The Nokia 5800 - the results are in!

Posted: 25 March 2009

Since Nokia unveiled its first ever full touchscreen device in October last year, there has been no end of sector commentators offering their opinion on it. But now the 5800 XpressMusic has been with us for over two months, has it lived up to the hype of its big launch?

Ahead of its release in the UK, the 5800 appeared in such glamorous locations as the Britney Spears' big comeback video Womanizer and the successful sequel to Batman Begins - The Dark Knight. It was clear from the online forums that anticipation was building for the device and when a press release emerged in October, potential buyers were told exactly what they could expect from it.

In addition to being the first handset from the Finnish manufacturer to take on the touchscreen might of the Apple iPhone - as so many other companies have attempted since its first incarnation in 2007 - Nokia also decided to set out its stall clearly. The 5800 would not go by the name of the 'Tube' - as had been rumoured - and the handset would come equipped with a number of multimedia features that would set it up as a music-focused phone.

The prefix XpressMusic - a title which had already been applied to audiologically-enhanced models of the past such as the 3250, 5200, 5320 and 5630 - was attached to the handset and the company announced it would also be one of the first to utilise its Comes With Music download service.

At the Nokia Remix event, the firm showcased the phone, calling it "a mobile device for music that brings innovative new features to the mass market". Also highlighted was the innovative way in which Comes With Music allowed users to purchase the phone and get access to a full year of unlimited downloads without having to pay per track in the same way as an Apple iTunes user, for example, would have to.

Jo Harlow, vice-president of Nokia, commented: "The way in which people enjoy music is different around the world. With that in mind, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic gives people the freedom to experience music they love in the way they prefer."

The firm revealed that the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic would also boast a Media Bar, which uses the touchscreen to provide a drop down menu with direct access to the library of music and video stored in the phone's 8GB of internal memory. In addition, users could also share photos and videos with their contacts, surf the Java-enabled internet and enjoy all the audio features that came built-in to the phone itself - with all of this set to the backdrop of the latest version of the company's Symbian S60 operating system.

"By adding the benefits of touch screen technology to S60 - the world's leading smartphone interface - Nokia is taking the familiar and giving it a human touch. We have used touch technology where it really adds value such as the Contacts Bar, Media Bar and clever shortcuts from the home screen to menu items such as calendar, profiles and clock," Ms Harlow added.

So with the release of the phone well and truly setup, and websites such as noknok.tv providing a blow-by-blow account of the launch day itself, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic was turned over to the fans and the critics. Would the device be able to stand up against its fiercest competitors?
Trusted Reviews' Sandra Vogel offered her own opinions of the phone a few weeks after the official launch at the end of January, giving the device a score of nine out of ten for features and eight out of ten for design, usability and value.

She noted the handset was available on contract, sim-free and in an exclusive blue version from Vodafone, giving many options for people to choose from. Also highlighted was some of the key features that might attract buyers including the first appearance of the Symbian S60 5th edition, 3.2-inch display with 640 x 360 pixel resolution, an accelerometer that was called "one of the most responsive I've used" and the various music features such as stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack, TV-out connectivity and 3G download speeds of up to 3.6Mbps.

The Mad4MobilePhones website went one stage further, looking at the 5800 as a possible iPhone killer - weighing up its advantages and disadvantages against Apple's 3G device. The site argued Nokia won the battle in terms of cost and the higher resolution display, Carl Zeiss Optics-powered camera and "apparently free" music service were also better reasons for opting for the newcomer.

Another glowing review came from pressemeldungen news service recently, which highlighted the user-friendly touchscreen interface and features that made the device something of a "multimedia powerhouse" - such as the ability to store between 4,000 and 8,000 music tracks. Wireless support was praised for "allowing you to browse the web the same way you do with those other business inclined units" and the web browser was described as fast.

"All of these great features have all been fused into a futuristic touchscreen phone that looks great. Despite its name, it is safe to say that even Nokia lovers who don't need the audio functions can put this phone to good use," the article concluded.

The All About Symbian website also offered high praise for the phone, posting a piece earlier in the month entitled Ten Things that Nokia Did Right in making the 5800 XpressMusic. The items noted were an "elegant" full screen, a battery that can cope with the demands of a smartphone, photography technology that "makes a significant difference", the media key and keyguard options, haptic feedback, the "mature" S60 5th Edition operating system, Wi-Fi, TV-out and GPS inclusion, a microSD card that comes in the box and finally, "loud loudspeakers".

So, two months on, it is clear that the Nokia XpressMusic has impressed a number of people with its technical specifications, stylish good looks and music-focused facilities. The only question that now remains, is will it be your next touchscreen smartphone?


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