Rafe's had Nokia's 'Tube' for around three weeks and has been using it day in, day out. In this, part one of a hugely in-depth two part (p)review of the 5800 XpressMusic, he introduces the device, explores the hardware and, most importantly, looks at how well S60 and touch work in daily life. With photos and copious screenshots, Rafe tells all, and I think it's fair to say that the 5800 XpressMusic has pleasantly surprised us.

Read on in the full article (http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/8416_Real_world_preview_Nokia_5800_.php).

great little round up - look forward to the next bit.
i had a play with a couple of them at the smartphone show.

i found keyboard entry on the full screen one really easy and accurate.

but i found the scrolling a bit baffling/random. im sure it would come to you quick enough though. A bit like it took a day or so to get used to the way android mixed swipes with physical buttons for the core UI.

Great review - would be really interested in your views in one of the future parts on how audio quality compares to N81, say.

I agree on the scrolling - it has taken me a while to get use to it. I don't think it as elegant as it could be (sorry tried to think of a better way to put it). As mentioned there are multiple ways to do it.

It'll be interesting to see devices with a D-pad appear as I think a combining of the two delivers the best of both worlds (see Treo users on this).

BTW sorry if you tried to comment earlier and couldn't, this has now been fixed.

I am happy to answer any questions may have so please post away (some things will be addressed in part 2).

I'll be commenting on audio in part 2, but I would say the audio as equal or better to N81 (uses the same hardware - I think)... but to be honest I have some difficult telling the difference via ear alone.

Hi Rafe, Nice review IMO. Your opinions match mine pretty closely - I wouldn't swap mine for anything else. I'm not a gamer though, so YMMV.

I love the alphanumeric T9 text entry, it's like you're still using a phone :-) That was the biggest thing I missed when I used a P910 back in the day, and probably the main reason I returned to S60 from UIQ as platform of choice. Handwriting is 'cool' but that and picking letters out is a lot slower for me than the 12-key T9 layout.

Maybe it's because I'm a long time S60 user, but for me this phone is the perfect combination of familiarity and newness. I love it.

How's the web browsing experience like? Is scrolling smooth like on the iPhone??
Do youtube videos display in full screen in the browser, and what's the quality like?

I would really appreciate if you answer those questions.

Rafe, the initial part of your article says "running S60 5th Edition on Symbian OS 9.2". Isn't it SYmbian OS 9.4??

Yes yuo're right. I'll correct it - well spotted.

Hey, I am yet to read the full article but I just noticed the error made. The Nokia 5800 is an S60 5th edition, Symbian OS 9.4 device. Stating this is absolutely important because it means that right now it has the most advanced operating system and platform of any smartphone ever made, far outshining the flagship Nokia smartphone (Nokia N96) and indeed that of all other manufacturers.

Now that being said, I am looking forward to reading the full article!

Very pleased the screen is top quality. Was worried when specs leaked inc a resistive touch that it would be crap but thankfully that is not so.

I'm in a dilemma.I want the nseries touch but I'm impatient..and this is such a nice phone. If nseries touch only offer 8mp camera, and design changes that the extra dollar won't be worth it. Including a Xenon flash would be sound and make parting with my n82 a little less daunting.

Anyone have any ideas about when the nseries touch will be announced?

Dan

Great review, looking forward to part two. I had an iPhone in my hand last weekend and I was not impressed. It looked great, but is was not faster than the N82 in menu cruising and I found the functionality bland. I am looking forward to the promised n-series touchmodels that will be released into the fold.

Guys, this is an image I found on the web for the supposedly nseries touch. I don't know if this is true or just somebody's imagination at work, but would be really really cool if it is something like this...

One thing I wish it had - Nokia has introduced USB charging with the N85. It should now be a standard and there should not be separate ports for charging and data transfer.

@BOC

Sound is subjective. When you say, sounds better. What are the criteria to compare against? What sounds good to me will surely sound better or different to someone else.

Rafe

Great Review - Even though I'm not interested in this phone specifically you can get a feel for the Touch GUI!

How do you think it could be implemented on a Touch Communicator?

