27 October 2005 0:00 GMT / By Peter Jenkinson

Nokia's 8800 sells itself on its sleek lines and shiny exterior, but can the phone live up to its glamorous marketing campaign or is it a case of style over substance. We take a closer look.

After the usual barrage of reviewing practical technology designed for problem solving the delivery of the Nokia 8800 struck me like a small lottery win might.

Just sitting with the wonderfully elaborate box that the handset ships in made me forget my once embarrassing lust for the Motorola RAZR phone.

The phone itself is crafted from highly polished metal and holding it in your hand you may well find yourself giving a satisfactory sigh, if not at that point, then the slide mechanism certainly will bring it out of you.

Sadly if you're after substance you are likely to be heavily disappointed in a very short time as this is a premium rate phone is lacking in service that most consumers will have come to expect from such a high brow model.

In our tests, the call performance performed well but if you step into the world of texting you'll be needing twig-like fingers to type at any speed. The buttons in this phone are so small it's hardly worth venturing off into the limited feature list as it's just too frustrating to navigate.

The camera too lacks punch and while manufacturers rush to get bigger and better cameras in their phone's Nokia has opted for a lowly 0.5 megapixels for the 8800. This, although disappointing is probably due to the phone only featuring 64mb on-board memory with no expansion slots for MMC or SD.

It's strange then, that I'm still oddly attracted to this object, and in search of redeeming factors look to the ultra-chic docking charger with pulsating blue light, a spare battery and carry case.

But, even then, the phone lets me down. Talk time battery life lasted us 3 hours and standby is maxed out at eight, so the hypnotic cool blue charging station may well have to be admired at length.

Verdict

There really is no getting away from the glare factor, which follows you around when addictively sliding the case open and shut at a restaurant table.

Those who are convergence driven should steer well clear, this is the Ferrari F40 of phones, built beautifully but with little inside.

Score

Review Recap

Made by

Nokia

Price as reviewed

£Price dependent on contract

The good

Feels like it's worth a mint, bomb-proof casing, scratch-free screen

The bad

Tiny buttons, limited memory, cost

Quick verdict

Dedicated followers of fashion won’t want to be seen without this handset, unless of course they have a Vertu - others may well use the money to buy two more rewarding handsets

Score

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