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Nokia 8800 Arte and Sapphire Arte handsets

Aimed squarely at the money-is-no-object mobile buyer

There are two web browsers to utilise the 3G capability, the Nokia native one, and the impressive Opera Mini browser Java application, which also provides Yahoo! search and Wikipedia plus Dictionary.com quick search options. Web browsing is swift with 3G and downloading content is speedy too, even without a HSDPA boost.

Nokia’s WidSets application comes pre-loaded, enabling you to get RSS-based updates on a set of onscreen widgets. This enables you to get web-based updates from your favourite blogs and websites without having to actively browse each time you want to check.

Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte

That's a real sapphire in the Sapphire

Nokia’s usual organiser functions are included – calendar, to-do lists, notes, calculator and various timer and clock functions – plus convertor and translator apps. A voice memo function, speaker independent dialling, voice commands and a text-to-speech convertor are included too. Naturally, the email facility includes support for regular attachments.

A Golf Tour game is loaded up for downtime amusement, while Nokia’s usual Download! app also offers a range of other games and content you can download for free or for a fee.

Top marks for the Nokia 8800 Arte’s call performance – it produced excellent quality sound and maintained signal levels commendably well. Estimated battery life is quoted by Nokia as giving up to 300 hours standby, or talktime of 3 hours 20 minutes on GSM networks or up to 2 hours 45 minutes on 3G WCDMA 2100 networks. That’s a typical performance for this spec level. In practice, we found ourselves reaching for the charger after two days with moderate usage. That desktop charger should come in handy, then, for heavyweight phone users.

Verdict

When you head into luxury product territory, the usual value for money benchmark becomes less significant to the buyer than the desirability factor. Does the 8800 Arte or Sapphire Arte justify such a hefty price tag? Unquestionably, Nokia has used premium materials that give a reassuringly expensive, high quality – and weighty - feel to these devices. The design is understatedly elegant too.

The under-the-bonnet features run-down wouldn’t convince us to spank our credit card, however. They have a reasonable set of functions, but most of these you can get on other Nokia Series 40 phones at half the price. Sure, they have 3G, a 3.2-megapixel camera and 1GB of memory - but as we found, you don’t get the latest cutting edge mobile technology despite the expensive price tag. And there’s no HSDPA high-speed 3G, face-to-face video calling nor expandable memory - and the camera is limited. Socketry and earphone arrangements aren’t convincing either if you want to play music.

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Nokia Arte

Nokia 8800 Arte and Sapphire Arte handsets

Credit crunch - what credit crunch? Nokia aims for the hearts and wallets of the money-no-object mobile buyer
Price: Nokia 8800 Arte: contract: £200-£400 handset only: £680, Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte: handset only: £1050 RRP

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