Nokia N8 (blue, unlocked)

Pros: Call Quality, 12 MP Camera, HD Recording/Playback, MP3 up to 320 kbps, HDMI, Bluetooth 3.0, Accelerometer, Free GPS, Multitasking, Unlocked

Cons: Too Few Video Playback Formats, Only 3 Home Screens, Relatively Few Apps (But Getting Better)

Summary: Priority #1 for me is great call quality. The N8 offers the best call quality I have ever heard on a cell. Next, I wanted a good camera. The 12 MP with Carl Zeiss lens is better than any cell camera out there, and better than anything on the horizon. Plus, the Xenon flash is better than LED.

Photo and video editing features are included, but I don't use them. I do enjoy the pinch to zoom, which works flawlessly. The HDMI output is also great. And while the video playback is 720p, 30 fps, video recording is at 720p, 25 fps. That will be improved in a July update.

I wanted a 4" screen. Anything bigger makes the phone cumbersome for me. The N8 screen is 3.5", but the colors are vibrant. The screen is easy to read, even in sunlight. The gorilla glass and aluminum casing keep it from getting damaged.

The biggest downside for me is the number of video formats the N8 plays. It plays avi and mp4 files, but I'm disappointed it doesn't play mpg and mkv files. I have a video converter, but the converter route is inconvenient. Music sounds good, great over headphones, and plays up to 320 kbps. A big advantage for me is Bluetooth 3.0, which allows me to wirelessly transfer files between my computer and N8.

The N8 is Feature-Rich. Features include an FM Radio, FM transmitter (play music on your car speakers), free GPS, and more. The Accelerometer and 3D graphics let me play games other phones can't. Although the N8 has only 256 MB of RAM, the N8 offers true multitasking. I have run over a half-dozen apps simultaneously with no problem, and it's easy to switch between apps or close running apps.

I've heard five knocks on the N8. First, the web browser is below average. True, but Opera is a pretty good browser, and it's a free download. Second, the Symbian operating system requires more taps to do some things, and some tasks are hard to find in a layer of menus. Also true. But Symbian 3 is a lot easier to use than previous Symbian versions, and after some practice, getting things done becomes second-nature. Third, there are relatively few apps available compared to the Android and iOS markets. True again. But the N8 comes with a lot of apps preinstalled (Quickoffice, Dictionary, YouTube, etc), and I've downloaded over forty apps on my own. I've gotten almost everything I could want. It's well and good if 100,000 apps are available, but I don't need 100,000 apps. Besides, more apps are being added regularly. Nokia is the biggest phone manufacturer in the world, and the N8 is one of their premier models (if not THE premier Nokia model). Fourth, the keyboard isn't the greatest. I downloaded Swype at no charge. People that type a lot will find Swype to be a major improvement. Fifth, only three home screens are available. That's enough for me, but a fourth would have been nice. For some, three home screens may fall short.

I've read negative comments about the N8, and almost didn't buy this phone. After owning the N8 for three months, I think that those reviewers either bought a lemon, bought an early-manufactured phone where issues have been fixed with over-the-air upgrades, installed non-compatible apps, or some people may simply be incompetent. This is a great phone!

I decided to get an unlocked phone because I was tired of pre-installed bloatware. With the N8, I do the customizing. I don't have to worry about useless apps, some of which trick you into buying something unless you opt-out. The N8 was the best unlocked phone I could find. Also, with the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger, I didn't want to be locked into a two-year contract. There are too may question marks on the horizon. In addition, Symbian doesn't have a "kill switch" capability for the provider to delete apps, which is found on Apple, Android, and Microsoft Cell phones.

When compared to the iPhone4, Atrix, Thunderbolt, etc, each phone has its advantages. Other phones would be the best choice for some people, especially if they need 4G. The N8, with 3.5G, is the best choice for me.