Similar small external screen with a numeric keypad out with internal touchscreen and physical keyboard
0r
Large external touchscreen, no physical keypad and non touch internal screen with physical keyboard
or
Large external touchscreen no keypad and internal touch screen (with physical keyboard as well):biggrin:

I guess some of the Sensor APIs would need to be changed so the movement of opening the internal screen didn't trigger them (like turning off alarms etc?)

Only trouble is well have to wait until probably Q4 2009 (at the earliest!) to find out!:frown:

Cheers
Jago

Hi rafe, how's the browser -- any better or worse than a regular N-Series?

Rafe -

Back to the point - how integrated is the touch in the GUI?

One of the things that bugged me when I mad a small diversion to the WM MDA Vario III/TyTN before my current E90 was that a mixture of keyboard/menu keys and stylus/screen was needed to navigate around.

I know WM is not the most constent in this aspect and wondered how Touch compared? :con?

Can you navigate around and enter everthing with just the screen/stylus/finger and similarily with just the menu keys and keyboard/D-pad (if it had one!)

Thanks
Jago

Hello guys,
Do I read there is still no possibility to charge on USB? I gave up my 6210 classic partly because of this for a Motorola. I was fed up of having to carry around a charger when I work in front of a PC and can charge my phone whenever needed. I can even charge it in the train using my laptop. Now, if the 5800 does not charge via USB, it's going to be a problem for me. Isn't it for other folks? Does Nokia have an official reason why they don't use USB for charging the phones?
Thanks. -Mich

This review is on top along the Russian mobile website. Awesome, can't wait for the next part.

Can you put up some screenshots of the web browser ? Is it any different from the N series browser ?
Most importantly, will it be possible to copy text from an open web page and paste it elsewhere; say in notes or somethin ? Wonder if images can be saved by touching them as well.

Hello guys,
Do I read there is still no possibility to charge on USB? I gave up my 6210 classic partly because of this for a Motorola. I was fed up of having to carry around a charger when I work in front of a PC and can charge my phone whenever needed. I can even charge it in the train using my laptop. Now, if the 5800 does not charge via USB, it's going to be a problem for me. Isn't it for other folks? Does Nokia have an official reason why they don't use USB for charging the phones?
Thanks. -Mich

Nokia does use USB charging for their S60 now since N85. However development of the 5800 started prior to N85, which is probably why it missed out on USB charging. I feel its a safe bet that the N-series touch phone (or simply the next nokia touch) will have the usb charge option. Hence, if it is that important for you, suggest waiting out until the next wave of nokias.

To all of you moaning about USB charging - you know that you can get a usb charging cable on Ebay for ANY Nokia for years?

Thanks for the review Rafe, what's the GPS like?....and what (if any) navigation software is installed?

Cheers

To all of you moaning about USB charging - you know that you can get a usb charging cable on Ebay for ANY Nokia for years?

i know, but the one you are referring to does only that - charge. You still need a different cable for the data transfer. N85 can do both in one common cable. Thats what is ideal and what we are looking for...

Since the review is so extensive (Thanks for that AAS), the big question for me is does it offer overal better value than the mighty Nokia E71.
I have serious concerns about the 5800's screen getting scratched pretty quickly and start to look banged up after a while, with all that touching.

Radicaletc.,

I think you really are comparing apples and oranges.. i.e. two very differently targeted devices.

Anyway, a great first part of a preview! In my mind, to an existing S60 user the UI is very intuitive etc. However, there are obviously a few billion people out there that have not used the S60 and I gather Nokia must be in the process of developing something for them as well - whether its simply an "eye candy" layer on top of this, or something more fundamental remains to be seen.

ps. Anyone else having problems accessing Mobile-Review.com forum?

@BOC

Sound is subjective. When you say, sounds better. What are the criteria to compare against? What sounds good to me will surely sound better or different to someone else.

There are objective technical criteria that can be used to compare audio quality. For example, how flat is the frequency response being output from the 3.5 mm jack in the frequency band that is audible to the human ear? This is one component that will affect how your music will sound that can be measured numerically. I believe that such data was provided for at least one of the N-series phone reviews on this site.

The thing is though, of course, that no matter how perfect the signal coming out of the 3.5 mm jack is, you will need a pair of headphones with a good frequency response anyway.

