Lucky eight

Cellphones, as you all know, are accessories that we cannot live without. Surely, anyone you know or even anyone you see walking down the street, in the mall or sitting beside you at the office or resto has a cellphone close by.

And, if the trends in the recent past are to be followed then obviously the cellphones are being targeted to unique niches. Take, for example, the fashion cellphones. There is the Vertu, top-of-the-line and top of the price range, too. The newer edition of these Vertus is loaded with diamonds and come in gold. Motorola has its Dolce & Gabbana line, and then there is the LG Prada, to name a few.

Yet, one only has to look back a few years to see that Nokia was actually the first cellphone manufacturer to have the foresight for highly priced and exquisitely designed cellphones. Mind you, it did not ride on the fame of an already established brand. Rather, the Finnish company worked with materials like titanium to make its 8800 and 8900 series phones the bling of choice.

It was in 1998 that Nokia introduced the Nokia 8810. You may remember that the slider phone was encased in silver. It cost a pretty peso even way back then. But for people who were into cellphones, this was the phone to have — because the phone spoke of elegance, both for the owner of the phone and the way it was constructed. Nokia called this cellphone an exclusive phone in a new exclusive category.

What makes a cellphone special?

For Nokia it is that the cellphone speaks to its owner of “belongingness.” A cellphone is a very personal possession. It is no wonder that Nokia goes for that understated sophistication, a type of breeding that comes with elegant simplicity.

A Nokia cellphone is one that is not only beautiful to have and to hold but it is an object that people bring, a sign of the type of person that they are.

There are people who prefer cellphones that can do everything that a techie nut desires. There are others that go for the cool colors and the hip ringtones. And then there are those who look to Nokia’s 8800 cellphones, these individuals who don’t need their cellphones to shout out that they have exquisite taste. That is what the Nokia 8800 is all about. Some people call it zen, others refer to it as minimalist, and for those who use the Nokia 8800, it is what they call class.

Two Nokia cellphones continue to capture the fancy of the lucky eight series users. They are the Nokia 8600 Luna and the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold.

Although the Luna is not available here it is interesting to note that this cellphone has been precision-engineered from the same material that has inspired both artists and craftsmen for centuries — glass.

I have been told by those few fortunate ones who have held the Nokia Luna that its design is a marvel to behold. It is a melding of opaque smoked glass with unique, soft-touch stainless steel, which make the cellphone enchanting. When the phone rings, the signature slide movement is carefully balanced to smoothly raise the ergonomic keypad from within its glass cocoon.

“An obsession to every detail marked each step in the development process of the Nokia 8600 Luna. We took painstaking effort to ensure that the experience delivered by every surface — from the smoothness of glass against the face to the warmth of the stainless steel in the palm to the superior tactile feedback of the keypad — would surpass any and all expectations,” said Alex Lambeek, Nokia vice president for mobile phones sales and portfolio management for the Asia-Pacific. “Even the name holds special significance. Much like the Nokia 8600 Luna that we named in her honor, Luna, the goddess of moonlight, was often represented by the Romans as a mysteriously captivating beauty encircled in a soft, yet radiant light.”

One wonders when the phone will finally make it to Philippine shores. 

A visit to any Nokia store and one cannot but be attracted to the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold — inspired by nature, and one of its most beautiful elements, gold. This gold cellphone is a bold and prestigious new style statement.

For starters, the Sirocco Gold is encased in 18-carat gold plating, which was crafted exclusively for it. And yes, the design combines timelessness with contemporary flair, resulting in an exclusive display of personal style and elegance. This blending of the strength and sensual beauty of nature is the inspiration for the entire Nokia 8800 Sirocco line. By enhancing this inspiration with gold — one of the most precious and enduring elements known to man — this harmonious blend of strength and beauty reaches a new level.

The Sirocco Gold is no lightweight. We mean that literally and figuratively. The movement of this slider is smooth and fluid. The ringtones are another classy affair. They are classical tones played on either guitar or piano. No super loud, annoying ringtones that could be a great distraction at a formal dinner.

For sure, the 8800 is for those who have attained a level of success in their lives, those who see and use the cellphone more possibly for making calls rather than for surfing the Web. Really, they must have someone else in their employ that does the surfing for them.

We have been informed by Nokia that the crafting of each Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold draws from techniques mastered over hundreds of years by watchmakers and jewelers. A smooth sliding mechanism reveals a high-resolution camera and the intuitive and ergonomic keypad. While beautiful, the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold is true to the “form follows function” mantra of Nokia designers and engineers.

The Nokia 8800 is the epitome of understated elegance. It never overshadows its user, rather it complements the elegant lifestyle of each individual fortunate enough to call it his own.