Nokia’s N8 Prepares For A Niche Market

Micro-USB charging

This issue got lots of flak – way more than a small point deserves. The N8 has a micro-USB data connector and a 2mm jack electric charger socket, just like the E81 and a horder of Nokia phones before. The model I had did not charge through the micro-USB, although Nokia’s specifications say the N8 will have micro-USB charging.

But if it does, why the proprietary port as well? Nokia has signed up to the ITU’s universal charger. What’s the 2mm jack doing there?

I’ve had  a limited explanation from a Nokia spokesperson: “I can confirm that as expected you can charge the Nokia N8 via the micro USB port”. Nokia does support the universal charger idea, my contact said, sending me “the latest” on the subject… which turns out to be a blog post from February 2009 – more than 16 months ago. This made the less than urgent promise that “by the 1st of January 2012 the majority of all new handsets will support the universal charger”.

So Nokia’s not exactly vocal in its support for the micro-USB charger. Since it looks like the N8 can charge either way – when it is packaged, which charger will Nokia put in the box? As correspondents tell me, Nokia is rated highly for its environmental activity by Greenpeace, so let’s see what happens.

Why have two charging sockets on the phone? I’m tempted to think it’s just because this is Nokia, and it’s the kind of thing Nokia can do. But one correspondent came up with an ingenious suggestion. If the USB socket is in use for a storage device, it’s not available for charging: “So if I am watching a couple of HD movies I can simply plug in my flash drive and charge the phone with the 2mm at the same time.”

Like I say, this phone seems to invite some pretty obscure and marginal use-cases…

The last Symbian on the N-Series?

It’s been reported that the N8 is the last N-Series phone to run Symbian. The Reuters report was pretty categorical and quoted Nokia spokesman Doug Dawson: “Going forward, N-series devices will be based on MeeGo.”

But in a blog post last week Anssi Vanjoki. Nokia’s new executive vice president of mobile solutions, promised a “fightback”, to get Nokia back its number one position in high end devices.

He suggested the N8 might be followed by other devices using the as-yet unreleased Symbian^4. “Of course, we ‘never comment on future products’, but a Symbian^4 Nseries device is a strong possibility,” he said. “A very strong possibility”.

So future devices will be MeeGo, except thre may be some Symbian^4 devices… and of course, Symbian^3 will continue on lower-end devices. Vanjoki’s post got users confused again, asky “Why not commit to an upgrade to Symbian^4 on the N8?”

Unfortunately, Symbian^3, for all its open source cred, begins to look in market terms a bit like Microsoft’s Windows Mobile. It’s old and tired and there’s a new version on the way. In the meantime, the main player has to flog the last update of the older version, and the competitors are stealing a march.

Confusion will be the epitaph?

In the end, it seems like there is confusion around Nokia, around Symbian and the N8.

We’re trying to get to the bottom of it, and not add to it, because confusion must detract from the potential of any phone.

Apple’s tight control of brand and specifications may not produce the best product – and certainly not the most innovative. But the Apple fans know where they are.

We’re hoping that by the time it arrives in its final form, there’s more certainty to Nokia’s plans, a definite roadmap, and a phone that will have wider appeal, than it looks so far.