Review by Hank for Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition Unlocked Phone with Free Voice Navigation and Nokia Navigation Accessory Kit–U.S. Version with Full Warranty
Rating:
Update on 5/8/2010:

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It’s been a couple of months since I bought this phone. Finally, I’ve updated the firmware and some software, so I’d like to give a quick update / review on the new changes, because some of the things I mentioned before are no longer accurate.

- Firmware v40.2.005 is great. It’s just a slight improvement but good nonetheless. One can update the firmware either through over-the-air (ie. 3G / WIFI) or from a PC. I’d prefer to use Nokia Ovi Suite on a PC to update the firmware because you can backup all your settings / contacts / data. Although updating the firmware is relatively safe, you’d want to do a backup just to be sure.

- Ovi Maps v3.03 is a nice improvement. The interface is about the same. The biggest change is you can download voice guidance that speak street names during navigation. With this update, it really depends on one’s usage to think if this phone can replace a dedicated GPS unit. It’s getting harder to say now.

- Nokia Email Messaging is Nokia’s way of doing Push email. It works pretty well with GMail / Hotmail / Yahoo and I’d assume it works with other email service providers too. It basically syncs all the contents in each email accounts (up to 10). The updated client displays HTML contents which is a significant improvement.

Many new phones (especially Android phones) have come out in the last couple of months. I still think this phone still proposes excellent values with its price and features. Most of all, it’s unlocked, and it can be used anywhere in the world, even without a SIM card.

The phone’s user interface remains its Achilles’ heel, however. As long as the user finds the phone hard to use, it really doesn’t matter if the phone has the best price / features / performance in the market. Most users are using this phone to be more than just a phone. It’s a smartphone because the phone is smart, not because it expects a smart user to use the phone.

Original Review:

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I’ll try to keep it short. I’ll give the phone 5 stars without hesitiation. Others have provided very good (or bad reviews) of this phone, and mostly they are right-on. The key about this phone is you need to know why you want this phone, and how this phone suit your needs. Do not have an unreasonable expectation. The strength of this phone is its cost vs. feature proposition. In my opinion, there’s simply not a phone out there that provides such a rich feature set while costs < $250.

If you want to buy an iphone (and pay ~$1000 total – $200 for the phone + $720 for 2-year data plan @ $30/month), don’t buy this phone. Buy the iphone instead. This phone is not an iphone, not an iphone killer, and not an iphone replacement.

If you want to buy a Garmin GPS, don’t buy this phone. Buy a Garmin GPS instead. This is not a GPS replacement.

If you want to buy a good quality digital camera, don’t buy this phone. Buy a Canon or Nikon. This is not a digital camera replacement.

If you want to buy a FM radio, don’t buy this phone. But who needs a FM radio anyways.

If you want to buy a music player, actually this phone’s music feature is really nice.

With the above being said, buy this phone if you want an excellent phone AND want to do all of the above without carry all of the above gadgets at the same time. In particular you want:

- a phone that is unlocked, quad-band (international use), no contract, no $30 data-plan, no $10 GPS navigation plan and costs ~$250

- a phone that has strong signal, excellent call quality, and long battery life

- a phone that can play music/video/games, browse the internet, check email, take pictures/videos, provide GPS turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation (North America only) and maps service (global map is free download), provide VOIP video calls (using the 2nd camera in the front) over WIFI (fring and nimbuzz apps are free download) EVEN WITHOUT a sim card (excellent for travel)

Some tips while using this phone:

- the touch screen is a resisitive touch screen (unlike iphone’s capacitive touch screen). Do not use your “finger tip” to control the touch screen. Use your “finger nail” or the included stylus instead. Personally I like “finger nail” much better. Once you get used to this, everything is a breeze. If your “finger nail” is as sharp (or unsharp) as the included stylus, it will not scratch the screen.

