Posted by floatlite
Well recieved the new Nokia 8600 mobile phone this morning, and here's the initial view and verdict on the wee beasty.
Name.
The Nokia 8600 Luna.
As Nokia stated, they have started to utilise names to their handset, along with the numerical designation, this being the second handset to be 'named' after the 8800 'Sirocco'
Packaging.
As per the 8000 series phones from Nokia, the 8600 recieved the same 'luxury' packaging, containing an embosed box, full colour, high sublimation printed booklets, and supplied real leather phone case.
Above: Nokia 8600 Luna box sleeve.
Above: Inside the 'front cover' of the packaging.
So whats in the box?
As with the 8800 Sirocco forerunner, the 8600 Luna comes well specced with accessories in the box, the contents being as follows;
1. 8600 Luna Handset
2. Mains Charger
3. 3.5mm to USB audio adaptor
4. Stereo headset w. 3.5mm plug
5. Real Leather carry case / sleeve
6. Real Leather polishing / cleaning cloth
7. USB data cable
8. Battery
9. Instruction Manual
10. Full colour booklet 'Luna"
11. Stainless Steel carry strap.
Above: The Luna box contents 'laid bare'
The Device! Oh the Design.
Well, what can I say, I already own a Nokia 8800, and an 8800 Sirocco Dark, so I know Nokia can produce an supremely well made phone when they decide too, so I was hopeful of a well made piece of mobile niceness. As the 8600 is seemingly the underling of the 8800, would I be disapointed? Would this be a poor mans / womans (I'm PC me, you know!) 8800?
Well in a word...NO, the 8600 Luna is everybit as good, if not BETTER that the 8800, and in what ways I hear you ask??
Well, to me (and of course this is objective) the 8600 Luna has more interesting design features, more use of materials in a sensible way and some unique touches that say to me someone has really done their design breif well.
Let me expand;
The use of the smoked glass is inspired, Glass has a tactility second to none, it's smooth, warm or cold, optically interesting and it's use in a mobile is a paradox in design terms.
Above: Shiny, Moody Glass fronted 8600 (sorry about the finger prints and my ugly face 10/10 geek points if you noted the N95 taking the picture!)
The rear of the 8800 Sirocco is shiny stainless steel, great, but not practical, easily marked, and not exactly slip proof on worktops.
On the 8600 Luna, initial impressions are that the rear is not metal, but oh yes it is......
Above: So it's not stainless is it? Thats a pint you owe me mate!
......indeed the rear is still Stainless Steel, but some bright spark decided to over spray the rear with ceramic reinforced coating. So now we have a beautiful Stainless Steel rear, which is warm to the touch, looks great, tough and non slip. Inspired.
On opening the phone the camera lens (2MP) is revealed, surrounded by beautifully finished dark smoked stainless steel.
Above: The rear of the beast, ceramic reinfored rear, but stunning smoked stainless steel revealed when opened.
The Keypad, another bug bear of the 8800, both the original and the Sirocco. The Sirocco improved slightly on the originals shortcoming, mainly the top row of keys, the 1, 2, 3, and the soft keys above, unless you either were very careful, or had teeny tiny digits, you could all to easily fit the wrong buttons, with outcomes such as deleting the txt, hanging up on a call, etc etc.
Now the 8600 has this sorted, the layout, keystroke, and spacing are light years ahead of the 8800, yes they are now plastic, not metal, but keys are for pressing and using, not for looking pretty and being difficult, if not unusable.
The Screen
Above: Bigger, brighter, glossier.......happier!
The screen is excellent, thats really all I need to say. Ok then I'll say a bit more. It's slightly larger, it's most definately brighter, and the viewabily (new word alert!) is definately better than the 8800. I like it...alot.
Battery.
Wooo Hooo, no need for 2 batteries, that last no time, the 8600 is supplied with a BP - 5M, a chunky battery, not some feeble excuse for a power source that Nokia decided was good for the 8800.
UI.
Nothing to revolutionary here, good old Nokia Symbian S40 affair, nicely layed out, easy to use, and does 99% of the things you want, quickly, and easily. What more can I say, it ain't no smart phone, but it's not pretending to be, it's a luxury (let me hear mmmmmmmm) phone, not some "corporate hack, check out my blackberry inbox is bigger than yours, check out my WiFi signal" (TM David Sharp 2007) breeze block of a phone.
