
Nokia N8

The Nokia N8 is a touchscreen-based smartphone developed by Nokia. Announced on 27 April 2010, the Nokia N8 was the first device to run on the Symbian^3 mobile operating system and it was the company's flagship device for the year. It was released on 30 September 2010 at the Nokia Online Store before being released in markets around the world on 1 October 2010. There were two version made, the N8 and the N8-00. The N8 was made for Vodafone and locked to its networks, and the N8-00 was made by Microsoft and open network.
The N8 has a 3.5-inch AMOLED display with 16 gigabytes mass memory, and features a 12-megapixel camera, the second time a camera of such megapixel count was used (the first one being the Sony Ericsson Satio in 2009) with a Xenon flash (like the Nokia N82) and with a very large 1/1.83” sensor size (larger than most point-and-shoot cameras of the time). It also has 720p HD video recording, a pentaband 3.5G radio, and an FM transmitter. Among the connectivity features are an HDMI output, USB On-The-Go, and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n.
The N8 was an important device for Nokia in its bid against increasing competition in the smartphone industry, and its revamped Symbian^3 software was also important. The device was delayed several times pushing its release date by several months, which had a negative impact on the company. Despite mixed views on the Symbian software, the N8's hardware build and camera quality were very well received, with many calling it the "best camera phone". The N8 would also become Nokia's last flagship device running Symbian, due to Nokia Lumia 800 in 2011 which ran on Windows Phone software. The N8's Symbian successor, Nokia 808 PureView, appeared in 2012.
History.
The previous flagship phone in the Nseries was the N97, which was criticised for its initial firmware issues. Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia's Executive Vice President for Markets, said in an interview that software quality control would be better than for the N97. The N97's reception was highly negative and tarnished the company's image in the market. The N8 was the first device to feature the Symbian^3 operating system. Initially scheduled for the second quarter of 2010, the N8 was pushed back to the third quarter, being finally released on 30 September 2010 due to 'final amendments'. The N8 became the product with the most customer pre-orders in Nokia's history up to the point of its release and sales in Q4 2010 were estimated to be almost 4 million.
The previous Nokia phone with a focus on photography had been the N86 8MP, which has an 8-megapixel sensor and had become available in June 2009.
The N8 was the second Nokia to have a capacitive touchscreen, following the X6, and the first with multi-touch.
Hardware.
Power and related information.
The Nokia N8 has dual charging options, allowing it to be charged both from a standard-pin Nokia charger, and through the micro-USB port.
The Nokia N8's battery compartment is internally contained and thus the battery is not entirely straightforwardly removable or replaceable by users. Nonetheless, although the procedure is not endorsed by Nokia, it is possible with the correct tool and careful handling to change the battery.
BL-4D 1200 mAh Lithium-ion battery.
Software.
Software platform and user interface.
The N8 was the first Nokia smartphone device to run on the Symbian^3 operating system.
From 7 February 2012, Nokia Belle update was available for N8 through Nokia Suite. In August of that year, Nokia also started to roll out the Nokia Belle Refresh update. This update brought new features to the Symbian Smartphone like HTML 5 web apps support and a new set of home screen widgets.
Other software which will function on the N8 smartphone:
Communications.
Email and messaging.
The Anna operating system update gave Communicator support (which is usually reserved for E-Series devices). There was also a new push notification API and a corresponding app.
Sharing and Internet.
Browsing and Internet.
Proprietary web browser (latest version 7.4.2.6 in Belle v.111.030.0609 official firmware), including:
Video.
Video cameras.
The video-capturing feature is complemented by the mini HDMI port located on the top side of the phone, which normally mirrors the phone's screen, but allows for applications (such as the built-in video player, the Nokia Big Screen app and selected games) to output content in resolutions up to 720p. The corresponding cable is provided in the retail box in most regions.
Accessories.
The Nokia Mobile TV Headset provides DVB-H TV.
Development support.
Applications can be developed using the Nokia Qt framework.
Promotion.
To highlight the capabilities of the Nokia N8 camera, Nokia created a short film, "The Commuter", in October 2010. Directed by the McHenry brothers and starring Dev Patel, Ed Westwick, Charles Dance and Pamela Anderson, the seven-minute film was shot entirely on the phone's 720p camera. For the Spanish promotion of the phone they also created a short video featuring luminescent puppets, called "Love Knot".
The phone was also used to film Drums of Death's "Won't Be Long" music video.
Using CellScope technology, Nokia also released another film called "Dot" which they marketed to as "the world's smallest stop-motion animation character".
The device also appeared on the popular Showtime TV show, "Dexter", and the BBC TV series "Hustle", as well as the film, "".
It is also the phone Sarah Lund uses in the third series of "The Killing".
In Asian countries, it was promoted differently through the fictional character Pier Roxas on Nokia's Project Gener8 by Young & Rubicam Philippines. He also appeared on the GMA talk show "Startalk" to promote the device.
The "Nokia Shorts 2011" competition involved 8 Short films shot on a Nokia N8. The winner was "Splitscreen: A Love Story".
The independent film "Olive", which is the first feature-length film of about 90 minutes to be made entirely with a cell phone, uses the Nokia N8 along with an old fashioned video camera attachment with a 35 mm lens made exclusively for the device and to trick the audience by not realizing it was made from the Nokia N8.