Ah, that reminds me... checking voicemail on the N8, with the volume turned all the way up, sounded more like a low/medium volume, and would've been impossible to hear if I didn't have it right in front of me, in a fairly quiet room.

And if you put a finger over the speaker/mic near the camera lens, it's easy to completely muffle the sound, even at full volume.

so its not a good idea to buy it? i mean i love my music, i over use the speakers, i have calls on loud speaker, always listening to music on the go, both w/ headphones and loud speaker... ???

Great speakers, great reception, it does the basics extremely well.

ok there 2 ways to get zippy transitions :
1 st one is by getting the theme customizer transitions, these are very smooth and fast.
2nd is by downloading transition control from the devels and setting all values to 5 (or 0 ) and this will give you mind blowing transition's speed.

the speakers are good but not the best, a bit better than the n900 but not as good as the 5800.

It seems that you had expected something to resemble a Ferrari but think that you got a Hundai. Which part of N8 did you dislike. The fact that the entire phone is customizable, including the menus, folders, etc? The fact that you can move anything from anywhere to anywhere, menus ,home screen, files, folders, etc (which is not even an option on most PDA phones including the "i(dtiot)phone)"? or N900. Or the fact that it takes superb photos and Videos, unmatch by any phone device or even some cameras? May be you dislike the fact that most of the functions such as Clock, Calender, WIFi, Alarm, Voice+Text+MMS message, Internet connection, Phone mode, etc, which are used on a Mobile device on regular basis are within your touch, right on the top of home screen and ready to be used/configured. Perhaps you were tip'd off by its quick touch screen, transition or clarity of its use? Or hated the full portrait and landscape function which is somewhat lagging on the Nokia tablets.

It's hard to say what you were thinking or even what you are trying to say. Not sure if yourself have any idea of what you are talking about?

I've had first hand experience with almost every type of Mobile phone that exists since 1992. I think that Symbian has come a long way since its inception and it is one of the best OS for mobile device. When you read an article that criticizes the symbian OS and then you read further and all they have to say is that the screen transition is dull and no effects or so on. You wonder what are they talking about? You never hear them say how easy the Symbian OS is as compared to an iphone or many other phones. Never hear them say what is the real problem with the Symbian OS other what I keep hearing, It is old and outdated. As compared to what? a Space shuttle electronics systems? This is a Mobile device and as compared to any other mobile device it works as good or better. It functions properly and has extreme ease of use. Even my 7 yr old daughter is able to find and use the games and other functions such as Internet on the N8 without one question.
Most people who dislike Symbian have nothing techical to say or criticize about it. Absence of genuine opinion, lack of knowlege about what and how a Mobile device should operate, or simply being used to a device of choice, people will hate anything but what they are used to.

Enough ranting, here are few pros & cons with the N8.

Pros;
>Battery life is excellent and lasts all day, even with heavy use.(Bravo Nokia)
>Camera is insanely superb and takes photos & videos beyond expectation. (Bravo Nokia)
>Symbian OS is somewhat faster (as compared to N97, 5800, etc). no lagging or hang ups (yet).
>No challenge when connecting the charging port. Nokia got to its senses and used the round plug (again). Unlike N900The port is located at the buttom of device. It also charges when its connected to PC via USB port. (Bravo Nokia)
>OVI Map Navigation SW is activated for free with voice guidance in many languages. You can also install Google Map app which still works flawless with solid performce.
>USB on the Go (I call it Plug'n play) is one of the best features and when connected using the provided USB adapter, it allows you to connect with most USB devices such as Keyboard, Mouse, some camera or even MMC.
>HDMI output connected to HD TV plays superb quality video. But you can still watch the same video using the 3.5,mm A/V plug. Video quality out of A/V plug is somewhat better than the N900. (Bravo Nokia)
>Full Landscap & Portrait mode of all programs and apps and everything seems to work flawlessly, so far.
>Multi-tasking works flawlessly and endless apps can be opened without lag or delay.

