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The world of touchscreen mobile phones is starting to get exciting, as the biggest name in the business has waded in with not one, but TWO mobile phones: the Nokia 5800 and the utterly mind-blowing Nokia N97.

An undistinguished history – Nokia touchscreen mobile phones in the past

Many people are under the false assumption that the Nokia 5800 is the first ever touchscreen mobile phone to come from the Finnish manufacturer. It’s not. Quite the opposite, in fact, there have been a few touchy-feely phones to wear the Nokia badge. Starting with the 7700, there have been a couple of Nokia mobile phones that work by you prodding and poking the screen. They had a relatively big (for the time) touchscreen in common, but the other feature they had in common, unfortunately, was that they were irredeemably awful. Only one of these mobile phones, the 6708, showed any promise, but that was destined only for the Chinese market, and so, never saw the light of day in the UK. The mobile phones we got were, and I use this phrase with much feeling, utter, utter garbage.

However (and yes, it’s a big however), these bad, bad memories have all been exorcised by the launch of two new Nokia mobile phones, both of which have touchscreens, and both of which are much, MUCH nicer…

Nokia 5800 – touching music

First up is a new entrant into Nokia’s Xpress family of music mobile phones, the gorgeous Nokia 5800. This one’s very definitely designed for music and media, as it has a dedicated XpressMedia button that brings up a list of shortcuts to music, videos, the web, and so on. Oh, and a 3.2 inch touchscreen, to actually watch/play with/use those different media. Basically, the Nokia 5800 is designed as a little handheld entertainment centre, and as music mobile phones go, this is easily one of the sexiest. The Nokia 5800 also comes with a 3 megapixel camera, HSDPA internet access and GPS, making it a brilliant all-round mobile phone, as well as a brilliant media player. Oh, and it has a lanyard to attach to imitation guitar plectrum. That rocks!

However, the Nokia 5800 is very definitely a mid-range mobile phone, it isn’t, nor was it ever meant to be, an absolute top-ender. That position falls to another…

Nokia N97 – the single best phone EVER made?

With the Nokia 5800 all set to bring touchscreen mobile phones to the mid-range market, that leaves a very big gap at the very top-end, and yes, there IS a touchscreen mobile phone on its way to fill that gap: the frankly awesome Nokia N97. This takes the same Symbian S60 Touch interface and crams it into the body of a proper, full on smartphone. So it has a bigger, 3.5 inch screen, a slide out QWERTY keyboard, and the camera’s been upgraded to 5 megapixels. The Nokia N97 is, in a very definite way, the new flagship Nseries mobile phone, and it really is as high-spec as the rumours had us believe, with HSDPA, GPS, digital compass, and built-in Flash, meaning you get an internet experience like no other mobile phones! Put simply the Nokia N97 is awesome. It gleefully relieves itself over other mobile phones and while the Nokia 5800 aims firmly for the mid-range, I am predicting that the Nokia N97 will DOMINATE the world next year!

Nokia’s first ever mainstream entry in the world of touchscreen phones is about to be released in the UK, and now, it’s time to see why this phone is so eagerly anticipated. Say hello to the Nokia 5800.

Phones we’d rather forget – Nokia’s early attempts at a touchscreen phone

A lot of people seem to be under the incorrect impression that the Nokia 5800 is the first touchscreen mobile phone Nokia have ever made. It’s not. Actually, there have been a few touch-based phones released under the Nokia badge. Beginning with the 7700, the world has seen a few Nokia mobile phones that work by you prodding and poking the screen. They had a relatively big (for the time) touchscreen in common, but unfortunately, they shared something else: they were utterly rubbish.

Only one of these mobile phones, the 6708, displayed any promise, but it was made exclusively for China, and thus, it never saw the light of day in these sceptred isles. Unfortunately, that meant that the phones we got were a poor breed, indeed. However, those bad recollections have now been removed due to the debut of a new Nokia mobile phone, which comes with a touchscreen, and which is considerably more alluring…

Nokia 5800 – musical genius

The first phone on the roster is a completely new member of Nokia’s Xpress line of music mobile phones, the mouth-watering Nokia 5800. This one’s pretty obviously designed for music and media, as it has a dedicated XpressMusic touch-key that opens a list of shortcuts to music, videos, the web, and more. Then, of course, the Nokia 5800 has a 3.2 inch touch-sensitive display, to actually play with all your media content. Essentially, the Nokia 5800 was created as a little handheld entertainment centre, and as music phones go, this is just about the sweetest. The Nokia 5800 also comes with a 3 megapixel camera, HSDPA internet connection and sat-nav, making it a wonderful all-round mobile phone, as well as a superb media gadget. Oh, and it has a lanyard to attach a fake guitar plectrum. Pointless, but brilliant.

So, is the new Nokia 5800 really the best touchscreen phone on the market? And how about it’s other life as a music phone (since it’s an XpressMusic handset, like its predecessor, the first phone to wear the Xpress badge, the Nokia 5310)? Well, there can be no doubt that the playback quality is simply exceptional on the Nokia 5800, with beautiful clear sound, and pumping bass. of course, the interface helps, too, since it makes accessing everything on the 5800 a breeze. All in all, then, the Nokia 5800 is one accomplished little mobile phones, and it’s very clear that Nokia have hit a home run with it!