Nokia N8: New Videos Demonstrating HD Video Recording, Messaging, Internet and Maps

Remember the Nokia N8? Yes, I am talking about Nokia’s next high-end handset that got trashed in an early review. One of the main drawbacks cited by the reviewer was that the Symbian^3 OS just didn’t cut it. Quite obviously, Nokia is keen to prove otherwise.

Nokia has recorded three videos demonstrating different aspects of the user interface (UI) including messaging, internet and maps. The first of the three is embedded below. The remaining videos will be released next week.




From the video, the browser looks strictly ok. The only thing worth noting is that it supports flash. The messaging aspect has definitely improved but Nokia is simply playing catch-up. Threaded SMS conversations, which has been present in iPhone, Palm and Android devices for a long time, finally makes it to Symbian. The saving grace is Ovi Maps, which is an excellent navigation app.

Some eye candy has been added to Symbian^3 including more widgets, some transition effects and a refreshed task manager. N8 will feature three home-screens, each of which will be capable of housing 6 widgets.

Undoubtedly there are several changes in Symbian^3. In fact, even from the quick first glance it appears to be a decent improvement over its predecessor. However, the problem is that it is still too similar to Symbian S60v5. Nokia N8’s operating system still feels pre-historic when compared with the likes ofiPhone, HTC Desire or Xperia X10.

However, there is one thing that the N8 does well – it’s snapping pictures and recording videos. N8’s 12 megapixel camera is probably the best to ever grace a mobile phone. Here’s a HD video recorded with N8 that was released last month. Remember that this is taken using a pre-production firmware, so there is still room for improvement.