I’ve been using the Nokia 5800 (European variant) off and on for the past week or so, and will be posting a review soon. However, I wanted to offer some initial thoughts on the overall experience, before digging into the various features. To be honest, while I thought the 5800 XpressMusic would be a cool toy to have, I knew already that it wouldn’t pass muster as my primary handset. I need hardware keys, and I prefer them to be a numeric keypad with T9. I can say that confidently after reviewing plenty of different cellphones, with different form factors and keypads. However, the 5800 XpressMusic has surprised me, in most areas.
The first thing I noticed is that it’s small – real small. Aside from landscape mode (obviously), you can comfortably hold and use the 5800 XpressMusic in one hand. It’s well-balanced, and the back is slightly rubberized, for a good grip.
The user interface is actually quite stable, and works really well. We all know that S60 with touch added has some flow issues, specifically in that you have to click – alot. However, I’ve not had the phone randomly reboot, hang, or anything else that I usually see on such early models. The launch firmware is surprisingly stable. Also, I’ve yet to encounter anywhere in the user interface that required a stylus – period. Everything native on the phone can be done – easily – with just your finger. The only thing you actually need the stylus for is to remove the SIM card. Of course, with the handwriting recognition and mini-QWERTY keyboard, the stylus comes in handy, but I’ve not really used either of those entry methods.
This phone has alot of accessories. There’s a traditional stylus included, and it has its own slot in the back of the phone. There’s also the much-maligned ‘plectrum’ (that’s a guitar pick, if you didn’t know) that’s on a tether. Mine’s still in the package. Another accessory I’d forgotten about is the fold-out stand, which holds the phone in landscape mode at a perfect angle for watching movies. There is also a funky rubberized case included, though the rubberization is a bit heavy, so that it gets stuck in pockets easily. It does a good job of protecting the display, though, and I’ve found myself using it more and more.
I’m also a huge fan of the Media bar that drops down when you press in the top right of the display. It’s everything that the Nseries menu should have been, because it’s nothing like the Nseries menu that we’re used to. It’s a simple menu, with easy-to-decipher icons (well, the Share Online one is kinda funky), that takes you directly to the appropriate application. There’s no unnecessary fancy graphics or animations, and it doesn’t take 10 seconds to open. It’s really brilliant, and I would really like to see it make an appearance on future Nseries models.
I’ll be starting my review tomorrow, but I wanted to put my initial thoughts down, and open this thread up for questions about the device. I know it’s been reviewed elsewhere, but if there’s anything that you haven’t seen answered, please leave your question here, and I’ll be sure to address it. As usual, our review will look at individual features to see how they fare.
