5800 And Xpressmusic -- Engadget Mobile

5800,xpressmusic posts

Nokia X6 video hands-on: proof that capacitive touchscreens are better

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 5th 2009 @ 9:54AM

While Nokia wouldn't invite us to Nokia World this year, we were fortunate enough to discover a pair of its new X6 handsets on the IFA floor here in Berlin. On hand were two engineering prototypes, one of which was peeling away from its plastic shell while the other seemed less responsive to our finger-taps. Still, it's clear that the capacitive touchscreen is far more responsive to human touch than the resistive screens found on its N97, or the 5800 XpressMusic especially. This was made abundantly clear when using the on-screen keyboard although some of our swiping gestures were inexplicably ignored in other elements of the interface. But given the choice of the screen being awesome or super-awesome (remember, we're comparing it to Nokia's resistive touchscreen legacy), we'll have to settle on the former for now. Of course, underneath you've still got S60 5th, for better or worse, pumping away inside a chubby little candybar -- no screen tech can change that. See the action in the video after the break then jump into the gallery to see it sized up with a few of its S60 cousins five times removed.

Gallery: Nokia X6 video hands-on: proof that capacitive touchscreens are better

Continue reading Nokia X6 video hands-on: proof that capacitive touchscreens are better

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic sees v30 firmware update

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 28th 2009 @ 7:33PM

Don't get too excited -- this isn't bringing the 5530's revamped home screen or anything awesome like that -- but Nokia has now started releasing v30-level firmware updates for its various 5800 XpressMusic product codes around the world. Despite the seemingly significant boost in version number (the last big one to go around was v21), this appears to be mainly a maintenance release focused on bugs and such -- the headlining feature so far seems to be the addition of email notifications on the home screen for Nokia Messaging, so yeah, don't expect the world from this one.

[Via All About Symbian]

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic gets America-flavored firmware update

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 9th 2009 @ 6:56PM

It's not going to turn as many heads as the recently-launched N97 update, but Nokia's other S60 5th Edition handset got its own firmware boost earlier this week. Version 21.2.025 for the NAM 5800 XpressMusic doesn't seem to do much in the way of new features, so odds are this is going out strictly as a stability release -- which, in itself, is a testament to the fact that Nokia seems to care more about the North American market right now than it ever has before. Keep it coming, guys.

[Via Symbian-Guru]

Cincinnati Bell lands Nokia's XpressMusic 5800: $149.99

by Darren Murph posted May 3rd 2009 @ 12:14PM

Good one, Cincinnati Bell -- you totally got us. Oh, wait. This isn't a joke? For the second time in as many months, the aforesaid carrier has somehow managed to land a white-hot Nokia handset before any other operator in America. This go 'round, the company is becoming the first in the US to offer a subsidized version of Nokia's polarizing XpressMusic 5800, bringing it to customers in the Ohio region for $149.99. Those looking to do without any strings can procure one for $349.99 (which is still $50 less than what Nokia's asking), but it's the bragging rights here that make it all worthwhile. So, how long before a real carrier follows suit?

Update: And here's the press release.

[Thanks, Adam]

Nokia Music veep addresses slow Comes with Music sales in the UK

by Laura June posted Apr 29th 2009 @ 11:33AM

After some rather disheartening (albeit unconfirmed) estimates last week that Nokia's Comes with Music service had snagged only 23,000 subscribers in the United Kingdom, Rob Taylor, vice president of Nokia Music says that the company is pretty "happy" with what its learned there so far. He admitted that the UK launch (the service's first) devices -- the 5310 Xpress Music and the 8GB N95 -- were "slightly out of date" at the time pointing out that the service was doing much better in subsequent markets, which all boast the 5800 as their hero device. Taylor said he also recognized that Nokia needed more retail partners to help move units, and that the company is not "giving up" on the UK as a market for CwM, adding that they'll be bringing the 5800 there in the future. No word on when that might happen yet -- but we're going to keep out eyes peeled for you.

Star Trek edition Nokia 5800 announced: officially awesome

by Laura June posted Apr 29th 2009 @ 8:49AM

We knew that endless product tie-ins would come along with the new Star Trek film, so this isn't too big of a surprise (though it is rather a welcome one). A new Star Trek special edition of the 5800 has been announced to coincide with the release of the new J.J. Abrams epic, and while it doesn't appear to be an official Nokia release, it does appear to be pretty rad. The handset is going to boast four animated screensavers, three wallpapers, and eight exclusive ringtones, including ones named "Phazer Shot," "Red Alert" and "Kelvin Communicator." We've also heard tell of a special "Phazer application," and though we don't yet know what that entails, we have really high hopes. The stellar 5800 will be available starting May 1st exclusively at Phones 4 U in the UK in blue, red, and black/silver on Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile and O2. Make it so.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic firmware v21 starting to circulate?

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 21st 2009 @ 3:28AM

Through the magic of modern technology, a phone that begins life as a fancy paperweight stands at least a fighting chance of improving to the point of being very usable, if not downright good -- it all depends on the manufacturer's desire and willingness to see things through, and generally speaking, Nokia has been better than most about getting firmware right over time. It looks like the hotly-anticipated v21 update for the 5800 is starting to light up on various product codes around the world, with Hong Kong (and possibly Pakistan) the first to ring it in with a warm welcome. Major improvements are said to be found in the camera and in the device's overall performance -- so, early updaters, how's it treating you?

Nokia prepping updated 5800 XpressMusic with capacitive screen?

