Nokia8800 Arte



f you want to put your money where your mouth is, the Nokia 8800 Arte is a luxury sliderphone with a eyebrow-raising price tag that says more about you than your average Nokia ever could.

This pair of high-class handsets demand you splash the cash not for the latest smartphone functionality, GPS receiver technology or video call functionality - sophistication and quality are the wallet-tempting key words here, with these mobiles built to high specification in premium stainless steel and glass. Think minimalist chic rather than the overt attention-grabbing of other style phones.
Nokia has introduced the 8800 Arte and 8800 Sapphire Arte in tandem as the latest in its series of luxury handsets. Both models have a similar design and specification – including 3G connectivity, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and media player with 1GB of internal memory – but the Sapphire version notches up the exclusivity level with a real sapphire embedded in the navigation pad, plus additional brown leather trim on the front and back.

Each comes boxed with an appropriately upper-class set of accessories, including a sleek Nokia BH-803 Bluetooth headset, leather pouch and a matching heavyweight desk stand. Strangely, though, there’s no stereo headset for music listening – an odd oversight when you’re shipping so much money for these phones.

Nokia doesn’t equate a premium phone with an all-but-the-kitchen-sink mobile. The 8800 Arte and 8800 Sapphire Arte aren’t smartphones or Sat Nav-enabled devices, nor do they have en vogue touchscreen functionality or HSDPA mobile broadband. Instead they use Nokia’s standard Series 40 user interface, albeit with some fancy wallpapers,