Should you Pre-order Nokia N8 from @NokiaIndia ?

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Even if many might have pre-ordered Nokia N8 and its really getting hard to hold the temptation to buy the camera flagship device of the mobile world, but if you look closer then sure there are many doubts that raises the question that should you buy Nokia N8 right now?

It has nothing to do with the biased reviews coming from some leading blogs or from someone, whom with all due respect, I should only call “Bitch in heat”. No!!! I still very much buying Nokia N8 coz its the best out there to serve my needs, but question is about the time. Do you really need to get it before everyone?

Preorder 


Firstly, what is a Pre-order?

As per NokiaPreordering a product means you’ll be one of the first to receive it after it’s released. As soon as the product is in stock, we will process and ship your order to you.

Nokia N8 is available on Pre-order for Indian Customers since September 29, 2010 on the site given below

Pre-rder

While Nokia Priority dealers asking for Rs. 2000/- or Rs. 1000/-for the pre-order amount, I am not sure that if there is a proper process of dealing this systematically in India at least. At least most of the dealers are not providing you a proper receipt or order no. (their sites are providing one, but not the priority dealers in Delhi at least). The one I visited, is only offering a local receipt from their shop name only.

Yes! you can assume that the process is still reliable, but …


Nokia N8 price, Is it decent to buy?

Sure, a price of Rs. 25000/- is not much, if you are in a world, where Samsung Galaxy sells in Rs. 29000/- and ridiculously binding you in pricy app world Apple iPhone 3GS selling in like Rs. 35000/-, but still the price at which Nokia N8 is going to launched on week 1, is no where near what they promised in April. That was Rs. 21, 500/- without taxes for god sake. Are you saying that you are charging Rs. 4, 500/- as taxes?

It will sure hurt many to buy the device in like Rs. 26, 000/- or Rs. 25, 000/-, when they were expecting in much lesser. Nokia sure loosing the USV of Nokia N8 on price point at least. If you ask me, then price of Rs. 22, 500/- was kind of reasonable.

Specially when you know that within a month, it will sell on that price, then are you ready to pay extra 2-3k for just getting it before a month? Remember Nokia N900 was announced at a price Rs. 30, 600/- and now its selling on Rs. 24, 500/-


Some of the cruel facts about pre-order …

  1. You do not get any special discount or bundled accessories or anything. I asked @NokiaIndia and they just said this, nothing else.

    nokiaIndia

  2. Booking early means paying the highest price that the device can ever get and most of the time, you pay MRP. Remember recently they launched Nokia C6-00 in Rs. 15, 600/- and within a week other retailers selling it in Rs. 13, 300/-.
  3. Even if we talk about authenticity of the device or guarantees associated with the device, then Nokia priority dealers are nothing special but a bunch of money suckers. They only provide you whatever come standard from Nokia, while the other dealers not only offer you way better price, but bundled accessories, even greater maintenance cover for the device and a much dignified gesture as a customer.

Oops!! I already did the Pre-order, what’s the way to go from here?

Yup! I understand. Many might have done so. the way to go is to wait a little. Even if you have pre-ordered, you are not forced to buy right then on the day one. If I know right, then you have 60 days in hands till when your deposit wont be consumed by them.

You might even ask for refund citing a valid reason, though that chance would be limited as they already have given you their shot that price might be max 26k and if its even 25.9k, you wont be entitled to pull back on this particular cause.

You will get a call from Nokia Priority Dealer that device is available at the store. You sure can delay the visit to Nokia Priority store for like a week and could keep on confirming the prices from other retailers (though I doubt that at least N8 gonna be available with them real soon like one week). Sure, you will still pay higher, but after a week or two, it should be in few hundreds rather than thousands.


I don’t wanna to be mean with Nokia, but honestly, I tried hard to understand the point of pre-ordering a device that will be anyway available in much lower price with other retailers within half a month, even if I understand the restlessness of holding the temptation to touch best camera phone ever.

Please offer me your views, if you ever find any profit of buying a device from a Nokia Priority Dealer leave alone the pre-order thing.

Note that I am talking about India and specially New Delhi.  May be others find some pleasant experiences as well. Do tell me, if you think otherwise or in same ways as me.

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A Visit to Nokia Priority Dealer in Delhi-N8, C1, C6 and E5

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Finally after so much hue and cry about Nokia N8 and even talking to few of local dealers, I decided to visit the nearest Nokia Priority center to know the real situation in hands and visited the nearest Nokia Priority Center in New Delhi.

Let me summarize all the info that I got today …


Nokia N8 Pre-Order, Availability and Price in India:

Not in the whole world, but there are huge confusions about the availability of Nokia N8 in India as well. Some saying 15 October, some saying 8 October and some even calling that it will come by November.

Let me make it a full stop here.

