Nokia N8 Symbian 3 User Interface

Among our chief complaints about the actual Symbian S60 platform was its poor interface. The inconsistent touch interface, the actual archaic-looking menus, and the clunky navigation all contributed to some frustrating user experience. Symbian 3 corrects numerous those issues, and makes the N8 a dream to use compared with previous Nokia mobile phones. However, it still trails the competition in many respects, but let's start along with what's good first.

Symbian 3 now provides a single-tap interaction model across the consumer interface, so you'll no longer have to undergo multiple steps to complete an easy task or muddle through the confusion which menus require one tap or even two, as we experienced on past S60 devices such as the Nokia N97 Mini. This uniform system goes quite a distance into making the phone simpler to use, but still, work can be achieved to more quickly access options inside an app. For example, to answer an e-mail on the N8, you have to first hit Options and after that choose reply. In Android, the reply option is on a single page as the e-mail.

The house screen now consists of 3 panels, which you can personalize with various widgets, including those for the messages, social networks, music participant, favorite contacts, RSS feeds, and so on. The widgets can provide you having a quick preview of the most recent information, and if you wish to see more, you can tap about the widget to launch the person application.

The main menu is pretty very similar, presenting a grid view of the applications (you can change to list view should you prefer). A particularly useful features is should you long-press the menu key beneath the screen, it will mention a thumbnail view of all of your running applications. From there, you are able to scroll through the list to change between tasks or exit from an app completely.

Nokia N8 Feauture Softwear

The Nokia N8 is certainly running Nokia's Symbian^3 operating process, and it's the first device while using the new OS. The home screen is related to older Symbian operating systems with two softkeys from the lower corners, and signal strength/battery life from the upper corners. The difference appears from the three swipe-able home screens that could contain an arrangement of personalized icons or widgets. This is usually, of course, similar to Spb Cell phone Shell and Android UIs, employing this implementation the background photo is usually changed independently on each screen and isn't going to move with each swipe.

Text input is among the biggest pain with the Symbian^3 OS IN THIS HANDSET. You have to tap a text field and begin a bigger input area which doesn't show anything else besides this input field; if you're with portrait mode, you ONLY receive a numeric input pad with several letters on each number. You possibly can turn on T9 predictive word input, but it's not on automagically and doesn't seem to start up globally. In order to receive a QWERTY keyboard, you have to show the device on its area. Even then, text input isn't that great as there is absolutely no easy editing like we've viewed on other platforms. It can be performed to replace the landscape keyboard that has a nicer Swype keyboard from this Ovi marketplace, however it still doesn't come nearby the user-friendliness and ease-of-use of this Windows Phone 7 keyboard.

The N8 does accompany some powerful applications. You receive a video editor to manipulate the 720p HD video so it can record, as well as a photo editor for all spectacular 12-megapixel photos it will take. There's a "Social" app of which aggregates Facebook and Twitter bank account feeds, and individual Twitter and Facebook apps likewise. You've also got a several neat news and video apps which might be included and a full-featured free Ovi Maps Gsp sat nav program (which has been significantly updated because video above was recorded having added pinch-to-zoom and check-in attributes).

Another advantage of this N8's software is its Alternate support. Sure, you can only sync with one server identical to the legacy Windows Mobile devices, but unlike the majority of "modern" smartphones, the Symbian OS IN THIS HANDSET still syncs tasks with Alternate server. It even works having Exchange 2003 SP2. For your working environment document viewing needs, the N8 is included with QuickOffice and the Adobe PDF FILE viewer.

Nokia N8 New Design

Generally, Nokia has always produced some very nice hardware and the Nokia N8 is not any exception. As soon as you select it up, you'll notice the high-quality construction having its metal finishes and glass exhibit. At 4. 47 inches taller by 2. 32 inches extensive by 0. 51 inch thicker and 2. 91 ounces, the smartphone can be a nice size: big enough undertake a sizable screen but thin and also compact enough to make it very portable and hold. The camera housing around the back sticks out just a bit, taking a bit away from your streamlined design, but it's not a problem.

Gracing the front of the device is a 3. 5-inch, AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display. With a 640x360-pixel resolution and also support for 16. 7 thousand colors, the display is vivid and clear, and we could actually see the contents of the particular screen outdoors. That said, it's not as sharp as a number of the latest smartphones. Compared with devices just like the HTC Evo 4G and the particular Samsung Galaxy S series, text and images don't appear as smooth as well as the pixels are more visible. It won't hamper the phone's use, nevertheless, you definitely notice the difference.

