Nokia N8 Megathread

wilson10

g0g wrote: »

Please can an N8 owner (hopefully one who's owned other recent phones) help me justify choosing one! My recent phones are N95 and currently an N97. Have been offered work upgrade to N8 for € 40, Desire for € 40, Desire HD for € 55 or Galaxy for free. Despite all the N97 problems my heart still wants N8 but head says some others might be much better.

Pro N8:
Free maps (with a GPS that might finally work, unlike N97!)
Handy to move contacts between nokias
Wife has nokia so no new PC software
Decent camera/flash

That said, I suspect the Desire (and others) have a lot to offer that the N8 won't. Have any of you had the N8 plus one of the other phones above? Am I mad not moving to Android at this stage?

Thanks!

If it's not too late, forget about your heart and go with your head. My advice would be to go the Android route.

I upgraded to an N8 before Xmas and regretted it since, especially since Saturday last when my wife arrived home with a Samsung Galaxy S.

It was a revelation, a whole new world of stunning colour and graphics quality, simple to load apps. and ease of use.

The Nokia Ovi store is a joke, after a number of attempts I managed to download a game and a ringtone, but mostly I get "download error", with no explanation why.

The camera on the Nokia is good but that's the only redeeming factor I can come up with.

Even the O2 coverage is poor, I've been using a mobile on O2 in the same house for over 10 years and find I now need to go upstairs to make a call where I never had such a problem before.

With Android of course you have Google Maps, with Streetview, works like a dream on the Samsung.

As for internet there is no comparison between the speed and image and video quality of the 2 phones.

I said it before but foolishly relented, this will be my last Nokia.

monkeyslayer

bought an n8 as a fairly expensive treat for myself from a vodafone store on friday. enjoyed using it on saturday. sunday it crashed and wouldn't turn back on for about two hours. was pretty much fully charged. today the same thing. twice and now its been dead for about six hours. tomorrow its going back to the shop where they have to send it away to verify it wasn't me that damanged it, they'll only accept return and immediate replace on an unused product. and now i've no phone until i'm given a replacement. whenever that happens is anyones guess. was a lovely phone for about a day. 420euro for a load of grief really. not a happy n8 customer.

KrisW

wilson10 wrote: »

If it's not too late, forget about your heart and go with your head. My advice would be to go the Android route.

I upgraded to an N8 before Xmas and regretted it since, especially since Saturday last when my wife arrived home with a Samsung Galaxy S.

It was a revelation, a whole new world of stunning colour and graphics quality, simple to load apps. and ease of use.

The Nokia Ovi store is a joke, after a number of attempts I managed to download a game and a ringtone, but mostly I get "download error", with no explanation why.

The camera on the Nokia is good but that's the only redeeming factor I can come up with.

Even the O2 coverage is poor, I've been using a mobile on O2 in the same house for over 10 years and find I now need to go upstairs to make a call where I never had such a problem before.

With Android of course you have Google Maps, with Streetview, works like a dream on the Samsung.

As for internet there is no comparison between the speed and image and video quality of the 2 phones.

I said it before but foolishly relented, this will be my last Nokia.

If you've having poor coverage or connectivity issues, ask O2 for a new SIM, especially if your current one is over two years old. This may also resolve your "download error" problems. If you've been with them 10 years, it'll be free.

Quality of the display? Each to their own, but side-by-side, to my eyes the N8's colour rendition is much better than the Samsung's, which grossly oversaturates reds and has a pale blue cast on greys. Now, this does mean the Samsung's display looks more vivid, but to me it's unnatural; a kind of John Hinde Postcard effect on everything, and the display isn't sharp either - it might be good enough for images, but that "PenTile" matrix just doesn't work as well as a traditional RGB layout for text and line graphics.

The ambient light sensor on the N8 is more aggressive than Samsungs when it comes to dimming. There are utilities to override this; what I did was just turn up the brightness. (Settings > Phone >Display > Light Sensor)

By the way, Android is fine, but the Galaxy S is only superficially a good phone. Samsung's dumb choice of filesystem will bring that new phone to a grinding halt within a couple of months' use. If you're going for an Android, HTC are a much better option.

was a lovely phone for about a day. 420euro for a load of grief really. not a happy n8 customer.

F'ck that. Go back to them and demand a new phone. You are their customer, they still have your money and did not provide you with a working handset. "Unused"? How are you supposed to tell if it works without using it.

srsly78

Yup Galaxy is rubbish, Desire is much better. Even Galaxy is better than N8 tho, oh how the mighty have fallen.

wilson10

KrisW wrote: »

If you've having poor coverage or connectivity issues, ask O2 for a new SIM, especially if your current one is over two years old. This may also resolve your "download error" problems. If you've been with them 10 years, it'll be free.

