N8 Nokia Messaging demo, N8 pre-orders in USA

Published by Rafe Blandford at 19:30 UTC, August 17th 2010

One of the most under-rated features of the Nokia N8 is its new email client, in the form of an upgraded version of Nokia Messaging. The Nokia Messaging team, in a blog post and video, talk about some of the key improvements, which include full HTML email support, improved device integration, easier set up and settings configuration, portal address lookup for GMail and Hotmail and improved performance characteristics. Also in N8 related news is the availability of N8 pre-orders through the Nokia USA web store.

Nokia Messaging on the Nokia N8

The Nokia N8 will ship with a new version of Nokia Messaging. Along with performance and architecture improvements there's a whole range of new and updated features. The new version is also, as we mentioned in our recent review, available on the Nokia C6.

We'll be bringing you a more detailed look at the new version of this key Nokia service in due course.

In the meantime the Nokia Messaging blog provides a comprehensive list of the new features:

Full HTML support – Including pinch-and-zoom support and kinetic scrolling throughout the client

Full device integration with multiple home screen email accounts – So you can see up to ten accounts on the homescreen

Email client syncs read-notifications – So when you read a message on the desktop, your phone syncs that info (and vice versa)

UI and Settings simplification – Easier setup, faster client and quicker navigation

Improved reliability server-side – Service uptime is an incredibly important barometer for us and this new client takes advantage of server-side improvements that will further increase reliability


Portal address lookup for Gmail and Hotmail – Ability to look up your contacts email addresses from your portal address book


Messaging Service benefits – Battery life efficiency, on-demand attachment download and forwarding.


Supports 250 messages in the inbox – Up from 100 in the current clients


Supports 10 IMAP subfolders – No need to select on website, client automatically selects first ten subfolders


Memory storage on the largest non-removable memory drive available – Never worry about memory usage from message store

Here is a video demonstrating Nokia Messaging in action on the Nokia N8:

Nokia N8 pre-orders

N8 pre-order in the USA are available through Nokia's web store. The N8 is priced at $549 (£352), although there will be additional tax charges in some states (e.g. Matt from Nokia Experts was charged $611 / £392), with availability is scheduled for the the end of September.

The N8 is already available for pre-order in Italy, France, Germany, Poland and Spain with an average cost of at a cost of €469 (£390).