Wise Rhetoric

I have been using this phone for two days now and I like it very much. Amazon did a commendable job in shipping (Free). Given below are the set of Pros and Cons that I found in my limited use till now:

PROS:
1. Good responsive and vibrant touchscreen: though sometimes i find it difficult to scroll with fingers when browsing. There is a neat feature of calibrating the touchscreen according to the amount of pressure you would like to apply for smooth response. You may surely want to try this before judging the touchscreen.
2. Excellent battery backup. Charging time of the battery is surprisingly low. It clocked 2.5 hrs for me to charge completely. The battery do drains fast when using the WiFi.
3. Decent WiFi Speed for a phone. YouTube seems to have some problem. The phone cannot play the video while buffering. So you have to wait for sometime till it buffers fully. I think its OK for a phone, though :)
4. Doesn’t look cheap at all. Rather feels solid in hand. The only two things that lower the classiness are a) the back battery cover, which has to be literally “ripped apart” for opening the battery compartment and b) the lock/unlock switch which is at a very inconvenient position. Nokia could have placed the switch on the top left side of the phone.
5. Loud and clear music quality.

CONS:
1. I am very disappointed at the quality of the main camera. It is definitely far short of a 3.2 MP one. I have seen Nokia phones with 1.3 MP camera taking better pictures.
2. The software portion for organizing music seems to be really stupid. It doesn’t allow you to maintain your folders as you copy them on to the memory stick. It arranges the music files according to albums, genres, composers, etc, which is annoying. This should be fixed in future versions of the s/w.

I haven’t got the opportunity test the GPS till now. In fact I am yet to find out on how to use the GPS offline without having to incur any carrier-data cost. Can anyone help me in this regard?

Overall this phone is worth every penny.

Basically, what you are giving up with this phone by not getting the iphone is the iphone apps. If you must have those, then you need the iphone. However, here’s what you’re gaining by getting the 5800:

The 5800 is an unlocked phone!!! No contract!!! With iphone you are stuck for 2 years with a locked phone on AT&T in addition to whatever they charge you for the GPS service, which is free with the 5800. iphone charges something like $30 per month for this priveledge, plus around $200 up front, so in total I have to pay close to $1,000 for an iphone? Forget it!

Better screen resolution, 5800 has 640×360 vs. iphone 480×320. It really is crisp, you need to see it.

5800 has a camera on the front for video calling. iphone: nope.

5800 has a removable battery and memory, iphone not so much.

iphone has two finger zoom… ummmm… golly! Who cares! This is a gimmic and requires two hands, it’s super easy for me to press the zoom in and out icons on the screen of my 5800.

5800 is a little slimmer (horizontal) and a little shorter, but a little thicker (depth) than the iphone. It’s about the same size as my old KRZR. I prefer this to the wider iphone.

Honestly, with a phone like the 5800, the joke is on the people walking around with their overpriced iphones!

Let me start by saying that I had the first generation of this phone, meaning the original 5800XpressMusic. It was the first time I questioned the quality of the new Nokia phones as I had the Nokia 5610XM previously. This newest version of the phone, however, is very high in quality. No squeaks or anything coming from the body at all. The buttons have much better tactical feedback and the black chrome and matte body looks 100x better than the original.

The lifetime GPS software is easily the best feature of this phone. While some reviewers may say that the GPS algorithms are pretty basic, this phone has the ability to “learn” the routes you take. That was an impressive feature I discovered recently. You get traffic reports, maps, and 3D imaging for free unlike the XM model. Based on previous costs of the Nokia Maps GPS software, you are essentially buying a nice GPS device that doubles as a phone. The mount is relatively easy to figure out how to put together. Afterall, how hard can 2 screws and 2 holes fit together? Needless to say, it makes an impressive fight against standalone GPS devices. Also, even if you do not like Nokia Maps, Garmin has made their own GPS software that works just as well, if not better, than Nokia’s version.

