The Nokia 5800 Community
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone may have been the fledgling touch screen handset from the undisputed kings of the mobile phone world, but it still managed to garner some critical acclaim as well as public popularity. As you might expect, this kind of attention has generated a large user base with diverse tastes and needs. There are several social networking groups with thousands of members dedicated to the Nokia 5800 and it is because of its versatility and value that it has continued to sell well despite being superseded by alternatives from Nokia as well as other manufacturers. As such you should expect to see widespread support for the Nokia 5800 well into the future, even when its glory days are but a distant memory.
People invest considerable sums when buying mobiles and a certain degree of loyalty to given handsets is therefore to be expected. Although Nokia has gone off the boil somewhat at the top end, it still owns the mid ranged and lower priced handset markets thanks to a combination of stylish and functional handsets. The Nokia 5800 is one such device and owners will be able to download plenty of excellent user-generated themes, wallpapers and applications online.
The best thing about the unofficial, free themes and wallpapers is that they are not restricted by the usual corporate partnerships and loyalties. As such you can make your 5800’s interface look exactly the way you want it. For example, there are plenty of wallpapers and themes which emulate or parody the look of Microsoft Windows 7. There are also many which suggest that perhaps Nokia’s handsets are a little better than those offered by their rivals. The level of ingenuity displayed by the members of the 5800 community is impressive and there are some highly professional-looking themes and wallpapers out there.
The community is also good at filtering out the lower quality items from the vast array of customised content available. Most decent sites not only offer free downloads, but will let you know how many other Nokia 5800 users have downloaded a particular file. You may also be able to rate the content in order to influence its ranking and dictate its popularity. Applications are also an important part of the 5800’s popularity.
One essential app that many Nokia 5800 users will find compelling is SymTorrent. This app works will all recent mobile phones running the Symbian operating system, but it is particularly useful when used in conjunction with the 5800 because of the built-in Wi-Fi connectivity. SymTorrent, as the name suggests, is a Peer to Peer downloading program that allows the 5800 to connect to multiple other users to share and download files. Since the 5800 is primarily a music phone, this is a great way in which to share your tracks. This technology also underpins one of the 5800’s other major uses; namely as a platform for unsigned artists to promote themselves and share their music. Using P2P networks requires a dedicated community and faster speeds can be achieved if your track becomes popular. However, with the Nokia 5800 already in the pockets of music fans around the world, it is easy to tap into a specific, music-loving market.
The Nokia 5800 community is not solely concerned with the audio capabilities of this device. There are also some clever individuals online who are ready to help you make the most out of the Wi-Fi connectivity in a slightly different way. Because the built-in Wi-Fi means that it is easy to connect your Nokia 5800 to your PC and transfer files, it is also possible to tether your 5800 to your PC as an external hard drive. You will need to download and install the Web Server app for the 5800 and there are plenty of tutorials to take you through the process online. Once that is set up you can map the 5800 as a network drive using WebDrive, also available for download online. This is obviously a quick and easy way to backup and share files between your PC and your Nokia 5800. All of this information is available and made possible because of the widespread community support for the 5800.
The 5800 community is not limited to merely the production of wallpapers, themes and apps. It also acts as a forum for exchanging views and opinions on apps and programs. For example, if you have seen a game or an app for the 5800 that you are interested in buying, but you do not want to risk any hard earned cash without a second opinion, then a quick search of a 5800 community site will almost invariably help you to locate detailed information. Someone else will usually have played the game or used the app and will have shared their thoughts with others.
The same applies to any problems that you may be experiencing with your 5800. Whilst the Nokia support site is highly regarded and you can post on the official forum if you are looking for professional advice, this can be a slow process. On the other hand, community sites dedicated to the 5800 are often populated by keen users who are always ready to help out another Nokia owner who has encountered a similar problem. This will also help immensely if you have come across a particularly rare issue which may not be covered by official FAQs or message boards.
Tags: nokia, nokia 5800