The 5800 handset, commonly referred to as Tube, appeared at a time when the touchscreen smartphone market segment is swarming with offers. The majority of the offers belong to the top price bracket though, the good examples being Apple iPhone 3G (we don’t take the carriers’ discounts into account, without those the real price of an iPhone is really high), Samsung i900 Omnia/WiTu and the unreleased LG KC910, Samsung PIXOX8800. That’s why Nokia preferred to position the 5800 model as a mid-end mass market offer aimed for maximum audience coverage. That’s also a best way for popularizing the new touchscreen version of the S60 platform, preparing good grounds for further expansion of this series’ future additions covering all price brackets.
Let’s get back to the device’s specifications now. The handset’s essential selling points are good functionality, miniature build, touchscreen and a price of 279 euros (VAT not included). A price like that makes 5800 a formidable adversary to numerous Multimedia handsets that are already available from the market or are about to hit the shelf. During December, models like Samsung PIXON M8800 and LG KC910 Renoir are going to stay on the same price level with 5800, so allegations of an ‘unbelievably low price’ for Nokia 5800 are far from real life facts. The Finnish device offers a better overall functionality but is a bit weak on the Camera side, unlike the Korean competitors that both have hi-end cameras with lots of features, which is an equally weighty argument affecting the consumer choice. Viewty’s success in Europe proves the market potential of the mid-end touchscreen cameraphone concept. The mentioned models, as well as a quantity of Windows Mobile PDAs and Apple iPhone don’t pose a direct competition (in the proper sense of this words) to 5800, but still can act as indirect alternatives for certain fractions of the consumer audience. There will always be some sort of choice, the 5800 by no means being an ultimate offer.
Design and Ergonomics
Nokia 5800 sports an unpretentious design. A candy bar deprived of designer’s liberty or fancy, it mainly stands out for its symmetrical shape, scarce number of control elements and a big screen. The size of the screen is 38x70 millimeters (3.2’’ in diagonal), it has a prolonged shape and utilizes an aspect of 16:9. Using this shape of screen enabled the creators to shrink the handset’s width. Handsets too wide, - iPhone is a good instance, - are often uncomfortable to hold in the hand, and this issue was successfully sorted out in the case of Nokia 5800. The touchscreen controls are optimized for finger operation, though the stylus didn’t go away – it’s available from the stylus pen crafted right into the casing. A relief framing protruding for about 2 mm runs along the casing perimeter, protecting the screen from direct contact with all sorts of rough surface. A multimedia menu touchpad is located above the screen, so you can always access your multimedia content and settings in a single tap.
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