Nokia N8 review: First look

The Nokia N8 also supports tethering, so you can use your phone as a modem for your laptop when you're out of range of a Wi-Fi connection. It's a feature offered by an increasing number of manufacturers Apple offers it with the iPhone and it will come natively with Android 2.2, providing your network supports it and you've paid any subscription fees. Setting up this feature was very easy and didn't require fiddling around with the network settings. You can't turn the N8 into a MiFi-style portable router though, as you can with Android 2.2 phones.

Although Nokia's email application may not be as advanced as the one on BlackBerry phones, it does support a wide range of services, including webmail and Exchange. The latter is dependent on Nokia's Mail for Exchange app (MfE) which keeps your mail, calendars and contacts synched between your phone and Exchange server. MfE is simple to set up and use. You can view your calendars and email or create a new email by tapping on the drop down tabs at the top of the screen.

Overall, the Nokia N8's hardware feels just as impressive as its operating system. The front of the smartphone is dominated by the touchscreen, with just one hardware button below the screen that doubles as both the home and menu keys. The AMOLED screen measures 3.5in and has a resolution of 360x640 pixels. It looks crystal clear and it feels responsive and accurate.