 transceivers (1 per sim) which will make the phone more expensive, possibly bulkier, and you won't get it subsidized by any operator.

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RE: Nokia Dual SIM Phones

By Murloc on 4/27/2010 10:56:11 AM , Rating: 2

there's a dual sim phone from a german company, I don't remember the name now, in switzerland it's distribuited by AEG.

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Strange Offer from Nokia

By HotFoot on 4/27/2010 10:46:30 AM , Rating: 2

I'm comparing the new N8 phone versus their N900 hand-held computer. The N900 is thicker (bit clunky as far as cell phones go), but in almost everything else the N8 is a rather neutered piece of hardware in comparison, for nearly the same price (paid $550 for my N900). Some points:

I would have liked to see Maemo 5 running on the N8.

12 MP is an amazing amount of overkill. The lens, while good for a smart phone, is still the limiting factor for image quality. 12 MP is a tip of the hat to people who buy things for bigger numbers that don't mean anything.

The N8 screen is lower resolution vs (800 x 480).

No physical keyboard - but that goes with a sleeker form factor.

Half the on-board memory (16 GB vs 32 GB).

I would love to see the N900 packaged a little neater, but I am okay with a little extra bulk in order to keep a physical keyboard (personal preference).

It seems the N8 is a bit of a rip-off in comparison, considering the only 10% price difference.

RE: Strange Offer from Nokia

By themaster08 on 4/28/2010 6:04:38 AM , Rating: 2

quote:
12 MP is an amazing amount of overkill. The lens, while good for a smart phone, is still the limiting factor for image quality. 12 MP is a tip of the hat to people who buy things for bigger numbers that don't mean anything.

I agree in some respects, but have you seen some sample images taken from this device? They are of outstanding quality for a mobile phone.

Here are a few samples -

http://dailymobile.se/2010/04/27/photos-taken-with...

Here's a sample HD video shot using the N8 -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JhKK7ir2wM

Taking into consideration that this device has not been fully optimised yet, the quality of these shots is remarkable.

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RE: Strange Offer from Nokia

By Zarsky on 4/28/2010 9:29:50 AM , Rating: 2

Well, N8 isn't the follow-up for N900.
Nokia will also release a follow-up to N900 and it should run MeeGo(Maemo 6).

It will be interesting to see what they will improve besides the software.

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Good news.

By themaster08 on 4/27/2010 10:17:40 AM , Rating: 2

I've always been a big fan of Nokia and the Symbian platform, long before the iPhone was even a twinkle in Steve Jobs's eye.

Obviously, being a fan, I follow a lot on what Nokia and The Symbian Foundation are up to, so this is nothing new to me, but this phone is definitely a step in the right direction.

S60 really needed a revamp. It's age really shows when compared to iPhoneOS or WebOS for example, but considering its age, it holds its own extremely well. It accomodates the more affordable smartphones with all of the functionality you would expect from a high end device, albeit less stylishly.

Symbian^3 is a new lease of life for the entire platform, but as Nokia have said, it will be Maemo that we will be seeing more of in their high end devices. I still think it will have a very hard time winning over potential iPhone or Android users, but it's not the devices that are the problem per se, it's developer support.

The Ovi store, while growing, hasn't really taken off. Furthermore, it's a mess. Nokia really need to find a way of encouraging developers and create consistency in the Ovi Store, by either having all of their devices on the same wavelength hardware-wise (extremely unlikely), create an SDK with the lowest common denominator in mind and use that one only, so that apps work on all devices, or something else along those lines. I think one of the main reasons developers are avoiding the Ovi Store is due to these inconsistencies (I think the Android Market will sooner or later face this problem).

Another problem is that Nokia's Beta Labs development takes far too long in my opinion. Nokia also need to start using high end hardware in their high end device(s) if they want them to succeed. Software optimisation can only go so far.

I believe if Nokia can tackle said issues, they will continue to be extremely successful. Nokia are a stark contrast towards companies like Apple in regards to business ethics and values, and that's one of the reasons I admire them as a company and continue to purchase their products.

"When it arrives"

By Shadowself on 4/27/2010 11:58:07 AM , Rating: 2

I've read the article twice. Maybe my reading skills are slipping, but when exactly is it supposed to actually ship?

Let the competition begin

By ChipDude on 4/28/2010 4:16:19 PM , Rating: 1

In one corner you got the ever so elegant iPhone but a closed system at the whim of Jobs

On the other side of the fence you got every Tom Dick and Jane looking for an angle with open system or some other clever twist

On the buying side you got a billion users looking to get freed from their laptop/pc and wired connection.

If past history is any prediction of the future I think the open system will win. There is no way Apple can continue to corner the market on intereting applications when the $ and volume stakes are so large. An open system has just too many advantages when the market is so big with so many players wanting in.

In another 10 years we'll be studing this as another case study of Apple bungling away a lead.

Overkill

By Dr of crap on 4/27/10, Rating: -1

RE: Overkill

By Aloonatic on 4/27/2010 8:51:04 AM , Rating: 5

Mum, is that you? :o)

If you can upgrade for free, and you are happy with your current phone, then just go on eBay and see which of the phones that you can upgrade to is fetching the highest price, upgrade to that one and then sell it on. You might as well.