Initial Negatives.
NOKIA WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ANOTHER NEW CHARGER PORT!!!!! Calm down David, take your medicine. Unbelievably there is a brand new USB B type connector for the charger, headphones and data cable, but is it the standard B type mini connector, don't be foolish, of course not.
The only upside of this is that you do get a data cable, great for uploading data, and (fingers crossed) the ability to use Nokia Update Service to update the firmware at home (please Nokia)
Initial Verdict.
I love it, better than my 8800, both in looks, battery life, and style. If you want a great quality, looker of a handset, get one.
David
Posted by Ibinco
Great review m8! Looks nice for a nokia
Any idea what this will cost?!
Posted by batesie
so its a usb mini b that doubles up as a charger/headset?
does that mean you cant listen to music while charging?
Posted by Mr Miyagi
Great review, can we possible get some pics and vids please taken by the handset. Also the see through slider where you can see the keys, are u able to see the keys when the slider is shut from only a close angle, or can you see the keys through the slider from a distance? To me it it looks like a great phone, however the see through keypad kinda puts me off it at the moment.
Miyagi
Posted by floatlite
On 2007-05-31 16:43:50, Ibinco wrote:
Great review m8! Looks nice for a nokia
Any idea what this will cost?!
In the UK the handset is about £600 UK SIM free. On contract you can get one free from about £40 mth over 18mth on O2, Orange or T-mobile. As CPW are offering it exc for 6 weeks Voda is off the cards, although the handsets are Sim free, unlocked and unbranded, and have most UK network network setting preinstalled (O2, Voda, T mobile, Virgin, Orange)
On 2007-05-31 16:58:10, batesie wrote:
so its a usb mini b that doubles up as a charger/headset?
does that mean you cant listen to music while charging?
You got it, one port, either charger, data or headphones, not more than one at a time. No multi adaptor inc, although I guess someone, will come up with one sometime soon
[ This Message was edited by: floatlite on 2007-05-31 16:08 ]
On 2007-05-31 16:58:45, Mr Miyagi wrote:
Great review, can we possible get some pics and vids please taken by the handset. Also the see through slider where you can see the keys, are u able to see the keys when the slider is shut from only a close angle, or can you see the keys through the slider from a distance? To me it it looks like a great phone, however the see through keypad kinda puts me off it at the moment.
Miyagi
You can only see the keys through the bottom glass if you really look for them, or if you light them up, otherwise they are hidden, looks really cool.
I'll take some pics and upload them
david
[ This Message was edited by: floatlite on 2007-05-31 16:11 ]
Posted by Mr Miyagi
ok thanks floatlite
if thats the case, i might go for it then, how is it like to feel though? when it comes to texting, how smooth is it, when you text, is it easy? are the buttons hard to press or soft? how is it when it comes to holding it? does it weigh the same as the sirocoo?. At night, or in the dark what is the keypad light display like?
thanks again
Miyagi
Posted by Mr Miyagi
i wonder if they will release a gold version of this handset like the sirocco
Posted by floatlite
The keys are beautifully weighted, unlike the 8800 which are somewhere between to stiff and rattling dependant on whether you are at the top or the bottom of the keypad.
I think it's a much nicer and easier to use keypad than the 8800.
The UI seems quick and smooth, no lag when in use.
Doubt they will do a gold one, as there is not the same 'bare' metal as on the 8800, what with the ceramic coating etc
Posted by amnesia
You've beaten me to the review floatlight. But very well written indeed.
Just a few other points to add though.
1) it uses an OLED screen (greatly reduces battery power)
2) no dock. (which was a disappointment). BUt it was mentioned that glass-like dock will be provided as an extra accessory.
3) the volume of the speaker is 5 times better than the 8800 or sirocco.
My question is though, is it touch sensitve? If the keypad is slid down, can you still use it? Or it is just a design?
