Nokia N8

Nokia is betting heavily on its next-to-be flagship N8 aka Vasco. However, Eldar Murtazin from Mobile-review not only seems unexcited about the

offering, he has also spilled some beans regarding what to expect from the device. Although the latest preview is not a detailed one, Eldar throws some

light on some important features, including the Symbian^3, which he finds utterly disappointing. He says the new OS is more or less similar to S60 5th

edition and not as innovative as expected.

However, the hardware set is something we can cheer about. The build quality of the phone seems good and it features a 12MP camera with Xenon flash,

720p video recording, HDMI-out port and GPS.

Nokia's new smartphone rival to the iPhone, the N8, has more tricks up its sleeve than a Swiss Army Knife. Perhaps even too many.

WHEN does a phone become too much? When it plays high-definition movies on your TV, or when it tells you how to drive in your own voice?
In its war against the iPhone, mobile phone giant Nokia is relying on giving its customers as many features as heavenly possible.
Perhaps, even, more than they really want.
The new Nokia N8 smartphone is packed to the brim with hi-tech tricks that range from brilliant to bizarre.
Due to hit Australian shores later this year, it will sell for $749, which puts it in the same ball park as the iPhone.
Here's our list of the N8's five most opulent features. You tell us — is it over the top?

Personalised GPS
The N8 has turn-by-turn GPS, which is great. But what's a little scary is that you can record your own audio to be played back as you drive.
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In other words, you can sit there with your phone, record your own lines for 57 different possible driving instructions, and then listen to yourself yelling at

you when you make a wrong turn
The voice on the demo unit we tried said, in a surfie's voice: "Speed camera ahead dude! Either slow down or say cheese."
Nokia said customers could replace it with a recording of their husband or wife telling them how to drive. That sounds great, Nokia.

HDMI output
Despite the fact that connecting a gadget designed for mobility to a giant TV set seems a bit silly, the N8 lets you output video in HDMI.
That's what you'd usually use to connect a Blu-ray player, or something like a PlayStation 3, to an expensive HD TV, and it's designed specifically to do it

in super-high definition.
Most phones can't output video at all, let alone in HDMI. And why would they? Do your home videos really need to be shown in 720p?

Micro USB
Got a USB stick or an external hard drive? Well, thanks to the micro USB port on the N8, and special adaptor cables that come with it, you can now

connect them to your phone.
That actually sounds pretty good, and we're sure people will like being able to transfer files from a thumbstick onto their phone, or make backups on a

hard drive.
But still, the idea of attaching a bunch of other gadgets to your phone seems a little bit excessive. And to do it anywhere but at home, you'd have to carry

the cables around with you.

12Mpx camera
12 megapixels. That's nearly two and a half times what the iPhone 4 has and it makes pictures and video on the N8 noticeably crisp, even when you

project them on a HD TV.
But while the megapixel count rivals that of many actual cameras, we're not sure it will replace them, because the lens is still pretty small.
And, you know, because it's a phone. Not a camera! How many snappers are going to drop their DSLR for a smartphone? Not many, we reckon.

Everything at once
The iPhone has copped flak in the past for not allowing easy access to things like emails, Twitter feeds and weather updates directly from the homepage.
So Nokia has done the exact opposite and chucked them all on there.
There's about a million different feeds and widgets and things you can put on the default screen of the N8 — so many it's actually quite daunting the first

time you pick one up.
Some people might like being able to see everything at once, but it's sure to turn quite a few people off as well.