Despite being a a multi-talented smartphone at heart, the 5800 with it's XpressMusic branding is a music-first device, well,at least that's what Nokia wants you to believe. Same thing can be said about the Music edition of Nseries devices like the N73 and N70. The fact is however, that all of the latest S60 Nokia smartphones are able to do a very good job when it comes to music, making the "XpressMusic" or "Music edition" branding  unnecessary

XpressMusic is like a certification that guarantees that a phones has “music phone-like” features, including: music control, ability to create on-the-fly playlists, pausing the music when you receive a call and auto resume after a call, 3.5mm jack, support for USB 2.0, OMA DRM, support for a wide range of audio formats etc. But the question is: Can't all modern Nokia S60 devices do this already?

Criticism about the name aside, let's get the most important aspect out of the way first: Audio quality. When branding a device as "music oriented", it's critical to have good audio quality through the 3.5mm audio jack. This can literally make or break a device. Luckily the 5800 does a VERY impressive job. When it comes to audio quality, there hasn't been any recent device in the Nseries line that could compete with the N91 or the N81. Not the legendary N95, or the popular N85 and not even the flagship N96 with it's dedicated audio chip. While it's sad to say that a device that was introduced way back in 2004 (The N91)  still holds the crown when it comes to audio quality AND volume headroom, the N81 and 5800 come very close. While it's one thing to use the in-package headphones, the real test comes when the In-ear monitors. The 5800 does amazingly well, impressive, considering that no flagship N9x, other than the N91 has been able to do this. The audio quality is not only good, but finally there's enough volume headroom for those cases when you really want to crank up the  the volume. It's safe to say those with critical ears using high-end earphones or In-Ear Monitors (IEM) will be very happy with the 5800's sonic performance The built-in stereo speakers also do an admirable job, especially considering they are so well hidden and that just finding out where they are located seems like a task all on it's own. The 5800's stereo speaker easily falls in the category of one of Nokia's loudest, they probably could also be the loudest so far. Worth noting however is that they sound their best at volumes just shy of the maximum. Push them to the max and they start to show their weakness. 

Continuing on the hardware front, the 5800 does lack  music keys for quick media control. The fact that it's a touch-only solution without media keys, it will take some getting used to the fact that especially in multi-tasking scenarios it will take a few more clicks to get to that Pause or Stop Button. It's not as intuitive to something like the N85, where it's just a matter of using the (hardware) media controls. The 5800 does have soft A Media Key which when touched brings up a floating bar with quick access to the music player, gallery etc. While not as handy as true buttons, it's usable.

The 5800 is microSDHC compatible allowing you to use microSD cards with a capacity of up to 32GB. Nokia has also included a very generous 8GB card in the package. The 5800 works just fine with my class 2 16GB card, with no aparent slowdown, even after filling the card with 10GB of music. Thanks to the fast USB speed, you'll be filling these cards in no time.  A while ago I talked about how other Nseries device had a slow 0.8MB/s transfer speed, while the N96 improved this by speeding things up, reaching transfer rateS of 4.5 to 9.6Mb/s. The 5800 also joins the club with transfer speeds well over the 4Mb/s.

How does Nokia's first touch-only device do when it comes to music? The haptics adds a lot to the experience, I would even go as far calling it "fun" to use. The S60 UI has been tweaked to the extent that it's easy and intuitive, using both fingers or the plectrum. The Stylus does seem like a mismatch for a device mostly aimed a the younger consumer. The UI is very responsive: a night and day difference when compared to the slow N96. The only areas that need improvement is the scrolling and text entry. The scrolling is difficult as the scrolling bar is way to small, thin and close to the screen edge , making comfortable usage only possible with the plectrum or stylus. Text entry by itself is fine, but when using the Alphanumeric keypad the letters are a bit slow to react to the key presses. Another downside is the Home screen as it seems to be a missed opportunity. With such a large screen, Nokia could have added large media controls on the Home screen.

The 5800 Xpressmusic can be summarized as device with truly impressive audio quality when using both headphones and the built-in speakers. The interface is speedy and fun to use, while the haptic feedback addS to the experience. Users will really appreciate the speedy transfer speed using the USB cable. The 5800 can be improved when it comes to unused space on the Home screen, small scrolling bar and slow reacting text entry with the Alphanumeric keypad. These are all things that can easily be fixed with a firmware upgrade. The only true downside to the 5800 is the lack of (hardware) media keys. In the end when all the aspects are considered, the 5800 scores big in the Music department.

