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"A thoughtful review from an actual owner" on by markerveli
Pros: display, quality, construction,nokia website support
Cons: no expandable memory, bottom row of keys tough to use
Summary: I would like to set the record straight about this one. I have read all of these negative opinions about the phone, and I have figured out a few things. First, it seems that everyone complains about the price - good, don't buy one. No one asked you to or forced you to. The fit and finish of the phone is impeccable - even the keypad has a reassuring feel when using it. This phone is like a good watch ( TAG, Rolex, etc. ) Sure, a timex tells time but not with the same class as a Rolex. If the complainers want an mp3 player, than go buy one. This is a PHONE people, and a very good one at that. Even setting up the internet and MMS is a breeze. I called the special Nokia customer service number provided with the phone ( the number is only for 8801 owners ) and they informed me all I had to do was go to nokia.com/phonesettings and follow the instructions and they sent a couple of text messages that had all of the correct settings in them. Anyone who has ever purchased an unlocked phone and had to call their service provider and step-by-step enter the settings knows how difficult that can be. The phone has 25 groups of callers that can be assigned ( each with a unique picture and/or ringer ) so the phone is very useful for business applications. The built in FM radio works great. The phone can even brosdcast mp3's to a bluetooth headset ( remember their is only about 50K of usable space, so only good for a few songs. Still handy while waiting in line, etc. ) The phone can even be taught to switch profiles when connected to a charger (ex. when you plug it in at night, the phone can automatically switch to a "silent" profile, so you are not distubed ). There are many little things to appreciate about the phone, which only an OWNER would know. It seems too many people read the specs and write a review without ever trying the product. That is not how a review is supposed to work. Irregardless, to help those considering purchasing this I will let you know the negatives. The keypad is small, the bottom row of buttons is close to the housing so typing them takes some getting used to. The battery life is about 2.5 to 3 hours of talk time ( just like a CDMA phone from Verizon or Sprint ) but they do include 2 in the package. If you use the included charging base, it glows blue underneath which some might find disturbing while trying to go to bed. Finally, no expandable memory is kind of shocking, but when using phones with expanded memory the phones start bogging down which this does not. All of the menus move as fast as you can navigate them. All in all, if you plan to use this as a PHONE, it's reception and sound quality is fantastic and is truly a joy to use.
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"OMG! Beautiful and useless!" on by tom0111
Pros: SLICK, Beautiful Design
Cons: You can't[ really hear clearly and low ringer
Summary: This is stunning phone. To bad they left the phone out of it. I was once of the first T-mobile customers to buy this phone from them. I sent it back the day it arrived. It slides beautifully! It looks Awesome...it's just a terrible 'phone' though. You can barely hear people and they sound 'tinny' The speakerphone is barely audible. You can't hear the ringer either...it's hidden somewhere inside the casing...no holes...
For $550!!! I want to at least be able to talk on the phone.
People did say I sound good...I just couldn't hear them clearly. -
"Why don't "professional" reviewers read the manual?" on by classgeek
Pros: Still the best cell phone on the market
Cons: None for me
Summary: I seldom pay attention to the "professional" product reviews any more. If a credible review is going to be done it should be a requirement that the reviewer read the owner's manual completely. Until they do, they will continue to give misleading reviews. For example: In CNETs review the video presenter stated that there was no "dedicated" button to activate the camera. Reading the manual would have provided the information that there is. I am not picking on CNET alone. I have found these kinds of mistakes so frequently that I not longer consider any of these reviews to be credible enough to base my buying decisions on.
User reviews, while often biased, tend to be more helpful simply because of the number of them. You're more likely to get enough opinions for and against to provide a better picture of the truth. However, many of them don't read the manual either. For example: Users who complain about barely being able to hear the caller with the 8801. If they read the manual they would know how to turn up the volume to solve the "problem".
After 10 months of owning the 8801, I still consider it to be the best cell phone on the market. I expect to keep it for more that the 5 years I had my last cell phone. Quality is what I expect from this phone. I use a cell phone for nothing but making phone calls. I use dedicated devices for everything else. Its the only way to go if you want the best of everything. -
"You'll see that this is a great phone...once you actually USE it." on by afwilli
Pros: Beautiful design, excellent display, great functionality
Cons: some of the buttons can be hard to press at times, battery life
Summary: Don't trust the people who don't own or haven't even used this phone. It may not have every feature, but it has plenty of them, plus, it's design is stunning.
Let's start from the beginning. The phone comes in an unusualy nice package. It comes with a suede cloth to clean it with, as well as an extra battery, and a great desk stand.
Once you pop in the sim card and battery and turn it on, you will be amazed by the vivid display. It is unlike anything I have ever seen on a phone. It looks like an HDTV. It has the newer Nokia software that comes on most of the phones with the four-way navigator button. The menu button takes a little getting used to to press, but once you get a feel for it, it's fine. The four-way navigation button acts as shortcuts for you contacts, sms, camera, and calendar. Another nice feature is that the exposed buttons can act as shortcut menus. The one on the left is called the "Go to" menu and provides easy access to almost any feature the phone has to offer, similar to the "quick launch" toolbar in Windows. The software is very quick to respond, as there is no lag when you are navigating around at all. The display can be set to display a screen saver, or the clock when it times out.
As for the physical parts of the phone, it's simply beautiful. The best word to describe it is classy. It looks very simple and elegant. It feels excellent in your hands. Like a quality watch, there are others that will do it's job, but they won't have the craftsmanship that this has. It doesn't have that plastic-y feel that so many portable electronic devices have because there is not much plastic on the phone. Some complain about the weight, but for me it's perfect. It makes it feel like is has substance, which it does. The screen cover is glass so scratching it is nearly impossible. A great feature that will keep this phone looking new for years. The spring assisted sliding mechanism is easy to use with one hand, for easy answering. The camera is hidden when the screen is down so it can't get scratched. The buttons are a little hard to use and take some getting used to. On the bottom, it has the typical Nokia charger port, as well as a headphone/mic port for a car kit. A great feature that could become a thing of the past since this phone has bluetooth.
Along with bluetooth, this phone also boasts speakerphone, radio (with a headset), and real audio ringtone playback, as well as the typical cellular phone features (alarm clock, calendar, etc.).
In conclusion, think of this phone as a Mercedes Benz. It is elegant, yet powerful. Although it may not have every gizmo possible, it has just about everything that one could ask for from a phone now. -
"For adults only" on by johnafish
Pros: Looks & feels teriffic - and it works as a phone too.
Cons: Buttons are small and built-in ringtones are naff.
Summary: I read someone's note about a Treo or Blackberry being 'better', clearly that person missed the point completely.
This phone isn't supposed to be technically advanced, it's just supposed to be a well made, elegantly designed, functional and slightly exclusive cell-phone - a job it does perfectly.
I actually think the leading edge functionality was omitted intentionally to prevent this phone faling into the wrong hands.
I only really use my phone for phoning people and maybe the odd text so there's no functionality missing as far as I am concerned. Plus there's also a radio, calendar, games, wap?, to-do list and a few other things in there that I'll never use.
While most consumer goods are designed down to a price (and it shows) the designers here had a little more freedom and they did an excellent job.
Before you buy it, read the specification, if you want features it doesn't have or you need 10-day battery life or its too expensive for you don't buy it, its that simple.
If, however, you're a grown-up who has a life outside the internet and you don't mind spending a few hundred dollars for something that looks and feels teriffic, its perfect.
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