That and as you grow older, your own hearing's frequency response begins to perform less than ideally... in which case, a good equalizer on the Nokia 5800 would help to begin to address these situations.

The most interesting question I can think of, is how does it handle old (S60 3rd) software? I'm guessing some of them that are entirely based on native UI elements should be fine - but what about other software, such as full-screen (non-Ngage) games?

If you're considering a TS phone on contract...

HTC Touch HD with 3.8" WXGA resolution available FREE on contract for £30 / £35 per month.

*Corection: WVGA

Great, great review Rafe. Really useful. I only disagree with you on one point: 5800 is not mid-range by any means. Things like that huge high-res display, GPS, motion sensor and wi-fi still belong to the higher end of the spectrum (with some exceptions of course). In fact it matches the N78 spec for spec AND adds motion sensor to that. It is a kitchen-sink model, just not priced like one.

It is scary how my thoughts are being echoed in these comments. I am a proud owner of N82 and I happen to think it is one of the most amazing pieces of techology the world has seen, being small and light compared to N95.

I also think Iphone is slow and (whisper it) somewhat bland. 15 minutes and you are through everything Iphone has to offer.

So it will take something huge to steer me away from my N82 - and even then I dont think I will be able to sell it. 5800 seems to be precisely that. It loses out to N82 only in terms of camera and processor.

Hi, I know this is a music-oriented phone but since it is built on S60, can you give some insight into its email, calendar, file manager, word, spreadsheet apps functionality. Much appreciated.

How long does the camera start? How many seconds between shots?

Very pleased the screen is top quality. Was worried when specs leaked inc a resistive touch that it would be crap but thankfully that is not so.

I'm in a dilemma.I want the nseries touch but I'm impatient..and this is such a nice phone. If nseries touch only offer 8mp camera, and design changes that the extra dollar won't be worth it. Including a Xenon flash would be sound and make parting with my n82 a little less daunting.

Anyone have any ideas about when the nseries touch will be announced?

Dan

The screen is still going to cause some complaints (as I note there are argument for both technologies), but I was impressed having tried similar tech before. I would give serious consideration to waiting for the future touch products if you think they are in your price bracket. They're not all that far away.

One thing I wish it had - Nokia has introduced USB charging with the N85. It should now be a standard and there should not be separate ports for charging and data transfer.

I think we will see it become more standard in the future. As to why - not sure - agree it would have been better sooner.

Rafe

Great Review - Even though I'm not interested in this phone specifically you can get a feel for the Touch GUI!

How do you think it could be implemented on a Touch Communicator?

Similar small external screen with a numeric keypad out with internal touchscreen and physical keyboard
0r
Large external touchscreen, no physical keypad and non touch internal screen with physical keyboard
or
Large external touchscreen no keypad and internal touch screen (with physical keyboard as well):biggrin:

I guess some of the Sensor APIs would need to be changed so the movement of opening the internal screen didn't trigger them (like turning off alarms etc?)

Only trouble is well have to wait until probably Q4 2009 (at the earliest!) to find out!:frown:

Cheers
Jago

Yes lots of possibilities. Personally I think a standard phone on the outside and touch inside would make sense... but in some ways the communicator doesn't necessarily need touch. I do think we'll see some touch with QWERTY though.


Hi rafe, how's the browser -- any better or worse than a regular N-Series?

Better as you'll find out in the next part - a lot of thats to do with the bigger screen though.

Rafe -

Back to the point - how integrated is the touch in the GUI?

One of the things that bugged me when I mad a small diversion to the WM MDA Vario III/TyTN before my current E90 was that a mixture of keyboard/menu keys and stylus/screen was needed to navigate around.

I know WM is not the most constent in this aspect and wondered how Touch compared? :con?

Can you navigate around and enter everthing with just the screen/stylus/finger and similarily with just the menu keys and keyboard/D-pad (if it had one!)

Thanks
Jago

It is very well integrated - that's the thing that impressed me most - most people don't realise how hard this is to do. You can use it just using touch if you want to (though the home key make things easier). WRT to keyboard devices - well would have to wait for devices, but yes you can (like current S60 phones), there are some thing you can't do (no touch clock shortcuts).