1. Nokia N8 is expected to be available on all Nokia Priority dealers by October 15, 2010.
2. Pre-order customers will receive the device by October 8, 2010 or October 10, 2010 max.
3. It wont be available over other stores than NPD’s before November due to huge demands.
4. Pre-orders have began by September 29, some asking 1000 INR, some 2000 INR as deposit.
5. Final price is not clear as of now, but max is 26k or if believe @gauravh1 then 25k.
6. Pre-order customers will receive call about availability and could purchase within 2 months.

 

Take a look over Nokia N8 dummies at S.D. Enterprises, Gita Colony, New Delhi, which I seen…

Nokia N8 Black (my personal favorite)

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Nokia N8 Orange (second favorite of many, I guess its a little darker than the expectations)

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Nokia N8 Green (Not one of my favorite, but I seen many loving it as well)

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The NPD I visited had no dummies of Silver or Blue and though same might raise the doubt that if they are launching with all the five colors or not, but there are official words from @NokiaIndia that they are actually launching it with all five possible colors. Obviously, they don’t want to be like Apple.

As of now, there is no word over additional accessories or bundled offers. But following are on offer …

1. Free navigation is coming for all with latest version of Ovi Maps that will be 3.06
2. Nokia Push mail will be available for lifetime free that too with default HTML support.
3. Nokia Music Services as of now, not coming for free, though some will be preloaded there.
4. There will many great apps pre-installed like Joikuspot and Gravity trial (free versions)
5. As Vox has been closed, Nokia as of now has opted out from Share Online feature. Disappointing.
6. No big game coming with the package, not even free ones.
7. As of now, no news if they will bundle Bluetooth Headset for even pre-order customers.
8. Nokia isn’t giving
the stylus with Nokia N8, makes you think which countries then?

Well!! take it my personal opinion or something, but I found Nokia N8 a little smaller in shape than I was expecting it to be. I mean, I have spend full 15 days with Nokia N900 and that screen always looked huge. May be it the compact exteriors or something but pics always looked big. Should say, its completely pocket-able and Sorry folks, to whom I always said that 4” or 5” devices would be insane. Yes! we wont mind a 4” or 5”, if that keeps the same level of compactness as SGS or iPhone or Nokia N8 have.


Nokia E5 Availability and Price in India

Yes!! very much anticipated Nokia E5 already on Nokia Priority stores on a price 11, 800 INR. Though its disappointing to see that prices on NPDs are always much higher than the market price, but at the same time, its obvious too. Market works that way. but still.. As per info from other dealers, you can make a deal on 11, 200 INR minimum for Nokia E5.

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There was no dummy of the same thing there, so I asked them for the box itself. Of course, I wasn’t allowed to open up the same. The green area on the front is highlighting the social integration here, like once Nokia was highlighting free lifetime navigation.

Definitely having a hard to hold my urge to buy one, though disappointing that like Nokia E72, this one also not coming with default HTML support.


Nokia E5 Availability and Price in India

While touch has gotten another name now days; Symbian^3, Nokia has also putting devices like Nokia C6-00 on offer. I wonder what effect this one would have caused, if would have arrived a little earlier. While there are still many reasons to discuss on paper about Nokia E5, for convincing someone to buy Nokia C6-00, you will be needed to focus on price point mostly.

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While @NokiaIndia mentioning the price as 15,600 INR, I found that its actually selling on 13, 800 INR from NPDs and even lower from the other dealers, probably 13, 400 INR minimum. Not a bad buy for newly smart phone users interested in touch and type.

The dummy I got to see was of the color white, though I would have liked to see Black one specially, but still what I see from the dummy only, at such a price point and build, its sure ready to take on over Nokia 5800.


Two more new handset spotted there were Nokia C3-00 and Nokia C1-00. Last time, I seen a light colored C3-00 and this time, it was my favorite black one here. Must say, that is the best thing you could gift someone, who don’t care about high end things like Maps or Internet and for later on..  it got wi-fi on it.

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Nokia C1-00 was the phone, the NPD guy was actually selling to someone right then, when I reached. I didn’t asked the price, though took the dummy of same in hands once to take a feel of it. Felt something like Nokia 2600 from past.


By the way, the journey to that Nokia Priority dealer was completely guided by Ovi Maps.

Ovi Maps

Though at a moment, I was completely frustrated by the fact that why Nokia India chosen to provide dealership to such an interiorly location shop than the earlier bigger shop that was located in Laxmi Nagar Main Market.

I must say, even if you are in around 50 meters away from the place, it might happen that stupid people out there will say that they never heard of the address I am talking about. You need maps in your phone, take your preference, go Nokia, go Ovi or go Android and go Google…. but have a GPS enabled phone for sure.

 

So, this was the story of my visit to a Nokia Priority dealer today. Hope it will solve many of the queries from you people and will save a visit on your behalf. Have a nice time waiting for Nokia N8. Keep tuned in.