- the user interface takes a while to get used to. The iphone user inteface is more superb (and it’s not even close, so I’ll give credit where credit is due.) However, the Nokia 5800 features are excellent and there are plenty of supported (and unofficially supported) apps to download. No need to download itunes. No need to wait for Apple certified apps. Basically, you can download whatever you want and do whatever you want with this phone (e.g. use it as a USB storage device), and that’s why it’s not an iphone.

- speaking of iphone interface – there’s a PAID (for money) app out there that you can buy and install iphone-like user interface onto your Nokia 5800. Get that app if you really need the iphone user interface. Just google “Nokia 5800 myphone app” and you will find the link and reviews.

- use the GPS without data plan (and do not get charged for data usage) by going to

settings -> phone -> app. settings -> positioning -> positioning methods and check only “Internal GPS”.

The GPS without data plan may take up 5 mins (or more) to acquire a lock. The GPS signal is weaker than a dedicated GPS unit, and the voice navigation does not speak street names. That’s why it’s not a GPS replacement, but a GPS capable phone that you can use while a dedicated GPS unit is not available.

- browse the internet and check email using WIFI. Make sure you don’t get charged for extra data usage by going to

settings -> connectivity -> destinations -> Internet (or MMS or WAP) -> “Your service provider” and make sure “use access point” is set to “after confirmation”.

It’s annoying that you will keep getting asked if you allow internet connection, but you’ll get the peace of mind that you’ll never accidentally connect to the cellular data network.

- visit Chinese (Traditional or Simplified) / Japanese / Korean websites by downloading “Opera Mobile with Asian Language Support” (not the regular Opera Mobile, not Opera Mini). Just google it and you will find the link.

- take pictures / videos while outdoor and with good lighting. Poor picture / videos quality is expected for any camera phone when taking them indoor with poor lighting. The phone flash does not help. That’s why it’s not a digital camera replacement, but a phone with camera that can use during social outings (e.g. Facebook Mobile upload).

Some nice to have (but not required) for this phone:

- get a data-plan if your service provider has a cheap alternative compared to the standard $30 smartphone data-plan. Being able to browse the internet and check email anywhere without WIFI is very convenient. Plus, the GPS / maps include additional features like traffic, weather, additional point-of-interests update that require a data-plan. More plus, with data-plan, you can turn on A-GPS (assisted GPS), which allows the GPS to acquire a lock in less than 30 seconds and to maintain a much stronger GPS signal throughout.

And most of all enjoy your phone while you are sitting somewhere nice, like a coffee shop. People, do everyone a favor – DO NOT USE YOUR PHONE (TALK OR TEXT) while driving.

Hope my review helps.

Review by Walt for Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition Unlocked Phone with Free Voice Navigation and Nokia Navigation Accessory Kit–U.S. Version with Full Warranty
Rating:
I will start by saying that Amazon’s shipping was lightening fast. I received the phone in 2 days with free shipping.

Unboxing the phone is a treat as there are tons of accessories included. The car mount is top notch quality. Phone booted up very quickly and setup was very smooth. 3G signal is very strong and never switches to Edge like my BB Bold and Iphone 3g did. You can’t ask for more connectivity options, and data speeds have been very impressive. There is a ton of 3rd party software available both online and in the Ovi store. Not iPhone quality app store, but still nice. I found that most of the apps on my previous iPhone were largely unused anyway.

I think the touch screen is very responsive. Remember, this is a resistive screen and not capacitive. It works with a stylus or fingers….even with gloves on;)

Call quality is very good IMO. Music and video are simply fantastic on this device. The stereo speakers do a great job, or you can use the supplied ear buds or bluetooth stereo headset. GPS lock was very fast and held on well. It even gave the exact street addresses as I passed homes on a residential side street. Voice prompts are loud and clear and you get your choice of voices and language. So far I can’t say anything bad about this phone. If I come across any issues I will update them here.

For an unlocked phone without contract it’s quite a bargain right now.

****EDIT****

Well after a couple of weeks the screen will not go past the white Nokia welcome screen. It’s soon to be on it’s way back to Amazon, unfortunately. I really like the phone, but I think I’m going back to HTC.

