Nokia 8800: shiny on the outside

Nokia has announced the 8800, a designer phone that, to judge by the press release, makes it easy to talk bollocks. Reading nonsense such as, "Subtly glides open to reveal a number of distinctive details, each meticulously considered and researched," and, "A musical accompaniment… that captures an essence and emotion that touches both heart and mind," makes us want to bite back with, "It ain't that good, mate."

After wading through eight paragraphs of purple prose, we're able to tell you that it's made of stainless steel and resin, has a scratch-resistant screen made of special glass, and uses a slide mechanism that pops the screen upwards to reveal the keyboard and camera (on the back). The aforementioned musical accompaniment comprises ringtones and alerts by composer/musician Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Digging into the spec reveals that it's a triband phone that weighs a hefty 134g. The SVGA camera has a maximum resolution of 600 x 800 pixels (0.5 megapixels), which is disappointingly low. It can record and play video, has a built-in digital music player and an FM radio, and supports Bluetooth and Java. There's nothing exceptional about the features, so if you're going to buy it, it'll be for style and durability.

The 8800 should begin shipping in Q3. -ML

Update: this review is now live here.