Cons;
>No easy access to the Battery.This one seems to have rubbed off from the iphone. Imagine if the battery becomes defective+out of warranty. It can still be done but not as easy as removing a simple cover and most folks will have problem with this one, if the battery fails.
>Web broswer has major limitation, Even though N8 comes with Flash player 10, it does not even play web videos formatted with flash player 10, because N8 uses the Beta version and its not compatible. When on web sites such as Google video or youtube playing a flash file unless full screen mode is used, the screen (not the video) lags at times and jerks and moves constantly.
>Only one load speaker. Although it sounds decent, it lacks fidelity. The speaker is also located right underneath the rear camera. As you put the phone down, the speaker hole gets covered and the sound gets muffled or goes off completely. So I always use something like a magazine to keep the top of the phone up in order to be able to hear the speaker properly. Horrible choice of location & using only one speaker, Nokia got cheap on this one. Sound like my 6230.
>Ovi Map Navigation seems to work somewhat better than what I've seen on other Nokia devices but at times it gives me direction to timbuktu.
>When using the Web browser, Internet radio keeps cutting in+out. My N95 used to do this, Nokia fixed it with an update and then it got better. Hopefully Nokia will fix this.
>No Internet radio out of the box, nor any easy way to load the Internet Radio app from OVI. You have to search on the net and find it yourself and it is not the app that is for N8 but it still works. (Thanks to Symbian and its versatility).
>No Kick stand. Because of the rounded side/casing there is absolutely no way to keep the phone up right in landscape mode, even when you put it against something. I guess Nokia people did not think that folks would be watching stuff on their device. Or simply forgot the kick stand.
>Not able to see or edit all Access points such as MMS setting. My device when using AT&T keeps using MMS connection even though default access point is set to ATT Internet. Nokia offered no help and blamed the network for this problem.
>There also seems to be the major flaw with internet connection setting. Regardless of the internet default setting, phone connects to other choices even though such choice is priorotized at the buttom of the list. No way to choose or control which solid connection you wish to have, like on the N900.
>Web tv is joke. If you own/ed the N96 you 'll know what I'm talking about. There are no sites that are included with N8 which plays TV broadcats or anything that resembles what you normally watch on your TV.

N8 is for those who want a very good Mobile phone device packed with a superb Camera, Great music and video player, decent web browser. It is very easy to use with solid performance. My score for N8 is 7/10 compared to 9/10 for N900. I'm only deducting 1 point for N900 because of its extremely poor loudspeaker volume.

Hey mate,

1- Unlike you most folks have TV sets. This will give them the ability to use the N8 as video player which will beat their regular DVD player.
2- USB OTG is too new for most people including yourself to imagine its possibilities.
3-If only you knew what you could do with an N8 you would then appreciate all its features.
4-What's all this hype about Meego? another operating system in the works which is taking forever to be completed and has yet to show superiority over other OS. Perhaps you have a working Meego device? and it works flawlessly? and better than anything else? Dont think so. People get hyped up about anything and everything that they cant have right away.
5- Do you know the differnce between a 5 MP and 12 MP camera when used in average situation just taking ordinary photos of stuff?

When you find the answer to this last question, then you 'll understand that your 5 MP camera is good enough for a guy who doesnt have a TV and most likely wont be taking photos for Nat GEO.

Just joking with you mate. Hope you have a Very good Xmass.

BTW N8 bcomes with all needed adapters for HDMI, USB,etc.

downloaded transition control. from where do i make the changes? thanks so mcuh for the help

reboot your phone, and than you should see transition control in your apps, launch it, and you'll see numbers, the lower you set the numbers, the faster the transitions get, make sure you restart your desktop from the app when your done.

Nd on that note... im buying this phone, i guess any speaker is better then my 3G iPod... u guys here say its media capabilities are awesome and so is that deilshus Camera, i can't wait. bt like many have said... my nokia n900 is still the worlds best in my eyes