Some people value different things. That you're happy to just talk to people then that's great, stick with your current phone. Pretneding that everyone should be like you and that if they buy a more expensive phone is a waste of money is just silly though. Lots of people genuely like to keep up to date with their facebook, e-mail and have something to listen to music on, play games, watch TV on etc, and some phones do a good job of this.

If you have your old phone, and an iPod and a portable video player and you're turning down a free upgrade or a subsidised phone (you have to pay some monthly fee whatever phone you use) that can do all these things pretty well, then you sir might be the one wasting your money.

No one product is right for everyone. It's good that you have found one that you are happy with.

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RE: Overkill

By gralex on 4/27/2010 9:07:51 AM , Rating: 2

"If you have your old phone, and an iPod and a portable video player..."

And a GPS! Maybe even a digital camera...

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RE: Overkill

By NesuD on 4/27/2010 9:03:50 AM , Rating: 2

Some of us use the high powered features of a smartphone for our work. I need to be constantly connected. I am constantly recieving information from automated systems concerning status an problems. I need to have a high probability of internet connectivity at all times no matter where I am. Example: I recieved a notification of a serious server problem last year. I happened to be 2300 miles away from the site and I was the only option to get it corrected quickly. I used my smartphone (Blackberry Storm) tethered to my laptop and was able to remote in to the server in question and correct the issue while vacationing on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. For many of us the smartphone is a very valuable tool that allows us to be highly flexible and efficient in our professions thus increasing our value to our employer. If you don't need a smartphone then good for you. Just understand that we are living in a very connected world today and many peoples professions are increasingly dependent on information. The smartphone is the single best way to be constantly connected and receiving critical information at all times.

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RE: Overkill

By Qapa on 4/27/2010 9:15:13 AM , Rating: 2

Well, look at the real value of this:
- smartphone with applications and you can add more - easily a 200$ product;
- real GOOD camera (replaces most point and shoot cameras easily, except for long zoom) - replaces a 100$-200$ camera;
- GPS - replaces a 100$-200$ GPS and has free SW;

Just add up this values, consider that you only need to carry 1 thing with you instead of 3 or keep deciding if you really need to take them all.

The answer is simple, if you have the money this is definitely worth it!

Unless you're waiting for something like this which also has... dual sim (which is my case). Now I really would like an update on when are the Nokia dual sim phones coming out...

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RE: Overkill

By uibo on 4/27/2010 9:17:40 AM , Rating: 2

Do you carry a camera with you everywhere you go?
Have you ever seen something you wanted to take a picture or video of?
Have you ever gone bicycling and later wanted to plot the path on a map?
Have you ever needed a GPS in your car? Maybe the car is old and you just don't use it often enough to justify buying a separate unit.
Have you ever taken a boring long ride on a bus or train? Some people do it daily. There is no better way to waste your time than to go online.
For me there have been many moments when a need has risen to check a schedule online.
Its much more convenient to carry one item than 4 (laptop mp3-player, GPS, phone).
If you answered no to all then it probably is a overkill for you. If you were trolling then, well played ...

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RE: Overkill

By AssBall on 4/27/2010 9:47:53 AM , Rating: 2

Have you ever used your phone to just call someone? Weird idea, right? This thing certainly looks great, though and pricey.

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RE: Overkill

By uibo on 4/27/2010 10:28:15 AM , Rating: 2

I'm sorry you didn't get the point...
The point was to show the usefulness of all the features the initial poster thought was overkill. Calling someone was not one of them, read the post I replied to.

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RE: Overkill

By AssBall on 4/27/2010 3:06:27 PM , Rating: 2

I got the point. I was just being douchy.

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RE: Overkill

By omnicronx on 4/27/2010 10:45:35 AM , Rating: 2

Its called progress.. Weird idea right? A device that does everything? Who would want that? </sarcasm>

Or do you walk around with a stylish fanny pack containing your phone, camera and music player.

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RE: Overkill

By robinthakur on 4/27/2010 11:43:14 AM , Rating: 2

The housing doesn't look butt ugly, the OS however does. Why bother with 12MP when the lack of internal processing and noise introduced makes the end result look inferior to a 3GS's camera? How are companies as megalithically huge as Nokia unable to outmanoeuvre a company as tiny (in terms of workforce) as Apple is really beyond me. Either way, when their only retort are phones like this and lawsuits (this is true in many industries), you know something has gone rather wrong for them.

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RE: Overkill

By Dr of crap on 4/28/2010 8:47:25 AM , Rating: 2

So because I use an ipod I'm wasting money?
I'd rather use an ipod battery and not drain my cells battery to play mp3's.
No, I don't need to take pics of everything, and no, I don't NEED to tell everyone that I'm picking my nose now on facebook.
Never need a GPS.
Tell me how often do you go someplace new? Very rearly I'd guess. Most of the time you KNOW were you're going. The GPS units are installed in cars and used for the first 2 weeks, and then are wasted money!
Boring ride - maybe you've heard of a "book" - you READ it!
And don't give me the Kindle crap!
To bad you have such a life that you need to have a schedule to check!