Posted by Mr Miyagi
are u able to answer the phone by opening the slide, or do u have to open it and then press the answer button? and are u able to make and recieve calls with the slide in the close position?
miyagi
Posted by floatlite
On 2007-05-31 18:53:44, amnesia wrote:
You've beaten me to the review floatlight. But very well written indeed.
Just a few other points to add though.
1) it uses an OLED screen (greatly reduces battery power)
2) no dock. (which was a disappointment). BUt it was mentioned that glass-like dock will be provided as an extra accessory.
3) the volume of the speaker is 5 times better than the 8800 or sirocco.
My question is though, is it touch sensitve? If the keypad is slid down, can you still use it? Or it is just a design?
It's not touch sensitive, once the keypad is sliddown you can only use the answer, reject, the 2 soft keys and the menu select joystick.
You can call from your call lost, and you can answer with the slide closed.
You can also answer by sliding the handset open.
regards
David
Posted by QVGA
looks stunning, another beauty from nokia.
Posted by Mr Miyagi
i wonder why this phone is still not mentioned on the nokia website.
Posted by floatlite
Officially it is not being launched until 1st June, as far as I am aware.
David
Posted by floatlite
It's now on the Nokia Site
http://europe.nokia.com/nokia/0,8764,64,00.html
It's in the flash presentation at the top, if it does not show,just refresh and it'll eventually show
David
[ This Message was edited by: floatlite on 2007-05-31 20:18 ]
Posted by below24
Great review thanks.
Posted by scottt
Fantastic review, looks gorgeous, i want one
Dunno if my wallet does though 
Posted by QVGA
no expandable memory, what a bummer.
Posted by floatlite
I know many people comment about the lack of a memory card slot, but to be honest, it doesn't need one.
99% of people who will get and use this phone, will never bother using the phone to take significant lengths of video or 100's of photos.
128mb of user memory, allows from some tunes to use as ring tones etc, a handful of good photo, and the odd shirt video clip.
The handset is not designed as a multimedia handset, its a statement, and fashion phone.
David
[ This Message was edited by: floatlite on 2007-05-31 21:14 ]
Posted by im92109210
And boy what a statement!!! Any idea when it would start to ship and be available in the the Middle East?
Thanks
Posted by im92109210
And boy what a statement!!! Any idea when it would start to ship and be available in the the Middle East?
Thanks
Posted by chrisfirst
How is the screen? Is it scratch resistant as it was on the 8800? And how about the glass they used as a slide? Is it like drop resistant? Would be nice, cause I'm thinking to get one for my girl and she's droping her phone at least twice a day... Terrible!
Posted by umerhayat
I think nokia 8800 series and now 8600 are for people who wanna say,oh people look,i am a filthy rich person.sorry,if it hurts some ones feelings.its just my own point of view
This message was posted from a W810i
Posted by amnesia
its available in the middle east but not by dealers. Imports it seems.
Posted by QVGA
On 2007-06-03 18:50:41, umerhayat wrote:
I think nokia 8800 series and now 8600 are for people who wanna say,oh people look,i am a filthy rich person.sorry,if it hurts some ones feelings.its just my own point of view
This message was posted from a W810i
or for those people who have money and arnt crazy about mobiles?
[ This Message was edited by: QVGA on 2007-06-03 18:00 ]
Posted by umerhayat
I mean they lack of functionality if people buy them for looks , motorola razr series got better looks than 6800 series
This message was posted from a W810i
Posted by QVGA
8000 series is expensive for the materials used in its manufacture.
For eg. Handicraft items IMO looks crap compared to manufactured ones, but the later is cheaper, but rich people would get the handicraft ones because of that certain "factor" which i cant pin point.
Oh and also because Nokia UI is far better than Moto's crap UI.
Posted by voda_jon
u wont b able to use the Nokia Update Service as this handset is S40 and Nokia have stated only S60 handsets will use the NUS...
J.
Nice looking fone though!
