Nokia PureView 808 a true media-capture device

FRESH off the heels of introducing its flagship Lumia phone and (its subsequent lower-end models), Nokia has unveiled yet another device bound to raise eyebrows in the industry.

The Nokia PureView 808, the latest phone powered by the Symbian operating system that the Finnish company is phasing out for Windows, raises the bar in the camera-centric smartphone game with a monstrous 41-megapixel cameraphone.

While Symbian isn't the most attention grabbing or competitive operating system out there, Nokia's PureView technology is worth a mention nonetheless, with the 808 embedded with a sensor that is three times the size of most compact cameras in the market.

Experts and professional photographers will say that more megapixels doesn't necessarily mean better image quality. However, Nokia claims that through a new oversampling technology the 808 is able to utilise the high pixel count to create typically-sized images taken by five- or eight-megapixel cameraphones, but without the noise and pixelation when zoomed in.

The company sums up the technology's benefits clearly in its Conversations blog: "(It) isn't about shooting pictures the size of billboards! Instead, it's about creating amazing pictures at normal, manageable sizes."

It is possible to shoot photos in up to a maximum of 38 megapixels, but the massive file sizes aren't recommended for uploading on a 3G network. It seems like Nokia is touting the 808 as a true media-capture device in every sense with the ability to shoot videos as 1080p and save stills at the same time.

On top of that, it also has what Nokia calls Rich Recording, a CD-like recording capability that can capture audio at up to 140 decibels (equivalent to a gunshot in close range). According to a blogger's account of a demo at Nokia's news conference during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, "you could literally hear each individual rice corn falling onto the floor".

A single core 1.3 GHz CPU, a 4-inch, 360 x 640 pixel screen, 512 MB of RAM and 16 GB of storage spells out the rest of the 808's rather mid-range specficiations.

The excitement surrounding the new camera technology however was quickly abated following the revelation of Nokia's choice of Symbian to run the rather bulky 808. Symbian has lost many fans over the years after failing to catch up with other players like Android and iOS in many aspects, such as the app market.

That said, a Lumia PureView phone (which I imagine would be much sleeker while retaining the impressive media-capturing capabilities) would have made a better combination and attract the interest of a broader market. Nokia, however, has not ruled out the possibility and said the technology will be incorporated into more Nokia handsets in the future, including Windows.

The views expressed by the author are his own and do not reflect the views of The Brunei Times.

The Brunei Times