Quality of the display? Each to their own, but side-by-side, to my eyes the N8's colour rendition is much better than the Samsung's, which grossly oversaturates reds and has a pale blue cast on greys. Now, this does mean the Samsung's display looks more vivid, but to me it's unnatural; a kind of John Hinde Postcard effect on everything, and the display isn't sharp either - it might be good enough for images, but that "PenTile" matrix just doesn't work as well as a traditional RGB layout for text and line graphics.

The ambient light sensor on the N8 is more aggressive than Samsungs when it comes to dimming. There are utilities to override this; what I did was just turn up the brightness. (Settings > Phone >Display > Light Sensor)

By the way, Android is fine, but the Galaxy S is only superficially a good phone. Samsung's dumb choice of filesystem will bring that new phone to a grinding halt within a couple of months' use. If you're going for an Android, HTC are a much better option.


t.

I got a new sim from O2 at the same time, and I've tried different connectivity settings to no avail.

As for the display, put 2 Youtube videos side by side and there is a marked difference in the clarity and picture quality, the Samsung is very noticeably better, whatever your individual opinion of the colour.

As for the choice of Samsung, having decided on Android for the wife, our first choice was HTC Desire, which we saw over Xmas with a friend.

Problem was The HTC was 90 euros dearer on a silver upgrade, so she opted for the Samsung at 99 euro, on the advice of the assistant.

Oh I hope you're wrong about the short lifespan, but you seem to know what you're talking about.

monkeyslayer

Hey any you guys have an n8 for long? sent mine back today, debating whether to get a refund or a replacement now... was informed nokia aren't manufacturing them anymore as they've had so many problems with them. Pity cause I really liked the phone both in spec and in use but if it doesn't work properly, if at all, then its no good to me.

Italia

Honestly, whoever told you that, unless they are an official representative of Nokia management, is simply talking BS.
The N8 is supposed to be the flagship phone. I cannot see that they have canned it after only a couple of months.

The supposed 'many problems' simply refer to a small (whatever that figure might be in a global context) percentage of the original batch that had power problems. Production of the affected component was halted and fixes implemented. This issue has been widely reported on and publicized.

I've had an N8 for about 2 months and it works great for me. It has some quirks in the way it works, but nothing to write home about. Battery life is about 2 full days with moderate use.
It is a MAJOR step forward from the N97. No, I would not swap it for an Iphone (which I also own) or an Android -IMHO, too flaky for my liking and for my needs.

monkeyslayer wrote: »

Hey any you guys have an n8 for long? sent mine back today, debating whether to get a refund or a replacement now... was informed nokia aren't manufacturing them anymore as they've had so many problems with them. Pity cause I really liked the phone both in spec and in use but if it doesn't work properly, if at all, then its no good to me.

KrisW

wilson10 wrote: »

I got a new sim from O2 at the same time, and I've tried different connectivity settings to no avail.

As for the display, put 2 Youtube videos side by side and there is a marked difference in the clarity and picture quality, the Samsung is very noticeably better, whatever your individual opinion of the colour.

I'll give you that. YouTube on Android shows desktop-quality, 360p videos. On Symbian you only get the mobile ones at 240p. The quality of these is much poorer. Doesn't make the N8's display worse than the Galaxy's though.

As for the choice of Samsung, having decided on Android for the wife, our first choice was HTC Desire, which we saw over Xmas with a friend.

Problem was The HTC was 90 euros dearer on a silver upgrade, so she opted for the Samsung at 99 euro, on the advice of the assistant.

Oh I hope you're wrong about the short lifespan, but you seem to know what you're talking about.

Don't worry, there is a fix for it (that someone on the Android forum can walk you through when the time comes), but it's bloody annoying when it happens. Basically, the more you use the internal storage, the slower it gets. Eventually, swapping applications, or trying to fetch mail results in the phone hanging for a couple of seconds at a time.
This isn't an Android issue, it's Samsung making a particularly poor implementation decision.
The HTC is worth saving up the extra for. A lovely phone.

Hey any you guys have an n8 for long? sent mine back today, debating whether to get a refund or a replacement now... was informed nokia aren't manufacturing them anymore as they've had so many problems with them. Pity cause I really liked the phone both in spec and in use but if it doesn't work properly, if at all, then its no good to me.

Yeah... they've even opened a new production lines in Brazil and Hungary to not make N8s, because the existing Finnish and Chinese production is insufficient to meet demand.

You'd wonder why someone would lie about something like that... What was your phone's problem, btw?

