How to Get Connected with the N8?

Connectivity

This section may not be exactly important for everyone so I've given a brief look at what the N8 offers that is expected and Just a bit more into its stand out points!




Bluetooth/Wi-Fi


The N8 offers Bluetooth 3.0 which is new and better than most competition but to me didn't show much new with files sending as they usually do. The Bluetooth is easy to operate and works just right . Wi-Fi is something people will use to curb the high 3G data cost and with the N8 with the N8 supporting Wi-Fi b/g/n your Wi-Fi will be kept secure too :) . The Wi-Fi is also easy to connect with the N8 able to switch to it without you asking something that was a hassle before!

Charging and Battery Life


When it comes to battery life the N8 really gave me a Mixed reaction over the two weeks but I was able to figure out what does and what doesn't kill your battery. First of all the thing you should avoid most when far from a Charger is gaming. Gaming kills the battery within hours! In general the phone handles the rest well and with a mixture of texting , browsing , videos and some photo's I was able to get about a day and a half out of the N8 . That with 3G on, email syncing very 5min and Whatsapp on so pretty much a constant connection. That's what I consider mild usage. Under heavy usage I got about 10 to 12 hours which is still good and on par with most smart phones. I've heard of people getting 2 or 3 days out of the N8 and I Have no clue how they did this because even with the mildest of usage I'd struggle to get that! On the whole I'd say the battery is good but not great .


When it comes to charging I like what Nokia have done as they have Given you both a Pin charging option and an Usb option. I think this comes in handy often especially when using USB On The Go. I used the USB charge more as I found it faster than the pin . The small charging LED is also a Nice touch!(See first post )

Car Charger using 2.5mm Pin

USB On The Go ( OTG)
 

This is something new on a cell phone for me and what it does is allow you to connect USB devices to your phone like it were a PC. I think Nokia meant it to be mostly for USB sticks but I know for fact it supports quite alot of devices. The most useful I know of is being able to connect a USB mouse and keyboard to the Phone. That combining with TV-out can turn your N8 into a kind of Mini-Pc or tablet! I also used it to connect to my N97 so that I could copy things across quicker. Most USB devices will work depending on the power needs of the device. My only problem – My External AC powered Hard drive is found but says Memory Corrupted and I have no clue why??!! Another downside is that the convertor is needed so if you forget it at home I Don't think you can make use of this..That said i can not wait to see the ways people use this and what Nokia lets us connect to it :)

The USB OTG Adapter

HDMI out


This for me is the best feature the N8 has because it fits in with its multimedia functions so well! Just Pop the mini HDMI to HDMI convertor in with your HDMI cable and there you have your self a 50" N8 in 720p HD. You can use it for video playback, To make slide shows , Play HD games and pretty much anything on the phone! It's awesome and I haven't gone a day without using it . Most of my usage has been for Gaming and Video and the Quality was great. Sure it may not play like a Blue ray player but it's also not the size of a blue ray player either! It really converts the N8 into something else, a gaming consol , a HD Video player ,a Tablet browser and the list goes on ! Putting this into a phone was something I never expected even though Nokia has always loved the TV- Out feature with the previous Nokia Phones! The difference is the functionality . The TV out worked on my N97 but lacked the speed and Frame rate to make it useful , The Speed of the N8 and Quality of the N8 sorted that out :)

HDMI Adapter

Mini HDMI

NFS Shift HD vis HDMI out..

 


3.5mm Headphone Jack
 

Nothing really new here, as I mentioned before its in a Nice Position so it doesn't come in your way , this pairs up perfectly with the Headphones you're given with the N8 ! Interestingly the N8 also has a TV out via the 3.5mm jack and though alot of people may feel this not needed I certainly like it because I don't Have a HD TV in my room . With HDMI not being implemented very widely yet It would be a sight for sore eyes if you ended up needing to use the TV out and had no HDMI port to use. Unfortunately the N8 doesn't come with the Cable for this I used the one from my N97 to test it out!

In Ear Headphone's with Remote Music Controls

 




Memory/Storage
 

The N8 comes with 16GB of onboard storage and while not being small isn't Nokia's biggest with my N97 having 32GB.I have No idea why Nokia did this and I do miss the storage especially with the N8s video playing ability.The plus here is that the Mass memory is now faster than on the N97 so less waiting time to copy :) Thankfully though we are given a Micro SD card so for me a 32 GB micro SD is going to be a Must have. Another option may be a 32 GB USB stick used with USB OTG :). Compared to most of the competition the N8s 16GB is great so I'm not complaining !

Firmware over the air

Nokia also offers you Software and Firmware updates over the air so that you can keep your N* up to date !





Conclusion

When it comes to the N8 You will never be short of connectivity options and that's a big plus because it suites the phones multimedia features so you wont have to try to find a way to view or share your pictures , video's and Music :)


For the Student: HDMI out Gives you a way to have loads of fun where ever you go while dual charging means you are just a Micro USB cable away from charging your phone (I.ve made use of this at Campus with my N97). Mass storage gives you a Memory stick in your pocket all the time


For the Business User: HDMI out and USB OTG can be powerful business tools letting you not only view files and copy them quickly but also use your Little N8 to give presentations play videos and slide shows .


For the tech user: Using your mouse and key board via Bluetooth on a N8 ? I can see they are going to fall in love with that. Gaming on the go with HDMI out will also Wow tech-ies !

The N8 always seems to have something for everyone!