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RE: Overkill

By gralex on 4/28/2010 9:27:07 AM , Rating: 2

My 100euro Nokia replaced my 100euro Creative Muvo back in 2006. I haven't used a dedicated mp3 player since... Funny thing was, the cheap Nokia's audio quality was actually better than any ipod incarnation of that year. I also loved the fact that I had only one gadget to charge instead of two (maybe because I never forgot to charge my phone, but repeatedly forgot to charge the Muvo). And there's still the added bonus of never missing a call.

Not saying you should ditch your iPod (though I would recommend running away from iTunes as fast as you can), since you're obviously getting your moneys worth out of it... But for some of us, mp3 players are a thing of the past.

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RE: Overkill

By Samus on 4/27/2010 9:34:15 AM , Rating: 2

Although I get your point that a simple phone is often all that is neccessary, you can't help but notice that a quarter of the American cell-phone market could be considered smart-phones, with one in three AT&T users holding a Blackberry or iPhone. It's a lucarative market, much like the SUV business of the 90's. It's an expensive product that people want, and are willing to pay for, to have the features and functions they think they need.

In most cases, I just want a phone with a keyboard for data entry...address book, calender, notes, etc.

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Function and Form

By MissanGetz on 4/27/10, Rating: -1

RE: Function and Form

By gralex on 4/27/2010 10:24:30 AM , Rating: 2

"I would not be caught dead with this ugly slab in my pocket."

So you never bought one of the first THREE generations of iPods?;)

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RE: Function and Form

By Adonlude on 4/27/2010 7:21:54 PM , Rating: 3

I have never cared what a phone looks like as long as the size fits comfortably in my pockets and its ultra functional. Guess I'm weird.

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RE: Function and Form

By MadMan007 on 4/27/2010 10:42:17 AM , Rating: 3

What's so bad about it? All these touchscreen-only smartphones look very similar to me because their form has to follow function - a big screen with some auxiliary buttons around the edge is the norm.

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RE: Function and Form

By omnicronx on 4/27/2010 10:53:24 AM , Rating: 3

Nokia still commands a large portion of the worldwide smartphone market (still the largest worldwide), they are doing just fine.. Nokia has a huge and loyal userbase, perhaps not in the US, but they are firmly entrenched all around the world. Many many people do like their designs, and if you have not noticed, what is popular in the states, does not necessarily translate elsewhere.

Personally I like the design of this device better than the blocky iPhone, but thats the thing about opinion, it chances from person to person.. Just because you or I don't like it, does not mean others will not.

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RE: Function and Form

By robinthakur on 4/27/2010 11:34:19 AM , Rating: 2

For $500? Nokia, why are you wasting your time and money on developing phones like this with an outdated archaic OS? They appear to have learned nothing in the 3 years since the iPhone changed everything about the relationship between hardware and software in a phone, raising people's expectations in the process.

Anyone who buys one is likely to feel ripped off when they try and use it. Nokia most definitely are not doing fine, they are seeing their percentage worldwide erode more and more outside of Finland, unsurprisingly because most column inches stopped talking about Nokia around the time of the N95. At least I know what the Appstore sells from the name, Ovi sounds like a range of shelves from Ikea...Other than contrarians who couldn't possibly buy an iPhone, and those that purposely want a highly specced handset with laughably old-fashioned OS and responsiveness, who on earth buys them?? People who just woke up from comas from 5 years ago?

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RE: Function and Form

By munky on 4/27/2010 11:51:26 AM , Rating: 3

Sounds like someone's been drinking too much Apple coolaid.
The only think Apple changed is it convinced a bunch of people that letting Apple have an iron death grip over your device is somehow a good thing. Oh, and that the availability of third party apps to implement functionality that other phones have built-in is a "feature."

$500 for an unlocked smartphone is a bargain compared to an iphone with a 2 year ATT contract.

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RE: Function and Form

By themaster08 on 4/27/2010 12:03:45 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
Other than contrarians who couldn't possibly buy an iPhone, and those that purposely want a highly specced handset with laughably old-fashioned OS and responsiveness, who on earth buys them?

quote:
The N8 uses Nokia's new Symbian^3 platform

Symbian^3 is a completely revamped operating platform that Nokia and the Symbian Foundation have been working on for quite a while. Call it "archaic" if you like, but I feel your judgements are very predetermined. Have you actually done any research on Symbian^3, or even the Symbian platform whatsoever? It doesn't need replacing, it needed a makeover, which it has received.

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RE: Function and Form

By Ushio01 on 4/27/2010 3:07:30 PM , Rating: 2

Your thinking of Symbian^4 Symbian^3 is the Symbian OS with Nokia's S60 5th Edition UI with tweaks the new Symbian is due the second half of this year with devices shipping in 2011.

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RE: Function and Form

By adiposity on 4/27/2010 1:09:24 PM , Rating: 2

Not sure what your complaint about $500 is. Maybe you mean it's not worth it, but it's about standard for smart phones.

Droid is $559 from Verizon now, Eris is $469. That's without contract, just like the N8.

I'm not sure I would want this phone (I have Droid), but the price is right in line with other smartphones.

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