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 17th 2009 @ 3:16PM

It's certainly not unheard of for Nokia to take existing models in its lineup, tweak 'em with slightly improved hardware and software, and re-release them -- see the N85 / N86, N93 / N93i, N95 / N96, and so on -- so we can totally buy that the company's hard at work at updating its 5800 for a future revision. DigiTimes (which admittedly doesn't have a pristine record for nailing these sorts of rumors) cites "sources" with Taiwanese component suppliers as saying that Nokia wants to replace the 5800's resistive touchscreen with a capacitive one -- the S60-based Samsung i8910 does that, by the by -- in an effort to better compete with its rivals. That would certainly make the device more usable and responsive, but in all likelihood, this isn't a simple matter of swapping out a component (how would you use that totally awesome plectrum, after all?) so we'd expect this to be more of an indication that Espoo's looking to move to capacitive going forward, particularly as it transitions over to the Symbian Foundation's builds.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic starts hitting shelves in gray

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 14th 2009 @ 8:51AM

Saying that the 5800's now available in gray might actually be a bit misleading, seeing how all variants of the phone are primarily black -- rather, the colored strip around the phone's beltline is now available in a strapping shade of gray. That marks a change from the red and blue that the phone initially launched in, though you won't find the gray version in just any country; just a handful of lucky markets in Asia and Europe (plus the US, go figure) have launched it so far, so keep your ear to the ground if you're looking to scoop it up locally. It'd look nice if they redid the entire phone in, say, red or white from top to bottom instead of repainting that strip alone, wouldn't it?

[Via Cell Addict Blog]

Giant Nokia 5800 XpressMusic invades Antwerp

by Nilay Patel posted Apr 5th 2009 @ 10:26AM

We're not sure why giant phones are suddenly all the rage, but it seems to be a trend -- Nokia just put up this four-foot 5800 XpressMusic in Antwerp. Unlike the giant Samsung Messager that recently invaded Chicago, it's not actually a working phone, but the custom Flash interface designed by Create Multimedia is meant to mimic the OS as closely as possible -- so we're guessing it's just as frustrating as the real thing. Passerby can play with the Maps app, browse photos, and listen to music through some nifty through-the-glass speakers -- hit the read link for the video.

[Via Nokia Conversations]

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic review

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 30th 2009 @ 1:00PM

It's not the company's first touchscreen device, but the 5800 XpressMusic is the first touchscreen device that Nokia has designed to appeal to the masses, and as such, there are certain expectations. By even the most forgiving of standards, Nokia is now officially late to this game -- all of the remaining top-five manufacturers have been offering mass-market touchscreen phones for some time now -- so there's plenty of ground to be made up. What's more, the 5800 marks the retail introduction of S60 5th Edition, the latest incarnation of the world's most ubiquitous smartphone platform; future iterations of this very code will lay the groundwork for the Symbian Foundation's next-gen offensive, so the stakes have never been higher. You might say the weight of the world -- or Finland, at the very least -- is on the 5800's shoulders, but is this unassuming little slate up to the task? Let's have a look.

Gallery: S60 5th Edition

Gallery: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic review

Continue reading Nokia 5800 XpressMusic review

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic NAM firmware update puts misbehaving units in line (update: or not!)

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 17th 2009 @ 3:47PM

We'd initially been told that the first round of bunk Nokia 5800s for the North American market would have to be exchanged despite the fact that the 3G reception fix was a simple "configuration change," but now... not so much. Firmware 20.2.014 has just gone live through Nokia's Software Update application, bringing the same rich, buttery 3G quality to buyers of those first few devices. Other than that, changes are unknown and presumed to be minor, so if you're still struggling with getting your 5800 to appreciate the finer things in life -- like HSDPA, for example -- give this one a shot.

[Via Symbian Freak]

Update: We've been contacted by Nokia and told that the "configuration change" cannot, in fact, be fixed via firmware update. Sorry, early adopters, looks like you're in for a date with customer care after all.

North American Nokia 5800 XpressMusic available once again, with feeling

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 14th 2009 @ 11:04PM

We received a call this afternoon from our good friends at the Nokia flagship store in Chicago to let us know that the updated North American version of the 5800 XpressMusic is now in stock and ready to go. This means that existing owners should be good to exchange their units, and of course, new buyers can go ahead and dive in. Not all at once now -- we don't want riots at the entrance, now, do we?

Oh, by the way: Nokia 5800 works with Amazon Video On Demand

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 7th 2009 @ 4:09PM

Quietly mentioned at the NAM 5800 XpressMusic's launch was its ability to sync up with Amazon's Video On Demand service, bringing over 40,000 movies and TV shows (though how many of those we'd actually want to watch remains unclear) to the surprisingly capable 640 x 360 display in your pocket. Unfortunately, you can't buy and download over the air -- you'll need to install the PC-based Video On Demand software first, then download the portable player for the 5800, then download content by tethering up to the machine, which isn't the optimal solution. With HSDPA on board, we're hoping Amazon eventually figures out that there's a better way to do this -- this is the company that runs Whispernet, after all.

[Thanks, Mia]

Reception issues with North American Nokia 5800s to be fixed with firmware?

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 4th 2009 @ 6:06PM

When you're dealing with a major signal reception issue on a phone, it's easy to believe that the problem isn't gonna go away without retooling the innards and releasing revised hardware -- but for North American owners (and would-be owners) of Nokia's stricken NAM version of the 5800 XpressMusic, there's new hope. The Nokia Blog is claiming that word from an inside source confirms that the problem has already been fixed with an unreleased firmware update, which would lead us to believe that Nokia could conceivably get devices back on the shelves relatively quickly -- and that current owners will be able to fix their woes without physically exchanging phones. Of course, firmware updates have never come out of Espoo at a firehose pace -- particularly for North American versions of devices -- so we'll believe this is resolved when we've seen it with our own eyes.