Can you put up some screenshots of the web browser ? Is it any different from the N series browser ?
Most importantly, will it be possible to copy text from an open web page and paste it elsewhere; say in notes or somethin ? Wonder if images can be saved by touching them as well.

Coming next part, but yes some differences. No copy and paste, but remember this is a preview (though I don't see that being added).

Thanks for the review Rafe, what's the GPS like?....and what (if any) navigation software is installed?

Cheers

Yes Nokia Maps. GPS seems good, but always tricky to judge with pre-release devices.


Since the review is so extensive (Thanks for that AAS), the big question for me is does it offer overal better value than the mighty Nokia E71.
I have serious concerns about the 5800's screen getting scratched pretty quickly and start to look banged up after a while, with all that touching.

Very different products in my opinion. The 5800 comes with a nice case that does a great job of protecting it. In absolute terms though I think it is a better value product than the E71. And yes finer prints everywhere... like all touch devices.

The most interesting question I can think of, is how does it handle old (S60 3rd) software? I'm guessing some of them that are entirely based on native UI elements should be fine - but what about other software, such as full-screen (non-Ngage) games?

More on this in the next part - its a mixed bag really.

If you're considering a TS phone on contract...

HTC Touch HD with 3.8" WXGA resolution available FREE on contract for £30 / £35 per month.

HTC Touch HD is a good option, though I thinks its more PDA focused than phone. In countries with no subsidies it also very expensive. It costs twice as much as the 5800. So you'll probably see the 5800 in £25 contracts fairly soonish.

Great, great review Rafe. Really useful. I only disagree with you on one point: 5800 is not mid-range by any means. Things like that huge high-res display, GPS, motion sensor and wi-fi still belong to the higher end of the spectrum (with some exceptions of course). In fact it matches the N78 spec for spec AND adds motion sensor to that. It is a kitchen-sink model, just not priced like one.

It is scary how my thoughts are being echoed in these comments. I am a proud owner of N82 and I happen to think it is one of the most amazing pieces of techology the world has seen, being small and light compared to N95.

I also think Iphone is slow and (whisper it) somewhat bland. 15 minutes and you are through everything Iphone has to offer.

So it will take something huge to steer me away from my N82 - and even then I dont think I will be able to sell it. 5800 seems to be precisely that. It loses out to N82 only in terms of camera and processor.

Mid range specs are always changing, when I see mid range I mean the price. And to be fair it is at the upper end of mid range. I'm still amazed what's in it for the price level. But yes in some ways this should have been the N70 Touch or whatever. But compared this £260 to the £520 you'll pay for the N96 and you'll see what I mean about mid-tier in terms of pricing. There's a significant difference in the materials.

N82 is under rated in my opinion, one of the bext S60 3.1 phones out there (might even include 3.2 in that too). 5800 serves a different market, but I think there may be some touch devices to come that will really, really tempt you :)

Hi, I know this is a music-oriented phone but since it is built on S60, can you give some insight into its email, calendar, file manager, word, spreadsheet apps functionality. Much appreciated.

More of this in part 2.

How long does the camera start? How many seconds between shots?

About 1 secodn to start, 1 second to focus. About 4-5 seconds between shots, but this is pre-release hardware. More on this in part 2 of the review/

--- Phew - sorry for the delay in reply to the questions, will try and be responsive in the next few days. Looking to get the next part up on Monday (mybe over the weekend).

The UI looks so confusing and cluttering. These guys just can't make good software. Their low-end phones are OK but high-end software is pathetic.

Rafe, PLEASE make sure you mention the TV-Out functionality in the second part of your (p)review. A comparison to the N95 would be great.

You can't close apps from the task switcher :(

Dear Rafe i am using N96 and im not so happy with it do u think this would be a better option changing it for 96

I think the 5800 is one of the best smartphone Nokia has ever produced. It´s relatively cheap, build quality is good and it has got all the basic goodies: 3,2 megapixel camera (could be better), hsdpa, wlan, gps and very good screen. I even like the UI a lot, but the browser could be faster. Browser handles feeds brilliantly.
Videoplayback is very good if you optimise bitrates and tv-out is ok. I don´t think that 5800 is just a music oriented phone, it is a rock solid allrounder. I really love it.

