Is the N8 still worth getting?

[fitcious]

hi everyone,

I've been a long time lurker here.

I bought my N8 the first month it came out and then sold it 7 months later for an android. After that, I realized i did not like android at all and bought a N9.

I love my N9 but miss my N8's picture quality photo...i am also curious to see if Belle is much better than meego and better than the first version of symbian^3 (which is what I had when I sold my n8 - anna wasn't even out yet).

Do you think the N8 is worth buying just for my curiousity on Belle and photo taking? Is $150USD a fair price for the N8?

Thanks everyone!

[NAVVARR]

I've had my N8 since a few weeks after launch - I'm tempted to trade up for a Pureview when it is finally released and I've taken a glance at the SG3 since its the best highend alternative to buying an N8.

Personally though, I'm very happy with my N8- its still an amazing phone, Belle makes the phone a bit smoother- its not a massive leap forward- but the old Anna and pre Anna software did the job just fine.

So, yeah- i'd say if you can get an N8 for a good price then do it - you can always sell it on- I reckon though that you'll probably want to hold on to it for a wee while, since it is an excellent phone, very hi spec and very capable 18 months after launch.

[fatguy666]

If you're going to get an N8 then I'd recommend trying out some of the custom firmware over at dailymobile.

I personally use Delight Belle 5.2 which I feel does a good job of enhancing Belle plus it restores some of the functions that Nokia have disabled like being able to edit the EQ in the music player. The font used is hideous but the files include the official font and there's a guide on how to restore them.

The camera is still fantastic. If you look at my sig you'll see I've been a Nokia user since forever. I was in love with the cameras they came with and have got some fantastic shots even from my old N73. When the 808 pureview was announced I was drooling at the camera - no one is going to come close to that for at least 2 years!

The one thing I use most of all is the music player. Nokia for some reason have never been able, or bothered, to sort out gapless playback on it. I've tried what's meant to be a leaked version of Belle FP1 and for me the music player is a step backwards even from the standard Belle player. There's folderplay which does the job but there's no homescreen widget and the player itself is barebones.

For that reason I've decided NOT to go for the 808 and I will be going for a droid. My girlfriend has the SGSII and uses music player pro which looks great. I'm not sure if it's gapless or not but there's bound to be something on the android store that is, unlike the Nokia store!

If you get the N8 now I'm sure you'll find it a lot better than what it was the first time around, Belle just isn't doing the job for me anymore.

Bye bye Nokia, I love you!

[BubbaHotepUK]

If the camera is the main thing you look for in a phone, the N8 still shines. However, I find stock Belle too frustrating for everyday use, but it does get an occasional outing when I know I'll be taking photos I want to keep.

In the UK, second hand they can be picked up for well under $200 too, so they are a bargain in that sense.

[huy30]

Yeah...the stock Belle is still not good...with custom Belle firmware, I am happy with it.

[skinnyflip]

If you do find a N8 priced at $150, I'd say yeah it's worth getting. Amazon price is marked at $290.

Belle does seem more responsive and stable compared to Anna, but web browsing is still slow even when using wifi. Personally I don't really see anything wrong with Belle aside from the slow web browsing.

From looking at the phones that are currently out there, I'd still stick with the N8. Build quality, call quality, and of course camera quality is way better than other phones around that $290 price range.

[fitcious]

Thanks all for the responses. I will look for a N8 and then ask you guys for this custom belle thing!

[Doc Tran]

I found Delight to be too obtrusive. The effects are nice, but there's too much Delight branding all over the place for me to enjoy it.

Here's what I've done to keep my N8 fresh

• I used a regular hack to get some of the FP1 widgets like big calender and data counter
• Install pixelpipe for simple photo uploads.
• Installed Pure font
• Installed Swype from beta labs. I finally started using this.
• Update to current version of Gravity. I spend 75% of my time in in this app.

[fitcious]

Thanks Doc Tran,

If you see any deals around the LA area for a used N8, let me know! Thanks!

[alsiladka]

Tried QuasarMX music player for your music needs?

[markyboy]

[*]Install pixelpipe for simple photo uploads.

Does pixelpipe still work? Unfortunately I don't own the N8 anymore but last time I checked it had been discontinued and wouldn't let me connect

[NZtechfreak]

Good thread, will be picking up my own N8 tomorrow - ha! Picked it up at a nice price and thought "why not"?

[fitcious]

i found one around my area for 170usd with case. Good price? The only draw back is the color is green. Also i def. cannot find one for 150 as anticipated

[cambo]

The green one is pretty nice.I have one.also waiting for my pure view which arrives next week.

[Doc Tran]

Does pixelpipe still work? Unfortunately I don't own the N8 anymore but last time I checked it had been discontinued and wouldn't let me connect

Works fine for me.

[fitcious]

does Belle on the N8 allow multi-tasking like the N9? Running/loading in the background while you do other stuff?

[Doc Tran]

does Belle on the N8 allow multi-tasking like the N9? Running/loading in the background while you do other stuff?

Symbian has been always been able to do that, Belle is no exception.

[fitcious]

One more thing, does belle let you write Chinese like the iphone with a simple switch over?

[fitcious]

so i received my N8 today.

the phone keeps asking for the security pin but the default one does not work...but the funny thing is the phone still works if you cancel the security pin screen. weird...owner said this is a glitch in the Belle system...is this true?

I do not see Ovi Store or maps. Will using Nokia Software Updater solve the security pin glitch issue and restore maps and store?


btw: it seems much snappier than the first gen. Symbian^3 (before anna)...and it seems more responsive than the N9 on MeeGo.

Thanks!

[93tid]

Replied in other thread.

[markyboy]

I also had the security pin issue when I upgraded to belle

[NAVVARR]

I don'd have the security pin problem with my N8 but my daughters C7 keeps asking for the pin whenever you switch the phone on.

Funnily enough my wife's C7 works fine and never asks for a pin.

As far as I know, this issue has never been fixed by Nokia- its more a minor nuisance -doesn't affect the phone at all after you've input the code (incorrectly everytime).

Post back if you do manage to fix it -but I've never found a solution.

[fitcious]

man - sad to say, but i actually like Belle and i feel its stronger than MeeGo on my N9...

[n8wbie]

Hello all!

I recently bought a N8 because of it's excellent camera, but I'm hesitant in upgrading to Belle due to several people claiming that photo quality is degraded compared to ^3:

Nokia Support Discussions - Camera quality has dropped after belle update on m... - Nokia Support Discussions

What is your opinion? I want Belle, but I don't want ANY loss of photo quality!!

Thanks in advance.

[xcatch22x]

I upgraded to belle and then downgraded to anna which works fine for me.

fitcious, I also have an N9 and although I love the meego OS I just cant get used to the lack of dedicated camera button and USB OTG. I use both to be honest but if I had to own just one phone, I would pick the N8. I can live with it being a little slower and jerky sometimes as it is simply a joy to use. I will keep the N9 just as it runs linux and I like it dual booting meego and Andriod. The N9 is pretty much like the N900, a hackers device.

[93tid]

Hello all!

I recently bought a N8 because of it's excellent camera, but I'm hesitant in upgrading to Belle due to several people claiming that photo quality is degraded compared to ^3:

Nokia Support Discussions - Camera quality has dropped after belle update on m... - Nokia Support Discussions

What is your opinion? I want Belle, but I don't want ANY loss of photo quality!!

Thanks in advance.

Check this out if you have doubts:

Camera shoot out: Nokia N8 vs Samsung Galaxy S III