Now for the music, while the basic player has some things to wish for, there is a nice program approved by Nokia in the OVI Suite that makes the music much better. The phone is quite impressive for the small speakers on the side. While you’ll have a hard time hearing the bass on its own, with headphones, it is no problem at all!

Now for the games and applications. While the phone is no iPhone-killer, it makes a respectable alternative due to its features. Games are now relatively plentiful as are the apps. Even if some applications require the use of a directional pad, the 5800NavigationEdition puts up a digital pad for these applications or games. The software support for this phone is improving overtime and its in a positive direction.

For the business community, adding and checking emails are a breeze. Its simple to the point where you don’t have to read the directions at all. Also a plus is the integration of Office Suite, which puts “MS Word/Excel” on your phone so you can open, read, and edit documents. This is highly useful as an alternative to the netbooks that college students are currently using. Paired with an optional bluetooth keyboard, this easily replaces my laptop and my paper notebook for notes in class. Afterall, who would want to carry a heavy computing device just for notes and internet since the 5800NE can do both easily? In fact, even AIM/Skype/MSN are perfectly incorporated when you download them for free (use FRING). Overall, this is a great phone for people on the go.

Battery life for this phone is generally something that could be improved but doesn’t have to be. After 3 hours of taking notes using my bluetooth keyboard, a unknown sum of text messages, and quite the number of phone calls, my battery is almost dead at the end of the day. Thankfully this version of the 5800 includes a car charger. You WILL need it if you need to rely on the GPS for more than an hour, but thats to be expected.

The camera is something that also can be improved but it works well for most things. Just be wary in times of darkness, thats all I can say. Otherwise, its pretty decent.

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Based on my experience, I’d buy another if I had the chance (which I did afterall). Its a great phone for the money. It may take a small while to get used to but after that, its worth it. This will definitely hold me off on purchasing another phone for a while, at least until the next XpressMusic or NavigationEdition Nokia model comes out.

What it has that regular 5800XM doesn’t is a lifetime GPS licenses, like a regular GPS (you know what im talk about?). Theoraticly this phone has everything i ever wanted in a single solution, and im glad i bought it before price went back up. some things i notice after 4 days of use.

Pros:
1.phone,mp3,mp4,camera,GPS,PDA,6 in 1.
2.cheap for what it does.

Cons:
1.weird touch screen. a very soft lcd pannel that looks flat but my finger tells otherwise. the center goes in(concaved) and giving me a unlevel feeling when i drag map around.
2.mulitple softwares need to be installed, complicat and buggy. i couldn’t get the map loader to work(a very well know issue “Error.Cannot update licenses.Missing phone info:IMSI or IMEI cannot be obtained(20)”).
3.video converted and transfered to the phone by nokia pc suit is unplayable, not a joke.
4.web browsing exit by itself.
5.GPS signal is okay, and the application is not the easiest to use. no mannual or instruction, time to discover thing.
6.material used and constructed cheaply.

time to wrap it up. i bought both 5530 and 5800. and to be honest, 5530 is so much nicer if you not gonna make 3g video calls all day and already have a GPS. why? well~ 5530 screen is better, music on 5530 is louder and cleaner, phone itself is quality made, thinner n smaller in size when compared to 5800. also i found out ovi map works like a charm on 5530, no worry of getting lost during travel, which makes it the perfect gift for my girl. for me, im keeping the 5800 simply because there is no better phone for $200 out there.

The first few days I tested the 5800 with no SIM card … wanted to see what it could do on its own (without using any cellular service).

Music & Video Player: Superb audio & video quality … nice having the 2 built in stereo speakers. Includes 8 gig of memory & is upgradable.

GPS: No data plan (or even phone service) is required. Outstanding & full featured GPS. Signal strength is excellent (as a standalone GPS) … Full maps, POI’s, directions, etc can be used with the built-in map data. If wifi or cellular service is available, you get added features (weather, traffic, more POI’s, satellite images, and faster positioning). Worldwide maps are available for free from Nokia.

Navigation version of the 5800 includes car adapter and mounting kit.

