Potential iPhone killer? (Nokia 5800 XpressMusic)

Member Name: icetsunami

Product:	Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
Date:	26/10/09 (65 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wifi, GPS, Nokia maps and loads of downloadable apps

Disadvantages: None for me.

Looking for a replacement for Sony Ericsson's W595 I decided I was after something with a bit more style and substance. Having dabbled with a couple of touch screen handsets, most recently LG's Viewty, I opted for Nokia's first touch screen phone, the 5800 XpressMusic.

First impressions:

Wow! The handset is stylish and fairly small in the hand for such a feature packed mobile. The traditional candy bar style is given a nice lift by the minimalist screen bearing just three physical keys. I went for the understated black and red which is nice and discreet, barely masking its tech appeal.

There is a nice rocker switch on the right side to lock/unlock the phone plus volume and a camera hotkey. The left side features covered slots for both sim and micro sd cards. The top side features a covered usb, power point and 3.5mm audio out.

The rear of the phone houses a cheekily recessed stylus for those adverse to fingerprints. The camera is 3.2m which is not as high as you would expect but this is mitigated by an excellent Carl Zeiss lens and a dual led flash.

Tech spec:

Series 60 Symbian OS
3.2m camera with auto focus, dual led flash and 4x digital zoom
Video recording at 640*480 at 30fps
Touch screen display 640*360 3.2"
Music player MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA formats
FM radio
Stereo speakers
Handsfree speaker
Voice recorder
GPS A-GPS with Nokia maps
HSCSD, GPRS, EDGE, 3G HSDPA (3.6 Mbps), XHTML web browser
WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, 3.5 mm audio jack, TV-Out
81mb memory plus 8gb micro sd card, supporting 16gb
111 x 52 x 15.5 mm Weight 109gm
Talktime 5 hours (3G) - 8.8 hours (2G)
Battery standby: 400 hours
Music playback: up to 35 hours

Usability:

Nokia have always had simple interfaces, almost too simple, and the trend continues here. Being more feature packed than most phones the interface has plenty to navigate through so simplicity is a bonus. Dialler and phonebook icons are on the bottom of the screen for quick access to these features and the top right has a quick access touch point, slightly above the screen, for music library, images, mail, video and web browsing.

Pressing the central hot key brings up the initial menu which is a 12 icon selection comprising calendar, contacts, call log, internet, messaging, gallery, downloads, music, maps, settings, help and applications. The touch is quick to respond and the options follow familiar and logical routes.

Settings is an important icon here as the 5800 is very adaptable and can be modded extensively. Aside from the obvious themes and wallpapers you can place quick access icons on the home screen for up to 4 contacts from which you can call message and view your recent history details. Alternatively, the home screen can have four short cuts to favourites and applications. Personally I went for 3 shortcut, Facebook,Bluetooth and WLAN. Having a large screen these optional icons do not impede the view and have no impact on the aesthetics.

Applications has an extensive range of features including Real Player, Skype and iPlayer. A couple of cool 3d games namely Bounce and Global Racing Thunder prove entertaining after being used to Nokia's generally poor attempts in the past.

For messaging and browsing applications there is a choice of an alphanumeric pad, qwerty, mini-qwerty and handwriting recognition. The pad is easy to use with just the thumb as is the qwerty. The stylus is really needed for the mini qwerty though due to its small size.

Looking at the big hitting features such as GPS and Wifi, Nokia maps is an excellent application providing a detailed street view of the UK though full Sat Nav voice direction is not officially supported. An update to the phone in the future will be voice direction though whether a software update will work on the older phones remains to be seen. Wifi is strong and consistent providing a far better web experience. I did however find that sometimes I wasn't entirely sure if it was running at the same time as HSDPA. The large screen again comes into its own here as you can run optimized web pages on the handset browser for a fuller experience.

In terms of audio the included music player is of excellent quality and the inclusion of a 3.5mm jack means you can bin the good Nokia earphones for top notch ones if you wish. All the main formats are supported namely mp3 and AAC though Ogg Vorbis is an omission. The bundled micro sd card can take a huge amount of music dependent on the compression ratio.

Camera wise, what would have been a fairly ordinary effort is boosted by an excellent lens which takes bright and clear snaps with vibrancy. This is comprimised in poor light but a dual led flash helps. The video capture fairs better. 640*480 resolution @ 30 fps gives excellent results and is more evident when transferred to the PC/Mac for better viewing.

The big selling point for me aside from the killer features is the ability to download apps in the style of the iPhone or the Android OS. Nokia's online store Ovi has lots to choose from and 3rd party developers have posted many on the web. Items such as weather tracking and RSS feeds can be installed and you can also skin your phone to look like a Windows powered mobile. Certainly the iPhone has more choice as it stands but Ovi will catch up quickly.

Summary:

I have really only scratched the surface of the features and possibilities of this phone. The touchscreen is quick and responsive and easy to use and the stylus is nice if a little thin. Media capabilities are above average and battery life is good. I haven't noticed a big hit from using internet apps. The functionality and style combine to make a classic handset that is way ahead of most phones. Comparisons have been made to Apple's phone which is justified. I do feel though the iPhone has a lot more emphasis on just style. Aside from ultra high end mobiles this is as good as it gets. Certain packages come with a years free unlimited downloads which is worth a small fortune.

The bottom line:

Awesome phone which is a 5 star must buy. Snapping at Apple's heels.

Summary: Utterly essential purchase.

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