Nokia 8800 Sirocco review: Luxury redefined

The functions of the context keys are user-configurable. The left context key serves the function „Go to“, while the right one is used to select option. Each of the four ways of the main control key can be assigned any menu function as well. The main menu could be visualized either like a sequence of standard large icons, or like a 3 x 3 matrix.

Main display

The most expensive Nokia model uses 3rd edition of Series 40 user interface. Since the active stand-by display of S40 has recently been implemented and it cannot fit into Nokia 8800 Sirocco’s small display, the phone lacks certain functions. On the other hand, however, it offers 13 special themes and ringtones, which cannot be found in any other Nokia model. A very interesting feature of the interface is the white coloring on the display: the white color changes its nuances in accordance with the corresponding active theme. For example, if you setup a brown theme, the white automatically becomes slightly brownish; if the active theme is red, the white gets a pink nuance.

Main menu in a matrix • replacing items

Visualization of the main menu via individual icons

A thousand of multi-field contacts

Up to 1000 names fit into the phone memory. Contacts stored on the SIM card and in the phone can be used simultaneously. Each contact can be assigned 5 types of phone numbers, of which the first one is set as a default number. Additional customization is possible though. Here are some other available fields: an email and a web address, a street address, a picture and a note; a nickname, a company position, a ringtone, and a videotone. The phonebook offers a total of 19 fields for each contact.

View options for the phonebook • creating a new contact • fields to assign to a contact

A view at a selected contact • group editing • searching by gradual typing

The phonebook can be displayed in the form of a standard name list, like a name list with numbers, or like a name list, where each name is assigned a picture (up to 100 positions available). Each name can be added in more than one group, while each group can be assigned both a ringtone and a picture. The pictures assigned to names are preferred to those assigned to groups.

Font size options

Message creation follows common standards. Nokia 8800 Sirocco works with SMS, MMS, emails, and Instant Messaging. All messages are stored in the shared internal memory of 128 MB. SMS can be fragmented into 6 sub-messages. Counting starts from the first character. The phone features a T9 dictionary. MMS size should not exceed 300 KB. Nokia 8800 Sirocco also has an inbuilt email client, which manages POP3, SMTP, and IMAP4 protocols.

Memory indicator

Message editor • typing a SMS • working options within a message

Each message type can be assigned a specific alert – a function impossible to find in any other Nokia model. Of course, this kind of setup comes as a part of the pre-installed profile.

Modifying ringtones

Was it necessary?

Let’s now pay a closer attention to Nokia 8800 Sirocco’s camera, which – according to my and some of my colleagues’ opinion - could have not been installed in the phone at all. But it is, perhaps to allow future owners to merrily capture special moments and exchange them with friends via MMS. If this was the idea, then let it be. But if you mean to print the images taken with Sirocco’s 2 megapixel camera, before you start shooting first make sure that light conditions are perfect and that the selected scene is as little detailed as possible. In other words, Nokia 8800 Sirocco’s camera scores worse than almost any other 2 megapixel camera.

 
Camera lens

The camera features white balance, but no exposure compensation. The digital zooming is absolutely fluent, but creates crops only, alias, it is useless. Available are also various color effects, a self-release, and a night mode.

 
Sample photos in full resolution

  
Zoom creates crops only

 
Images of closely-located objects are poor (there is no macro mode) • text photos are horrible

Sirocco makes videos in 3GP format in resolution of 176 x 144 pixels. The records are surprisingly fluent, but low resolution limits their use. As it seems, video duration is only limited by the available internal phone memory. At the beginning of our test, for example, the phone offered us an entire hour of video.