Joni
taskussa.fi

Please also tell us about the gaming experience o the 5800 XM ..

c'mon steve. part 2 please.

I'm working on it right now.

You can't close apps from the task switcher :(
is that true?? that would suck......... i hope there's some way of closing apps other than going through the menus.

Yes that's true, there's no c key to do this... Honestly though there isn't really a problem you can just leave apps running, there's enough RAM. Or you can switch to the app and exit it using the red / end key.

or it could also be possible to do it via some third party app, maybe a modified smart launcher for s60 touch that includes closing apps..
it is s60 after all! ;)

sorry for double posting
but i found out that there's actually a way to close apps on the 5800!
You have to hold the menu key, that brings up the task manager, now how to close without a physical C key??
simple!
just hold on the app icon you want to close and a pop-up appears giving you an option to close!
check this screen i took via the s60v5 emulator!
http://i33.tinypic.com/2rzq7v4.png
yet another awesome innovation by s60!! :tongue: :icon14:

Like RadicalSatDude I was considering the E71 or the N95 with the E90 as a rank outsider on cost and form factor (it is too massive to fit in a shirt pocket and costs more than a low end laptop). The introduction of the 5800 has made me think again.

Here is what I want a smart phone to do:
I want a multimedia entertainment device which is also a minature PC and Phone. It has to be small enough to carry in my shirt or jeans pocket but have an onboard screen large enough to enable me to do PC things like write A4 letters in native MS Word format, edit spread sheets and read web pages without too much scrolling left/right or zooming in and out. That excludes every 320 pixel phone out there. GPS and a Camera would be a bonus.
Since it is a minature PC, I must be able to easily enter text and numerals at any time, straight from the shirt pocket. Standard phone key pad layouts are just not good enough for this purpose.

However to be truely useful, I want the facility to hook it up to a large screen and blue tooth keyboard at work or at home.

The 5800 sounds like it is very close to being the perfect portable personal PC.

Two things I would like to know, is the 5800 compatible with existing S60 series three software.
And does it come with any office software?

Like RadicalSatDude I was considering the E71 or the N95 with the E90 as a rank outsider on cost and form factor (it is too massive to fit in a shirt pocket and costs more than a low end laptop). The introduction of the 5800 has made me think again.


Bought the E71 this Friday, for 1500 AED (414 USD) logic being, physical keys are real, on a real keyboard. Apart from the input part E71's got a better battery and better over all build being 3rd gen in its class.

Nokia touch phones will be awesome by their 3rd generation just like any other hardware/software product.

P.S. Nokia 5800 will be 1650 AED (455 USD) in UAE, when released next month.

Two things I would like to know, is the 5800 compatible with existing S60 series three software.
And does it come with any office software?
There's Quick Office built in with the phone i believe. Not totally sure if it would be able to edit documents or not. As for s60v3 apps, i've tried lcg xplore on the emulator and surprisingly, it worked flawlessly! screen got divided, top part being the xplore display and there was a virtual keypad w/joystick like control below. it was really innovative. There's a good chance that most of s60v3 apps work with the phone, but we'll have to wait and see.

Thanks for a great review on the phone. But I have one question for you now. I have a Nokia N95 myself but would like to get a touch phone that is as good or better than the phone I have now. Do you know if Nokia have a touch phone that has 5meg camera in it coming soon after the 5800??

plz post the part2
we are still waiting

Hi Rafe,

I was wondering what your thoughts are on how the haptic vibration feedback might impact battery life or the internal vibrating motor's lifespan? I've been wondering this for a while, actually.

What are your thoughts?

And nothing at all about its music playback?
Nice overall round-up though....

can u pls tell me whether the 5800 is better than N91 in the music department?

For everyoune that wants data transfers and charging from one cable at the same time, run a Google search for "Nokia DKE-5". Living in New Zealand, I've managed to find a few third-party ones on TradeMe for $10 - $15 NZD.

I have a question, which is better for watching movies, the n95 8gb / n96 or the 5800, I mean on one hand the 5800 has a 3.2 inch 360x640 resolution screen which is really amazing, but on the other hand the n95 8gb is supposed to be the best video playback device and that was well focused on in their marketing campaign, while i didn't hear much about the video playback capabilities of the 5800, does it support the same codecs as the n95/n96 or less?