For those of you who have already managed to get your hands on the latest from Nokia, the 5800 XpressMusic, here's a nice little tip to add some eye-candy. By default this is turned off and pretty difficult to find. Go to: Tools, Personal, Themes, General and choose "Options." Now set the Theme effects to "On." The UI will be a bit less responsive, but it does add some pretty nice effect.

(Thanks to Symbian-Guru Ricky Cadden)

It’s no secret that when it comes to mobile devices, black seems to be a popular color. With Nokia devices, including the Nseries it’s no different. Take the N95 8GB for example, a device released based on the consumer and media’s reaction on how the classic N95 could be made better. Choosing the color  black was also based on this reaction. With the color black dominating the latest Nseries devices I was kind of surprised when Nokia unveiled the N97, prominently displaying the white version. The color white isn’t used a lot in the Nseries line, let alone on the flagship device. This time, Nokia not only showcases the white  N97 white in press photos, but also in the demo video. At the same time Nokia’s released several all-white accessories, including the Nokia Extra Power DC-11, Home Music and Internet Stick CS-10,  Coincidence? Is white the new black in 2009 for Nokia devices? What do you prefer, white or black devices?

One of Nokia’s best kept secrets has been released to the world! The N97 is here! Tensions were high yesterday as everyone wondered what Nokia was going to release this week. With no leaks, some even doubted that they were releasing any new devices at Nokia World. I did have a few thoughts of my own, like for example I remember posting at Howard Forums that it could be a “Flagship Nseries with side slide-out QWERTY.” Guess I was right. Thinking about, Scoble’s post “Nokia’s touchiest week” was kind of a giveaway.

With some capable competitors already on the market, it was indeed a crucial announcement for Nokia. As Vaibhav from the Symbian blog puts it: “this is the week that Nokia either shines or moves to the B list of the cell phone market.” And indeed Nokia delivered, by releasing the N97. I can’t help but get the same impression I got when I first got a glimpse of the N95. This thing has *almost* everything I could ask from a flagship device and should give the Nokia the edge it had when the N95 arrived. I have to say almost, because having a Xenon flash and 8 Megapixel (for bragging rights) would have made it perfect in every way. But by now it’s clear that the real reasons why the N97 doesn’t have a Xenon flash and 8 Megapixels is because that’s what the N82′s successor, possibly the device code named “Corolla” will have.

Looking at the design, I don’t see any traces of that plasticky toy-like look I’ve seen from devices like the N95 or N96. Interestingly it  doesn’t only seems to have taken some design cues from the E71 and E90,but just like it’s Eseries siblings, it gives the impression of being extremely solid. How about that keyboard, doesn’t it look like the one found on a certain Internet Tablet device? Some have even mentioned that the N97 has taken some N79 design elements, which seems especially true with the white version. This also might be the very first time I buy a white device, as it just looks sweet in white.

I remember asking for a N810 with phone features, the N97 is probably the closest thing to that so far. I want one and I want one now!

Will you be getting a N97?

Source: Allaboutsymbian

Yesterday I talked about the Nokia DT-29 that’s included with the 5800 XpressMusic. Here are a few live shots of the accessory. Should be handy when using the 5800, but maybe Nokia should sell this one separately as it looks like it could come in handy with every Nseries other than the N96.

Would you buy one?

Mark your calendar for tomorrow Tuesday the 2nd of December and Wednesday the 3rd and be sure to bookmark the Nokia World event website, as things will get very interesting! Here you’ll get the chance to send questions to the Nokia team on the Nokia Events site after the key announcement. Questions will be answered in two sessions (the first at 0930 GMT, the second at 1700 GMT), right here. I don’t have any idea what we will see this week, but the word I received is that Nokia is “set to make some pretty cool announcements.”

According to Scoble this might be Nokia’s “Touchiest week.” Interestingly he adds:

“When we got here a Nokia executive met me and bragged that the Internet has no clue what they will announce this week. I asked “what about the touch screen cell phone that I’ve seen rumors about?” He said that no one had gotten it right yet. The announcements are on Wednesday morning (it’s early Monday morning as I post this) so we’ll have to wait to see what they announce. He told me this is one of the only times he can remember when a big announcement has not leaked. He said that even internally only a handful of people have seen the new device they’ll be announcing on Wednesday. Does that tactic sound familiar? It should, and is only one of the reasons why this is Nokia’s touchiest week.”

This indeed one of the very few times I haven’t seen any leaked images, BEFORE an event like this? Will we see a device to equal the N95′s success? With the competition heating up, this week will be a crucial one for Nokia.

What do you think we will see this week? A new device or devices or services, or how about both?