All mobile phones will have a small number of failed units, which is no consolation if you end up with one of them, but it's a fact of life. Early production units of the N8 had a power failure problem, but is fixed now. This issue was grossly overstated on a certain website, but reports from sources without an axe to grind would suggest the N8's failure rate is at worst industry average, probably better.

Take the phone back, see what February's big update brings. If you don't like it then, there's pretty decent demand for these on eBay/Adverts.

Davy

monkeyslayer wrote: »

was informed nokia aren't manufacturing them anymore as they've had so many problems with them.

Your source has a creative imagination. The reality is that are sold out in most places as demand is so high across the EU. I think they had hit the 4 million sold mark before christmas.

Davy

Dont buy soundhound, shazam was released yesterday and is much better and you save yourself a fiver

Download free from ovi here: > http://store.ovi.com/content/67101/download

kmart6

Davy wrote: »

Dont buy soundhound, shazam was released yesterday and is much better and you save yourself a fiver

Download free from ovi here: > http://store.ovi.com/content/67101/download

Is Shazam not usually a paid app?!

Davy

kmart6 wrote: »

Is Shazam not usually a paid app?!

You get the premium version (full features) free for 30 days, and then you can continue to use the standard version after that for free.

srsly78

Italia wrote: »

or an Android -IMHO, too flaky for my liking and for my needs.

Did you really just say android was flakier than Nokia's recent efforts? :rolleyes:

kmart6

Davy wrote: »

You get the premium version (full features) free for 30 days, and then you can continue to use the standard version after that for free.

Thats what I thought alright....

Mimikyu

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jimmynokia

this seems to getting common after updates check your contact settings and see if they have returned to default

Mimikyu

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Italia

Yes I did.
Why ask? Are you really so surprised that there is someone who can actually think for himself and disagree with the remainder of the sheep out there?
I don't claim to speak for anyone else except myself - IMHO for my needs and liking it is too flaky.

For the 2 weeks I had the opportunity to try an Android based phone, I found that battery life to be really crap and apps fall over fairly easily. Plus Android really is just a collection of Java based apps cobbled onto a modified linux kernel (very loose description I know. If you want the correct version, look at wikipedia).

If you like Android, good luck and fair play to you. I don't.

srsly78 wrote: »

Did you really just say android was flakier than Nokia's recent efforts? :rolleyes:

srsly78

Well maybe you should try one of the good android phones, rather than the bad ones? Android is not flakey, some manufacturers screw it up tho. You will probably be able to put android on your N8 soon, so all hope is not lost.

Mimikyu

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Raffeal

I applied the updates and have had no problems. I'm not using a default theme though.

Have you tried soft resetting the phone?

Mimikyu

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Raffeal

that is weird, are the photo's still in your address book?

I did remove the bots widget from my phone alright and ended up putting it back on again, pics etc are still there.

If you'd backed up your phone before the update you could always restore it.

A post to this guy might help http://symbianusers.blogspot.com/

Sorry can't be of more help myself.

Raffeal

could always try this forum to, I took the liberty of reposting for you

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n8-reviews-3252.php

shadowninty

srsly78 wrote: »

You will probably be able to put android on your N8 soon, so all hope is not lost.

soon and never are not the same word

Nokias bootloader is the most locked out there and there are about five devs with C++ knowledge who would help

No chance of other OS

long_b

Don't be shy with those reviews folks - plenty of fence sitters in the wings here !

Kanedmick

Kanedmick wrote: »

I think I've bought that one - 16GB Sandisk microSDHC memory card w/SD adapter. Went with Sandisk as most web comments seem to suggest going with the old reliable (i hope!)
Will post again after I've tested it.

I had considered the 32GB Integral microSDHC CL4 - but tbh, for my own needs, I couldn't justify the price.

One comment from another site:

If you'd like the storage capacity of having a 32GB card (I can't get by without mine) then just get one, simply record your video to the internal card and you're good to go. Class 2 makes basically no difference when it comes to in-phone performance, high def video recording would be about the only meaningful case-use scenario, but by recording to the internal memory you can circumvent that issue.

I promised I would post a quick update. The card works well on all fronts. I've played video files thru HDMI on my panny and all good. I can store photos and video direct from the phone camera and both play back perfectly fine. I can copy across from internal E Drive to this external card no probs either. So, all good!:)

Kanedmick

Has anyone seen this and tried flashing their phone with it? If yes, did it work ok?

Was thinking of doing it, but has anyone got any update on when the "official" release here in Eire will come out, assuming it will of course?

Mimikyu

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Kanedmick

Captain Morgan wrote: »

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I know this is going to sound silly but, what do you mean by branded? I got mine on Meteor a while back. The phone itself doesn't have any logos, crappy Meteor based animations etc.
Ta!