So which is better for watching movies the n95 8gb or the n96 or the 5800?

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic can be charged with a USB cable, CA 100, obtainable from any Nokia shop dear pal whoever you are!

Can someone help me in telling how space is entered between words using handwriting mode?

I tried to add Mpeg files in the videos folder, but i am not able to play them. Can you please help me in guiding how to add videos to the fone and what format can be used?

I tried to add Mpeg files in the videos folder, but i am not able to play them. Can you please help me in guiding how to add videos to the fone and what format can be used?

it does not play mpeg videos. You have to convert them to mp4 format. Google video converters and you will get a lot of softwares which do it.

Once you convert to mp4 format just load them and play via the video player.

I bought Nokia 5800 in india and used it. i have already HTC touch .. HTC touch is far better than NOKIA 5800.. both has similar touch option and sensitivity.. only thing is Screen..

Nokia 5800 has bigger screen but very bulky in our pocket than HTC..

and the cheap plastics and the Sim card and memory card inserter also look like toy plastic

and bad thing is it didnt have navikeys.. only 3 keys in bottom

1 call
2 cancel
3 center one is menu key

for scrolling it was hard.. in HTC have navi keys to move and scroll... touch sensitivity is not as soft as iphone.. it took harder

may be N97 is far better than nokia 5800 for its qwerty keyboard and navi keys

so waiting for N97....

I have yet to find an IM for 5800. Can anyone help out?

Is it possible to edit MS Office Files

I just called Nokia, and sorry: charging with USB is not possible :(
I cannot believe they did not do it, since all Windows Mobile phone do it ... They create a nice new touch mobile product, but they forget such important thing ...

So I got my new 5800 on Saturday and I just wanted to say, I really, really love this phone! Sounds quite sad I know, but I haven't had that 'special' feeling since I had the first antenna-less phone back in the day, ye old Nokia 3210 (I think)! The one thing I really like about the phone? It's a phone loaded with all the usual bits and bobs you'd expect to see on a phone in this day and age! As opposed to other touch screen phone's which are like mini over complicated pocket computers and don't resemble the humble phone shape at all! A brand new touch screen fully customisable up to date phone is what I wanted and a brand new touch screen phone fully customisable phone is what I got! Happys dayz...

Wow - this has to be the most comprehensive review of I phone I've ever read! Really impressed with the amount of detail. I was a bit stuck with the phone but you really helped me out.

Can someone help me in telling how space is entered between words using handwriting mode?

underscore - i.e. a line left to right along the guide line.

Which phone should i buy when given the choise of the N85 and the 5800? Cant decide.......

How many languages are installed in the Nokia 5800 ? Previous models with hardware keybord included limited language packages ? Does it contain at least the EU languages ?

I have been using this phone for a week now and over all its a great phone... only two problems, I'm sure one of which will be sorted soon...

-sometimes some lag when flicking through menu system which can get annoying
-a huge disappointment that the phone can't play .avi, .mov files etc as I'm a mac user and primarily watch films etc using these formats

+ the isync system works brilliantly with ICAL and the 5800's calender
+the Nokia media transfer app works great with ITUNES and makes video, mp3 transfers a piece of cake.

If someone can find a way of getting the above video formats to play on the phone then its a winner, a proper DIVX app would be grand!

4.5/5

:]

OMG i get mine tomorrow, going to need a masters degree to use it after my N73 lol

Fabulous review understood some of it (how to turn it on) lost me after that.........


never say never :)

Nokia 5800 is a bundle of technology which lead to nowhere. It has the entire sci-fi feature which collapse now and then. The phone support is pathetic. The software symbian60 v5 is not fit for the instrument and if you happen to use the phone for use other than the basic talking / music you will surely get lost. My instrument got locked after uploading firmware from Nokia. A new instrument was given which again does not connect to computer and is of no use. Since its launch in Jan 09 in India, the handset is with the repair team for more than 2 months and they are helpless as the problems do not get resolved and a replacement of handset is the only solution. If the phone is out of warranty, you will be out of luck. Even if i get my new handset I am sure this instrument will not last more than 1 yrs. The prices have reduced by 5K bucks since its official launch in India. No doubt the company has realized that there are no takers for a crap box which does not works. The instrument will surely be withdrawn from market in less than a yr. time. If you have made up your mind to get this instrument, I suggest to add few more bucks and invest in a established instrument and not in Flicker model. I know, Nokia is a trustworthy name but there are always errors from even the best and 5800 is one such example of blunder. Instead go for touch screen from Samsung / HTC / Sony which may have lesser feature and higher price but still work as desired.

