The Nokia N8 isn’t far off from actually being a “smart” phone, with a great deal to offer the user where multimedia and friendly interface are concerned. It contains a host of convenient features, and strives to function comfortably in any scenario.
First to grab attention is the HDMI function. Many people may wonder why they’d wish to connect their phone up to their television. However, when combined with its highly impressive ability to show you 720p MKV videos. Complementing it further is its generous storage space, giving you the bare minimum of 16GB, with a slot readily available to add another 30GB. Combined, it grants you amazing visual quality along with ample storage for actually keeping a collection of videos. As if this weren’t enough, the N8’s compatibility is amazing. Even Blu-ray rips function perfectly well on the device.
Taking A Closer Look
Compatibility – Whilst most videos work splendidly on the N8, it does not offer DivX support out of the package. Because of this, you will be obliged to re-encode any files on DivX to a variant format, or else find the information in a more agreeable format. However, the Symian^3 still has support for Flash Video, and it also gives you the ability to retrieve clips straight from iPlayer and play them on your TV.
USB connectivity – Along with your N8 mobile phone, you will receive a mini-USB to USB cable. This isn’t intended for connecting the device to a desktop – although this is possible to do, of course – but rather it is meant to have a USB device attached to it. This can be incredibly useful, although it is crucial to note that this is a vampire on your battery life. Ideally, you should have a power source on hand when doing this.
Audio – The compatibility for sound files is perfectly decent, working well with WMA, MP3s and AAC, although it lacks certain formats including FLAC and OGG. The sound quality is to be applauded, with the condition that the files you listen to are of good quality.
Music player – Whilst the audio quality is more than sufficient, the music player application was found to be a bit disappointing. Whilst it functions, it’s not very enjoyable to use. The controls are fairly clunky, and it’s worlds apart from superior apps like the iPod and the Zune. It includes an FM-transmitter, which allows you to broadcast what you’re listening to into a radio close at hand. Whether many users will actually make use of this extra feature remains to be seen.
Widgets – Another common complaint revolves around the widgets being restricted to a specified size, which means it uses the whole screen even when in portrait mode, or else two side-by-side when in landscape. On the bright side, however, it is still heartening to have widgets, which simplify performing ordinary tasks. All phone users can appreciate being able to receive notifications, weather updates and media controls. Another plus is that the Symian^3 allows you to put data and shortcuts directly up to 3 screens.