Review by MrMan for Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition Unlocked Phone with Free Voice Navigation and Nokia Navigation Accessory Kit–U.S. Version with Full Warranty
Rating:
Since my contract with T-Mobile had expired in July, I was looking around as to what to do next. I really like the plan I have and the customer service with T-Mobile. Only problem is that they really don’t have a great selection of phones for renewal at a decent price. I also didn’t want to switch to AT&T just to get a free phone since I would get half the minutes and texts for the same price I’m paying with T-Mobile! Verizon and Sprint were a no-go for me.

A friend told me about unlocked phones, so I was lucky this information came right around Black Friday weekend, when the Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition was on sale.

GPS

EDIT: To ensure you only use the integrated GPS and never carrier service:

settings -> phone -> app. settings -> positioning -> positioning methods and turn off all but ‘Integrated GPS’.

First off, you DON’T need a data plan to use the GPS, but there are some things you cannot access on the road without it. These include: expanded POI’s, traffic, weather, satellite and terrain backgrounds, etc. However, you can at least see what they are like by using wifi. You will need to edit some of the settings so you don’t use A-GPS, which is carrier assisted (it’s set to it by default). It does take longer to lock onto the satellites this way, but it’s not painfully slow. Also, since you have lifetime drive and walk navigation and map updates, you can just use wifi to update everything. You can also download numerous voices. My other GPS has more computerised sounding voices, but these are crystal clear and realistic. In addition, you get weather, traffic, etc. for two years. It’s also great to have the car mount and car charger included. You can view the maps in 2D or 3D and the 3D version has building models for downtown areas, etc. It’s nice to see the actual buildings you are passing. Also, it shows clouds during the day and stars at night along the top of the screen, which is a nice touch. The included mini-CD lets you install Nokia’s OVI Suite software so you can use the phone with your PC. They also have a map updater and loader you can download.

MUSIC AND VIDEO

The 8GB microSD card comes with some music and videos on it that can obviously be deleted, but it’s nice to get some freebies. It was already in the phone when I got mine. There are some good videos on how to use the device for different things, and a few music videos too! I like the XpressMusic Shortcut – very handy to access the pictures, photos, videos, etc. The camera is pretty decent for both photos and video, much better than my previous phone, so no complaints really there. It’s nice there is a secondary camera too for video calls or self-pictures.

The FM radio is a nice addition, although you have to have headphones in order to use it.

One thing I really like is the two built-in speakers. They are loud and don’t sound tinny at all.

The phone has a lot of ringtones to choose from. At first I couldn’t find them, but then I realised they were within the different profiles you can edit. They are all mp3-style ringtones with real music, etc.

PHONE

Call quality is great and I actually get better reception with this phone than my previous one. Dialing is easy and texting can be done via a few different keyboards or handwriting with the stylus. I also like the voice-dialing – much easier to use than my last phone. Actually, when a call comes in it will also pronounce the name of the person calling (although in a very computerised voice).

You can set up the home screen to show four applications or contacts. Also a search bar is below that which enables you to search the contents of your phone and the internet. Optionally, you can also set up your email and that shortcut is displayed below the search bar.

The phone feels solidly built and sturdy. It’s a nice size, maybe a tad more thick than I’d like, but overall it’s a nice quality. Screen resolution is fantastic. I like the slight vibration when you touch an item to confirm you touched it. The volume, unlock and camera buttons are on the right side, while the sim card and microSD slots are on the left side. It’s nice to have these external, but they still recommend you turn off the phone and remove the battery to add or remove the sim or microsd card. On the top of the phone are the power button, headphone jack and micro USB port.

Battery life is also excellent. My first charge lasted 3 days with heavy use of everything, including the GPS. I expect with light use, it will last much longer.

Some of the applications included are dictionary, converter, recorder, file manager and real player. The two games (Bounce and Global Race) are also pretty good.

There are a lot of settings that you can fiddle around with to get it just the way you like it.

Overall, this is a great alternative for those not wanting to have a contract, but wanting a great phone with all the features. The GPS features alone honestly makes it worth the cost.