Internet: Can use wifi alone (without any cell service), bluetooth, or optionally, a cell phone data plan … your choice.

PDA features: Usual functions … work very well. Additional software applications are available to download for even more features.

Camera: outdoor pics look good – indoor, not as good.

Build quality: solid feel, clean design, & removable battery.

Finally, as a phone it works well; clarity, features, battery life & overall usability are all excellent.

Summary:

While there are many other devices available, the Nokia 5800 is unique in that it can do so many things on its own, with or without a specific cellular carrier or a specific service plan.

The 5800 is a very versatile and feature-packed device at a great price. So much more than a phone: a large high-res touch screen, full featured GPS, Audio/Video player, camera, WIFI, internet browser, bluetooth, etc … all nicely integrated. It should prove to be very useful at home, in the car, and while traveling.

Since my contract with T-Mobile had expired in July, I was looking around as to what to do next. I really like the plan I have and the customer service with T-Mobile. Only problem is that they really don’t have a great selection of phones for renewal at a decent price. I also didn’t want to switch to AT&T just to get a free phone since I would get half the minutes and texts for the same price I’m paying with T-Mobile! Verizon and Sprint were a no-go for me.

A friend told me about unlocked phones, so I was lucky this information came right around Black Friday weekend, when the Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition was on sale.

GPS

EDIT: To ensure you only use the integrated GPS and never carrier service:
settings -> phone -> app. settings -> positioning -> positioning methods and turn off all but ‘Integrated GPS’.

First off, you DON’T need a data plan to use the GPS, but there are some things you cannot access on the road without it. These include: expanded POI’s, traffic, weather, satellite and terrain backgrounds, etc. However, you can at least see what they are like by using wifi. You will need to edit some of the settings so you don’t use A-GPS, which is carrier assisted (it’s set to it by default). It does take longer to lock onto the satellites this way, but it’s not painfully slow. Also, since you have lifetime drive and walk navigation and map updates, you can just use wifi to update everything. You can also download numerous voices. My other GPS has more computerised sounding voices, but these are crystal clear and realistic. In addition, you get weather, traffic, etc. for two years. It’s also great to have the car mount and car charger included. You can view the maps in 2D or 3D and the 3D version has building models for downtown areas, etc. It’s nice to see the actual buildings you are passing. Also, it shows clouds during the day and stars at night along the top of the screen, which is a nice touch. The included mini-CD lets you install Nokia’s OVI Suite software so you can use the phone with your PC. They also have a map updater and loader you can download.

MUSIC AND VIDEO

The 8GB microSD card comes with some music and videos on it that can obviously be deleted, but it’s nice to get some freebies. It was already in the phone when I got mine. There are some good videos on how to use the device for different things, and a few music videos too! I like the XpressMusic Shortcut – very handy to access the pictures, photos, videos, etc. The camera is pretty decent for both photos and video, much better than my previous phone, so no complaints really there. It’s nice there is a secondary camera too for video calls or self-pictures.

The FM radio is a nice addition, although you have to have headphones in order to use it.

One thing I really like is the two built-in speakers. They are loud and don’t sound tinny at all.

The phone has a lot of ringtones to choose from. At first I couldn’t find them, but then I realised they were within the different profiles you can edit. They are all mp3-style ringtones with real music, etc.

PHONE

Call quality is great and I actually get better reception with this phone than my previous one. Dialing is easy and texting can be done via a few different keyboards or handwriting with the stylus. I also like the voice-dialing – much easier to use than my last phone. Actually, when a call comes in it will also pronounce the name of the person calling (although in a very computerised voice).

You can set up the home screen to show four applications or contacts. Also a search bar is below that which enables you to search the contents of your phone and the internet. Optionally, you can also set up your email and that shortcut is displayed below the search bar.

The phone feels solidly built and sturdy. It’s a nice size, maybe a tad more thick than I’d like, but overall it’s a nice quality. Screen resolution is fantastic. I like the slight vibration when you touch an item to confirm you touched it. The volume, unlock and camera buttons are on the right side, while the sim card and microSD slots are on the left side. It’s nice to have these external, but they still recommend you turn off the phone and remove the battery to add or remove the sim or microsd card. On the top of the phone are the power button, headphone jack and micro USB port.

