We’ve just hot-footed it from a chinwag with Nokia design supremo Marko Ahtisaari, and he had a surprise for us in his pocket too: a brand new Nokia N8 for us to fondle.
Ahtisaari wouldn’t let us switch the prototype N8 on, denying us a peep at the still-unfinished Symbian 3 operating system, but we did get some quality time with the N8’s hardware.
It’s a hefty handset, and feels larger than we expected, yet solidly built. Ahtisaari explained that the Nokia N8 represents a “new way of making devices” for the Finnish phone firm. As part of that new approach, the N8 features a first for Nokia: a non-replaceable battery.
Just like the iPhone, the Nokia N8 can’t be cracked open to reveal its power source. There are slots on the side for a memory card and SIM. Ahtisaari says “what’s clear about this product is how we’re making things differently. [the non replaceable battery] is driven by the overall package. The overall design concept overruled [it], so we can simplify things.”
Get a good look at the Nokia N8 in our photos above.
Out Q3 | £TBC | Nokia
