Nokia 8850

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One would agree there hasn't been a handphone that has generated so much buzz and hype with its launch. Within the first day of sale, the dual band Nokia 8850 was snapped up despite a jaw-dropping price of S$1,388. (Singapore.CNET.com found it retailing at S$888 at Cost Tyre Communications at Great World City.)

Beyond the hype, however, the Nokia 8850 is quite simply the 8810 after more thought has been given to it. But should you shell out thrice what most good cell phones would cost today, and for a handphone that has no WAP-enabled features?

Object Of Desire
Like the 8810, the 8850 features a sliding cover and has the exact same dimensions and weight, with an internal antenna. Unlike the 8810, the 8850's matt aluminium alloy surface is a relief as you won't find any fingerprint smudges to wipe off after handling the phone. However, some users have found the harsh, white backlight ugly. Rather than illuminating the display evenly throughout, the 8850's backlight is emitted from the right and left side of the screen. Whether this is an attempt by the makers to veer away from the current trend of using a blue electro-luminescent backlight is not clear. But this is one area that could have done without any meddling.

Clear Reception
The 8850 delivered relatively clear reception on the go, but failed the elevator test when travelling up a high-rise building. Also, the back of the phone grew uncomfortably warm to the touch after 30 minutes of continuous chatter.

Multi-Tasking Features
The phone features menu takes some getting used as Nokia has apparently re-categorized this. For instance, choice of phone ringing tones--typically found under Settings in most phones--was finally located under Profiles for the Nokia 8850. Graphical icons are also absent that would have acted as visual aids.

In the process of re-categorizing, however, Nokia appears to have compacted its features. So while there are fewer options to choose from compared to most other phones in the market, there are also more features to each function. For example, the usual "Organizer" feature has been eliminated from the menu. Instead, the "Calendar" function now takes over that job by including "Notes For The Day". This is where the user types in details for that all-important appointment. To avoid having to check through all the different calendar dates for an event, a small icon is stamped onto a calendar day that has an entry.

The shortcut keys are a breeze to use. When scrolling through the menu, a set of numbers appears at the top right-hand corner of the display screen. By typing in the same corresponding set of numbers after pressing the "Menu" button, the user is able to access that particular function without having to scroll through the entire menu again.

One of the best features of the phone is the SMS function. The user can toggle between T9 predictive typing and non-T9 simply by pressing the "#" button. (T9 predictive text input utilises the phone's in-built dictionary by comparing the word the user has written so far and predicts the word before it is completed.) The phone also tells you how many more characters are allowed for that message by indicating the word count at the top right-hand corner of the screen.

Should You Pay S$1,388 For It?
What it boils down to finally is whether you're willing to wait months for the price to drop, or to shell out S$1,388 for a phone that is sensational in design, from the cover to the battery pack. If this is your object of desire, then by all means, indulge yourself.