Does anyone know how the 5800 compares with Samsung Innov8? I was planning to get the Innov8, then the 5800 Xpressmusic was released... so now I'm not sure which to get.

I bought this phone from Nokia direct. After 5 weeks it died after being charged and could not be revived.

After a call to Nokia Direct I took it to a Nokia Repair centre, who could not revive it, it was utterly dead. It was sent to Nokia for assessment and I have demanded a new one as the phone is so new. They simply refuse to do anything but "follow the standard procedure"; nor can you get any updated information from Nokia.

After many years using Nokia equipment, I trusted it and almost always chose to buy it. Today I advise people to be very careful when buying from them direct; I may soon be advising people NOT to buy the 5800 and never buy from Nokia Direct.

I would like to know what voice capabilities it have. Cos' for a little bit more money you can have a Windows Mobile phone, with Microsoft Voice Command, then it would speak the name of each caller (or it's phone number if unlisted), you can ask it to play any music band that is stored on the SD card, and it would read SMSs. I used to have a Motorola a1200, and it reads the SMSs (bandly), and it also searched the names of the contact you want to call, but it fail very often, compared with Windows, wicht is very accurate and had all the voice options.

nokia had release their hottest economic smartphone for their lovely costomer.
nokia 5800 bring much interesting application and interesting to own.
Im from Malaysia and i have bought this smartphone twice one for mine and one for my brother.

I have review so many website and blog before purchase this smartphone.
This is blog i recommend to refer because it compared nokia 5800 with other smartphone.
take your time, have a look for a minute.

nokia-5800-touchscreen.blogspot.com

Aloha from Hawaii. My name is Tim, aka Cellular-Decay.

In spite of my fascination with gadgets, I only recently got into fancy cell phones ("smart" phones). I used to carry a basic phone and a PDA, because I didn't like what was available in "convergence" devices. It just seemed like they were too much of a compromise.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic "Tube" seems to have changed my mind, since my old Razr and Zodiac have been collecting dust lately. There are things the Zodiac did better, but I'm still early in the learning curve for the 5800, and I'm pretty confident that with some more time (and applications) I will find it easy to forget the old Z.

There are, of course, lots of things the 5800 does better, so even if I can't totally forget the Z, I'm sure I won't have any regrets.

Oh well..I hang out at http://www.Nokia5800Forum.com a lot. take care all. See ya 'round.

had my 5800 for a week now and i love it.

thanks for the review, it really helped me decide wether to buy or not.

I have just purchased a Nokia 5800 Express I have had it for 4 weeks. I am having problems with the battery life. All I have used it for so far are about 10 sms, phone calls that only last a few minutes and occassionally the camera. The battery does not even last a day. I fully charge it every night. I went back to the shop and they told me to updatre my softwear. I did this but was told my softwear was up to date. Having spoken to a few people who have the same phone, they are having the same problem and also later on the screen goes black. Can anybody advice me.

Hey Guys... Please help me out to select best one among these three (Nokia 5800, N79, N71)
my requirement is... a phone with very good camera, 3G, WLAN...
these things are must for me... i will not preffer... more this E71, Bcoz of only 2 M.P camera,
i am more confused among N79 and 5800, i need a good phone not to flaunt...
as when i wud be in some meeting... if i wil get some call... so it wud be un-easy to reply by sms
in nokia 5800 thru touch screen...
So guys pls pls help me out...

Rish.

hey Rafe i have a lg phone which really sucks and the worst phone of my life, so was wondering to buy another phone so looked for this one as it fits in to budget.....Basically i am looking for a phone for kind of multimedia purposes but i am afraid of plastic body of nokia 5800...i am afraid if that would break if phone falls down.... so please can you tell me that is phone really dureable??
appriciated.....