Posted by umerhayat
@QVGA.I think those who care for UI things.do not go for these phones.plus,you can pin point that why those people buy the hand made things.because those things are EXPENSIVE
This message was posted from a W810i
Posted by QVGA
yeah but 8800 in gold looks far better than RAZR. I dont think there's even a competition
Posted by umerhayat
Hmmm man.what about the v3i gold edition
This message was posted from a W810i
Posted by masseur
well.. I've had 3 standard 8800 as well as a gold one and in London all the same shops that heavily promoted the prada now have 8600 adverts in their windows so I went for a look and try today and I'm sorry to say that I feel that I have learned my lesson with the 8800's and I couldn't wait for the salesman to take the phone back out of my hands...
btw, I've also had the (fake - not limited edition) d&g v3i and I think that looks better that the gold 8800, so as always beauty is in the eyes of the beholder
Posted by QVGA
to each their own i guess
Posted by umerhayat
@masseur.whats the difference between the limited edition and fake v3i gold,will you please explain.@QVGA.also look for price difference between the two.you can buy more than 3 v3i gold in the same price as for a 8800 gold
This message was posted from a W810i
Posted by fatreg
the real D and G V3i was limited to 1000 pieces... was also based on a normal V3i , Ie had black insides, whereas the non limited edition D and G v3i has silver insides...
Posted by QVGA
if you look into the materials that are used to make a 8800, eg a sapphire glass coated screen etc etc which justifies its price.
have you seen how much bang and olufsen speakers cost? more than 3000$ for a decent set and i can get far better sounding ones for half the price, same's the case with 8800. Its the B & O of mobile phones.
Posted by fatreg
On 2007-06-03 19:28:35, QVGA wrote:
same's the case with 8800. Its the B & O of mobile phones.
surely the B and O of mobile phones is the serene???
Posted by QVGA
On 2007-06-03 19:29:41, fatreg wrote:
On 2007-06-03 19:28:35, QVGA wrote:
same's the case with 8800. Its the B & O of mobile phones.
surely the B and O of mobile phones is the serene???
dont know, whats special about it, apart from its "unique" looks.
Posted by umerhayat
@QVGA.i have got your point.@fatreg.they make only 1000 pieces,were they very expensive as compared to fake ones
This message was posted from a W810i
Posted by fatreg
the real d and g v3i retailed at about £1000 or $2000 whereas the non real was retailed for about £150 or $300..
Posted by umerhayat
Hmmm.ok man. But in pakistan , i think its price is still near 400 us dollars
This message was posted from a W810i
Posted by fatreg
still $400 for a non limited edition v3i!? blimey...
back to topic...
i too got bored of the 8800 and sirocco and my vertu so i don't think i will bother with this one!
Posted by p900 lover
I got the 8800 when it came out and still got it to this day, don't use it that much now because of the lack of functions but its still nice to have when i don't need my N95.
Posted by chrisfirst
Second try... And I'm far to be filthy rich!
How is the screen? Is it scratch resistant as it was on the 8800? And how about the glass they used as a slide? Is it like drop resistant? Would be nice, cause I'm thinking to get one for my girl and she's droping her phone at least twice a day... Terrible!
thx
Posted by floatlite
Oh dear, somones not a happy bunny! In my humble opinion, people that shout about having money tend to be the ones who don't. There is a big difference between having money, and having someone elses, i.e. Mr VIsa or Mrs Mastercard!
Anyways, I buy lots of mobiles, along with lots of tech, because that's my thing, i'm fortunate, I can afford to, but I work hard and long for it, so the way I see it, it's my choice.
Vodajon I connected the 8600 to the NSU, and it recognised it, just said no update, so i'm guessing it should be usable soon. In the menu on the phone, if you go, Menu > Settings > Phone > Phone Updates, you then get options, such as Current Software Details, Download Phone Software, and Install Phone Software. So I'm guessing that S40 is now NSU compatible. I have noticed many improvements to S40, it's far from basic now.
David
Posted by floatlite
Sorry, was asked about the glass, yeah seems to be the same as glass on 8800, pretty tough, but I wouldn't fancy dropping it. It's got some weight too it, so I imagine it'll dig itself a grave if you drop it.
David
Posted by p900 lover
@:floatlite is it a totaly new S40? or just updated a bit, the last S40 i owned was a nokis 7210 lol,
Posted by fatreg
updated!
It'll be like the 6280 at a guess?
Posted by QVGA
or 6300? i think thats the latest
Posted by fatreg
or 6300 yeah!