The display supplies a built-in accelerometer and pinch-to-zoom help. The responsiveness of both features can be a bit inconsistent. At times, it could be quick or instantaneous, and with other times, there can be described as a slight delay. This is also true with the touch screen in general. Generally, it registered our touches but there was occasions where it simply didn't respond or it absolutely was so slow to respond that individuals thought there was a difficulty. Also, scrolling through lists and residence screen panels isn't quite as smooth or zippy because it is some competing phones.

Regarding text entry, you get a great onscreen keyboards in portrait and also landscape modes, but you only get yourself a QWERTY option in landscape see. This means that if you would like to type any messages in symbol view, you'll have to peck away by using an alphanumeric keypad.

Aside from the touchscreen display, there are a couple of controls to assist you navigate and perform other functions around the phone. Below the display, there exists a lone key that brings one to the main menu or your home screen if you're in one more application. On the right part, there's a volume rocker, any lock switch, and a photographic camera activation/capture button.

Other features with the Nokia N8 include a strength button, an HDMI port, plus a 3. 5mm headphone jack together with the device. The left spine houses the particular SIM card and microSD expansion slots as well as the Micro-USB port. On back, you'll find the 12-megapixel camera and Xenon display. Curiously, unlike other Nokia mobile phones, the N8 doesn't have any user-replaceable battery. Though we found battery life being pretty good, this is nonetheless disappointing.

The Nokia N8 comes packaged with a large amount of accessories, including a travel charger, any USB cable, an HDMI cable tv, a USB on-the-go adapter, any wired stereo headset, and guide material. Though the included charger features a worldwide adapter, the phone can be powered by way of a charger with a Micro-USB connection. The N8 is also for sale in five colors: dark gray, glowing blue, green, orange, and silver white-colored.

Nokia N8 and Symbian 3

This Nokia N8 and Symbian 3 present you with a better and more enhanced end user experience than previous devices. This N8 delivers excellent camera in addition to video quality. The smartphone has solid hardware while offering 3G support for both T-Mobile in addition to AT&T. You get free turn-by-turn nav via Ovi Maps. The Nokia N8 represents Nokia's recent flagship smartphone and we heard ıt had been pretty nice, so we thought we should examine. The Nokia N8 is very powerful and includes the modern Symbian ^3 operating system, but possibly you have heard that Nokia has recently invested in launching its future high-end smartphones on the market with Windows Phone 7. The N8 often is a collector's item with it's Symbian computer and compelling feature set, but maybe there's a reason Nokia has went with Windows Phone 7 as a substitute.

The bad for nokia n8 It truly is expensive. User interface is considerably improved, but still trails the competition in usability. The N8 can be gradual. You only get a QWERTY key-board in landscape mode, and there is absolutely no user-replaceable battery.

The N8 can be purchased in a fairly large square violet box. There are reflective foil highlight outlines on the device embossed on the pack cover and inner layer. Launching the flip-top reveals the magnificent Nokia N8 smartphone, and beneath a plastic molded holder are lots of extras. You've got an AIR CONDITIONING UNIT Charger, nice headphones with electronics control buttons and microphone, MicroUSB cable connection, MicroUSB to female USB adapter, in addition to Mini-HDMI to full HDMI adapter. That last one is really nice to add in since most other phones with HDMI out need buy a separate adapter.

Though Symbian enjoys great popularity in other places of the world, it's not well known in the us and is falling behind other sellers in usability and functionality. The Symbian 3 computer is a stepping stone with addressing those issues, and the Nokia N8 would be the first smartphone to ship managing the revamped OS. It absolutely brings some much-needed improvements, for example a simplified touch interface and boosted multimedia capabilities. The Nokia N8 is also among the finest camera phones we've seen thus far, and delivers good call excellent and battery life. That claimed, it still falls short on quite a few fronts, including ease of work with, navigation, and integrated services. That, coupled with an expensive sale price of $549 unlocked, isn't about to attract the masses. Symbian fans can get much to like in this Nokia N8, but consumers will likely be better off going with a Android device or the new iphone 4.