Battery life is also excellent. My first charge lasted 3 days with heavy use of everything, including the GPS. I expect with light use, it will last much longer.

Some of the applications included are dictionary, converter, recorder, file manager and real player. The two games (Bounce and Global Race) are also pretty good.

There are a lot of settings that you can fiddle around with to get it just the way you like it.

Overall, this is a great alternative for those not wanting to have a contract, but wanting a great phone with all the features. The GPS features alone honestly makes it worth the cost.

This review is based only on a quick once-over of the device, between getting it from the mail guy and putting it under the Christmas tree :)

- Form factor is acceptable for a jeans pocket, though a tad too thick.
- Looks and feels cheap. First smartphone I ever saw that didn’t have a latch on the battery compartment — you just force the lid off.
- Screen is bright and clear, lots of pixels, just as advertised.
- The touch sensor works very well with stylus, not so with bare finger. In fact, stylus is definitely required.
- Surprisingly, the UI controls are mostly finger-sized. Even the smallish QWERTY pad is not much harder to use than iPhone’s (isn’t that damning with faint praise though? :-) )
- The whole new Symbian UI is confused — feels like nobody actually thought it through. iPhone it ain’t :( Many selections require double-tap for no particular reason, the logic of scrolling is incomprehensible. Some text boxes do not bring up the keyboard automatically — need to double-tap them. And why is the wretched 12-key pad the default keyboard layout in most places?
- Web browser feels more responsive than in my E71 (faster CPU?) but still not responsive enough. iPhone-ish weirdness with variable page scale without iPhone’s pinch gesture is positively irritating. I would much prefer to have pages laid out to screen width by default, the way they are on E71.
- Ovi maps look nice on big screen, but the performance of built-in GPS is weak: slow to get a fix, often loses signal. Can’t really use this as a driving aid, windshield mount notwithstanding. Assisted positioning works well but is, of course, imprecise.

Overall: it is well worth $200 (AR) I paid for it. It is not, and never will be, an iPhone. Other vendors have touchscreen phones with better look and feel too but not for $200 unlocked w/o a service plan :) What I’ve seen of recent Palm devices did not impress me, but some of them do sell for less.

PS. Nokia, your N900 better be heads and shoulders above this level!

I just bought a new Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition. I lost my simple Motorola Razer, and needed a new mobile phone. Based upon my needs, I wanted the following:

1. Mobile telephone
2. Unlocked
3. Four Band International Use
4. Email
5. MP3 Player
6. GPS

The 5800 includes all of these features, but I had no idea what I got myself into, buying this model. I used to equate Nokia with quality and simplicity. Made in China, this has got to be the most clumsy cell phone made. The limited users guide reads like it was translated from a different language, and only provides minimal help. Registering as a Nokia user allowed me to search their website. I was able to download a more extensive manual. Both manuals refer to some selections in “options” that are not present on the 5800.

The navigation edition comes with a CR-103 telephone cradle, in four parts, with two screws, and no instructions on how to put the pieces together. An hour on the Nokia website and only mention of the CR-103. I sent an email asking for instructions, more wait time.

With the lack of a decent users manual the owner is left to intuition. That won’t help much here either. The telephone desktop is extremely misleading. Clicking on a compass icon should allow me to access the GPS features right? From there I should be able to find my location on a map, enter an address to navigate to? Wrong. After a couple of hours of working with it, and reading the extended users guide, I find you have to click on “Accessories” icon, followed by a click on the “Location” icon, followed by a click in the upper right hand corner of the screen to display the choices.

No intuition to help you in making the first telephone call. A quick read in the users guide shows you what icon to select, it brings up a screen that looks like a telephone pad, and from there you can make a simple telephone call.

