Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Finally Real
Tonight at an event in London, Nokia finally officially announced the 5800 XpressMusic, also known commonly as the ‘Tube’. This is truly a landmark device, as it’s the first device to use the new S60v5 user interface, which brings a junkload of new features and abilities. Most importantly, the 5800 XpressMusic is the first touchscreen S60 phone ever.
The feature set is mostly the same as the Nokia N78 – you’ve got WiFi, quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and dual-band UMTS (900/2100MHz or 850/1900MHz) with HSDPA support. A standard 3.5mm audio port doubles as the TV-Out, and a built-in GPS receiver offers mapping and native photo geotagging. The camera is a 3.2 megapixel shooter with autofocus and Carl Zeiss optics. Video recording is 640×360 (widescreen) at up to 30 frames per second, and should be a great experience.
The 5800 XpressMusic will ship with an 8GB microSD card (glad to see Nokia opting for an inbox memory card instead of built-in memory) and a neat little fold-up desktop stand. The stylus fits along the edge of the phone, and early reports say that 90% of the time, you won’t need it for navigating the UI. Given that the 5800 XpressMusic is a music-centric device, Nokia has also included a guitar pick (aka ’stylus plectrum’) in the box, conveniently attached to the wrist strap. The overall phone is black, but there is a colored strip through the middle, which will be available in grey, red, or blue. I like the grey, personally.
As this is the first touchscreen S60v5-powered smartphone, I was interested to see the various text input methods. The 5800 XpressMusic does come with a stylus, but that’s not the only way to enter text. There is a fullscreen, finger-friendly QWERTY keyboard that is available in *any* application, as well as a popup numeric keypad, if you prefer to use T9. The phone also supports handwriting recognition, which is where the stylus comes in handy.
There are 2 new aspects to the 5800 XpressMusic, as well – the Contacts Bar and the Media Bar. The Contacts Bar is a new way to view the homescreen that offers shortcuts to your favorite contacts, with custom ‘feeds’ showing you the latest activity from that contact, including text messages, blog updates, and call logs.
The Media Bar is a drop-down list of your favorite media, including pictures, videos, music, and web links. This is rather similar to the Nseries menu found on newer S60v3 devices such as the N96 and N85.
The Tube is set to launch in Q4 2008, priced incredibly attractively at EUR279 (USD$390) before taxes and subsidies. There will be a version of the 5800 XpressMusic available with Comes With Music support, as well, though pricing details for this model are unavailable.
| Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Technical Specs | |
| Operating System | S60 5th Edition |
| Band | GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA 900/2100MHz or 850/1900MHz |
| Data | GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA/WiFi |
| Size | 111mm x 51.7mm x 15.5mm (4.4″ x 2″ x .6″) |
| Weight | 109g (3.8oz) |
| Battery Life | |
| 1320mAh capacity | |
| Estimated 17 days standby time / Estimated 9/5 hours talk time (GSM/UMTS) | |
| Display | 3.2″ 16 million color nHD, 640×360 pixel resolution |
| Camera | 3.2 megapixel autofocus with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash |
| Video | VGA resolution 640×360 record at up to 30 frames per second |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 with A2DP |
| Memory | 81MB internal, microSD memory card slot with 8GB card included |
| Other | Built-in GPS receiver, TV-Out, 3.5mm audio port, Accelerometer |
| Availability | Planned Q4 2008 |
| Pricing | EUR279 (US$390) before taxes and subsidies |
| Download the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic’s Data Sheet | |
This phone looks absolutely briiliant. Can’t wait!
Okay….. welll…..
This is absolutely the SICKEST phone I’ve ever laid eyes on. There doesn’t even seem to be any compromises other than Xenon flash. Simply incredible. I’ll probably be buying two of them in US 3G variant. Wow
WAY TO GO NOKIA!!!!!!!!
Now the only question I have left is …. IS IT CAPACITIVE touch or RESISTIVE? By some of the reviews, it appears to be CAPACITIVE. Anyone know for sure?
[...] The Guru says that 90% of the times you won’t need it, when navigating the UI. How this unit will fare in the market, considering the lukewarm response Nokia touchscreen phones have got in the past, is something of concern. But I have a feeling that this time Nokia has provided a good solution which will please the consumers. Below is the specs sheet, courtesy ‘Symbian-guru.com’. Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Technical Specs [...]
Looks like I got the replacement for my 1200. :P
[...] Symbian-Guru has the following specifications table [...]
This seems to be the first non-N, non-E series S60 phone to feature Wifi. So it is a big step. Or is it just going to be another one-off?
@Nick I believe i read on symbian-freak that it was capacitive touch. Though i gotta ask, what difference does it make from the resistive touch practically ?
Have there been any mentions of the US 3G variant yet ?
The 5800 XpressMusic is resistive – this way it will not only work in colder climates where capacitive has issues, but I believe this also is what enables the haptic feedback.
And not to forget; With the plectrum and the touch screen, I can see a guitar application in my mind already. Maybe a S60 version of Guitar Hero ? It has the makings for a great touch-screen specific Ngage game. No ?
And this isnt even the flagship ! What the hell are they gonna put into the flagship touchscreen ?? (apart from a 5mp cam) :D
I am getting the beautiful RED american version. IPHO-WHO???
Capacitive touch panel can’t work with plastic stylus. Only resistive panel or mixed mode (C+R) panel works.
[...] Symbian Guru – Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Finally Real [...]
The most surprising part is the price. I didn’t expect it to be that cheap (relatively speaking).
man what an amazing device! I cant wait… im finally excited at a Nokia release this year!
well I guess I have to take the previous comment back, since I was excited about the E71 :)
I think they kept the price cheap knowing that they will have many other phones to compete with. It just goes to show that they can produce a phone with better technology at a cheaper price ( the N96 is not an 800+ dollar phone ) :P
I WANT IT!! I cannot wait!!
This is super cool. Will start saving right away.
cute, but wtf’s wrong with the video maker? Its a phone they’re testing, TEST PHONE FEATURES!, thats in my opinion of course.
I want to touch it and stuff..
HAHAHAHA
what are you going to say now, iPhone fanboys????
imsohappy.
[...] Darla Mack, SymbianFreak, Symbian-Guru. Foto © Nokia. [...]
In addition to a resistive touch phone working in the cold and with a stylus, resistive will also work with gloved fingers which is good. From what I hear, its one of the better, if not the BEST, resistive touch screens ever made. I will own one of these babies GUARANTEED.
Wifi? Seriously? Better replace it with my n81!…
Wifi? Seriously? But at the nokia website they didn’t mention about it..
[...] Artikel von anderen Webseiten: Kommt das Nokia 5800 XpressMusic erst 2009 nach Deutschland?, Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Finally Real [...]
[...] the announcement of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, we also got our first view of S60 5th Edition. Surely this brings many cool changes, but the press [...]
[...] an accelerated schedule, with a shortened announcement-to-launch time period. Also, given that the 5800 XpressMusic features a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and VGA video recording, I would fully expect an [...]
[...] following its official announcement, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has passed through the FCC with flying colors. The FCC is the [...]
hows the sound ??
loud or cheap?
[...] a rocking week, and to end it all, I’m pumped to announce that the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic has just jammed its way through the FCC’s testing procedures, complete with dual-band UMTS [...]