Does Nokia finally (finally!) have a worthy challenger to the iPhone and Android?

[asindc]

http://events.nokia.com/NokiaN8/

http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/ar...-N8/1272469260

A 12 megapixel camera, 720p HD video capture and output via HDMI, 16gb hard drive, expandable to 48gb through mini-SD, free-for-life GPS for car and foot, a capacitive touchscreen (at last!), unified social networking,... I like what I see so far.

The announced price is just under $500 U.S. for an unsubsidized phone. For whatever reason, neither AT&T nor T-Mobile have subsidized Nokia's best phones in the U.S. I'm hoping that changes with this phone. If Nokia has truly upgraded their software, we might have another true contender in this one.

 

[amey01]

mmmmm - nup.

 

[JonFo]

Nice specs, but not a competitor due to lack of apps.

All this stuff reminds me of the Apple/PC/Amiga days back in the 80's.
Nokia = Amiga

Also, specs are not everything, an integrated and fullfiling user-experience is key. Apple nailed that, and Android is trying (but waaay behind).

 

[asindc]

Nice specs, but not a competitor due to lack of apps.

All this stuff reminds me of the Apple/PC/Amiga days back in the 80's.
Nokia = Amiga

Also, specs are not everything, an integrated and fullfiling user-experience is key. Apple nailed that, and Android is trying (but waaay behind).

The general consensus seems to be that Nokia really needs to nail the software/UI part of this to regain some footing in the North American high-end mobile phone market. Nokia still rules the roost in the rest of the world, but Apple and Google have knocked it back on its heels the past 3-5 years here in North America. It is quite strange, since it can be argued that Nokia's N-series ushered in the era of smartphones. This has probably been a case of Nokia resting on its laurels and not seeing what was coming.

I think Nokia still makes the best mobile phones generally from a pure mobile phone standpoint, but PDA functions are totally dependent on the software/UI experience. Nokia is trying to catch up in that regard. We'll see how much improvement they have made when this is released late Summer/early Fall. It will be interesting to see if either AT&T or T-Mobile subsidizes this phone, something that hasn't happened with a Nokia smart phone for years, for whatever reason.