There is an email wizard to help you set up email. Following the wizard I was able to enter all relevant data. The first test email came back with a non-specific message that indicated my setup didn’t work, but no additional information as to why. Nothing in the users guide to help either. This one requires an hour long trip to my service providers office, wait in line, and get some teckie there to help figure it out. He had to delete the email settings and start over.

There hasn’t been enough time in the three days I’ve had it to try to load MP3 music or photographs.

On the good side there is a website for Nokia users to join. Once your 5800 is working you can register it on the website www.ovi.com, and use features there to set up contacts and schedules, load mp3 and photos, and so on.

In summary, my need for mobile telephone got in the way of doing the research I should have done. I should have gone to the service providers office and actually tried to use one of these, and then bought the unlocked model on Amazon.com.

I’ve been using this phone for four days and those four days have been very blissful for me.

I came from a Samsung Star touch screen phone and this Nokia 5800 Nav. edition blew it away. The Samsung star was good but it lacks wifi and GPS.

With this phone you can pretty much do anything on the go. Wifi internet? let’s go. Youtube viewing? No problem. Got lost while driving/walking? It will be your savior.

PROS:
Battery life is decent if you do heavy websurfing and GPS navigating.
Battery life is super if you don’t do the above too much.
Build quality is good: it has a silver metal lining around the phone and it is pretty heavy compared to my Samsung Star.
Free lifetime GPS: You get free map updates forever.
Integrated GPS, not A(Assisted)-GPS like the original 5800 xpressMusic.
I have a Garmin 255w GPS and the GPS on this phone almost keeps up with it in accuracy. The voice on this GPS sounds more human than the robotic voice on my Garmin. Hey, this is a phone, don’t get your GPS expectation up too high.
Quad band unlocked: take the phone anywhere, put in any simcard and you’re good to go. Yes I am talking about AT&T and T-mobile, too.
Simcard and microSD card slots are on the side of the phone – unlike many other phones where you have to open the battery to put them in(though you have to open the battery to get the simcard out).
Phone has two cameras: The main one in the back and a self portrait camera in the front for all you narcissists. =)
Comes with a lot of accessories and cables.(Car mount for Navigation is very durable)
The stylus comes in handy for handwriting on the phone.
Speaker is typical for a Nokia: good. Music plays loud and clear, even got some bass.
Charging time is quick for a high capacity battery.
Good screen resolution (I think iPhone is lower at 480×320)
Convenient phone lock/unlock button on the side for your thumb
Radio

CONS:
The Main camera picture quality is average and doesn’t look like it is 3.2MP
Doesn’t come with a screen protector (I had to buy one)
Dialer keypad doesn’t have letters when you dial numbers. Might be a problem if you want to dial in a number disguised in letters. Hopefully they will fix this.
GPS on this phone takes a minute or two to lock in signal. Sometimes a few minutes if you’re not in an opened place.
Why can’t I think of anything else?

SYMBIAN OS VERSION 5:
This is my first time using this OS and it has been good to me.
Everything is very responsive and installing apps is a breeze.
You can open a free OVI store account on your phone to download free apps, games and other stuff.
If you want to use an all in one instant messenger to compliment your WiFi, I suggest downloading an app called Nimbuzz in the Ovi store and ditch the default IM app on your phone.
Surfing the web is decent, but the screen may be a bit small for prolonged surfing.
OVI store has lots of free apps(some you have to pay)
Youtube videos play well, but don’t expect to watch them in HD like you would on your PC.

All in all, this phone is worth every penny and if you wanna be different and not have an iPhone, this is the one to get.

UPDATE: This phone version has the updated firmware of V30 with increased CPU power. (Open your dialer and Press in *#0000# to see your firmware version)

UPDATE #2: I have been playing around more with the GPS and came to a conclusion that the text to speech on this phone gives me more instructions than my Garmin 255w. Though it doesn’t speak street names(just “turn right” “turn left”, “stay right” “stay left”…etc), it gives more instructions than the Garmin. For example, when I enter a freeway, it tells me to follow the freeway, and when I go over the speed limit, it tells me to watch my speed.