Is the M8 worth it yet?

It's nice that the M8 has somewhat arrived, but it doesn't exactly seem worth it for me. It's still a beta product, and the bugs and unreliability concern me. I need a phone that's reliable and solid. The M6 didn't really matter since it wasn't as important, but the stability and reliability of the M8 is much more important since it is a phone.

I've heard that the web browser is not very good, and Wi-Fi doesn't work very well. To use Wi-Fi, you have to basically jailbreak the M8, which isn't something I'd really like to do. Also, the amount of applications that the M8 has compared to the iPhone is miniscule.

The main thing I will use the M8 for is web surfing via Wi-Fi, music, and of course phone calls and SMSing.

I don't know guys. Should I either get the M8 or an iPod touch 2G/3G (when the 3G comes out) and a new phone?

you've really given me the confidence to possibly give up on the m8. i was thinking that i was one of the only ones swaying on whether to buy the m8. i think the idea is great. get a famous phone, improve it, and because this is china, sell it cheaper! But i didnt want to end up like our good old, dear friend talhaismail.

Now that I see that someone who is seventh in the amount of posts made, is starting to ask the same question i asked (yes i had the iPod Touch idea too!) i might have too let go off a year long fantasy.

That post came right from the heart...

Well if you go by the development of the M6, you'll find quite a few firmware updates for the M8 and then a product that is ~85% complete and then the next product will come out.

Thats not saying apple makes products that are 100% complete at the end of their cycles, but I guess its all the extras that make it more complete. With the ipod touch/iphone you have a vast array of apps and the device has a pretty intuitive interface and a horrible EQ (not that I use EQ anyhow). I havent experienced any playback glitches, and itunes isn't the best way to transfer your music, but it does get the job done at the end of the day.

I personally avoid things that try to do too much for now as no one device succeeds being the best "all-in-one", Instead I like to have dedicated devices for separate tasks, such as a slim portable MP3 player and a slim but functional smartphone.

One additional consideration is also the battery life. If you spend ~1/4 of the day listening to music, is there enough battery remaining to make phonecalls and browse the net using WiFi on the one device?

I would be in the camp that says if you don't really need a PMP with barely useable smartphone features then hold off on the M8; most of the users who have the phone mostly are hardcore pmp people... and it shows by the development efforts (however excellent) that phone/organizer is a second thought for M8 users - also given the average age of the M8 user IMHO.
I took the plunge uninformed and have to live with it, but anyone making an informed decision should know that the phone is more a hobbyist item at this time, if you are inside China and familiar with the language, then it may be another story.
I am going to give the M8 some time, and continue using it... its a cool product to own and i am getting used to it; the best was watching a full movie while waiting for an oil change, something i have never done before on a handheld.

Little of-topic: There is no such thing as Ipod Touch 2G or 3G. If you mean GENERATION than maybe there will be the second generation. As you can see in iPhone 3G doesn't mean third generation, it means it supports 3G network.

Idd agree that the M8 is about 85% there, but not in hardware, the design is very good and fully functioning, not like one of the volume buttons keep gliching all the time. And from what i know the Bluetooth and WiFi chips work just fine, although 0.9 firmware makes the WiFi almost useless, idd bet that 1.0 will fix that, or come close.
And the lack of 3G doesnt concern me, since the average user doesnt get to use 3G more than 10min at a time, which most can go without. Only WiFi needed in my mind, since most people do have a WiFi network at home, at least here in DK.
And as for the current features, the Iphone cant beat it at the moment, since the M8 can play almost all video and sound formats, no converting there. (Take that apple! xD)
And with the 720x480 resolution and ability to take 3.2mp pics and record video out of the box does it for me, also the stereo speakers are a deffinet plus, along with its EQ.
To hell with the lack of european characters, it should be fixable with so simple C++ or C# programming
All in all, i think the M8 is worth it at the moment, only things bugging me is the currently poor WiFi and lack of EU characters, hopes up for 1.0.

Originally Posted by szonek

Little of-topic: There is no such thing as Ipod Touch 2G or 3G. If you mean GENERATION than maybe there will be the second generation. As you can see in iPhone 3G doesn't mean third generation, it means it supports 3G network.

The iPod 2G is already out, maybe I'll wait half a year or so for the 3G. I need a good tool for organization, which will make my life a lot easier, so that will probably given to the smartphone. I just need a fully functional phone with/and PMP, but they both need to be solid products that are worth my cash.

Also, several years ago, the exchange rate from CAD to RMB was around 7.5. Now it's around 5.5. The M8's 2380RMB price tag went from 317.77CAD to 427.171CAD. I can get a solid phone and PMP for less. My current plan is this:
$150 for a Sony Ericsson W580(i)
$200 for a iPod touch 2G 8GB

With the tax it will cost 395.50CAD. That's less than the M8 by itself.

yep, I would take the phone and PMP separately for now. With the exchange rates being really bad, (depending on where you live) it may or may not be worth it to order stuff internationally.

I mean, the amount of apps for the iPod/iPhone that have been developed, surely I can find a good application for calendar, and Apple will probably update the iPod's own calendar feature sooner or later. It's just that getting an exotic phone means getting anything for it, whether it be a battery or a docking station, will also be exotic, and a pain in the butt to find and acquire.

I don't want to be one of those people who go nananana I gave up on the M8 and bought a different phone, but... I just got the Sony Ericsson W580i yesterday for about 170CAD. It works for a phone, and an impromptu music player, although the music features are lacking and the sound output isn't too clear. It's not like that I wanted a combination unit anymore, so this is fine.

Now just to wait for the 3rd generation of iPod touch to come out and read some of the reception. Sorry guys, but a phone that often can't even make phone calls correct will not cut it for me. I'm still staying at the forums for a while, helping people out with technical issues and observing the progress of the M8. Of course, I won't say anything along the lines of "omfg teh M8 sukkkz soooo badlyyyyyyy so glad i get teh w589I its sooooooo much betta u guyz all sukkz". I'll see what I can do to help with M8 users as well.

Just looking at your username, most would guess "omfg teh M8 sukkkz soooo badlyyyyyyy so glad i get teh w589I its sooooooo much betta u guyz all sukkz" would be something along the lines of what you would say . No need to say sorry either, it's not like you have to own a Meizu product to be on the forums. Look at me, I have owned my share of iPods (5 to be exact), albeit I never payed a cent directly to that money-loving Apple.

Of course you don't need a Meizu product to be on the forums, DusL has an iPod touch and iPhone 3G. One of the main reasons I registered here was to find out when the M8 was released, but I decided to contribute something in the process. Also, I agree, JkPwNsTeR as an alias doesn't really seem that I will say anything constructive.

hi,guys. i'm chinese. i've got one.
i come here to learn English,haha

Welcome to the forums! Ni shou zhong wen ma? Probably, maybe not Mandarin. Just remember, you should only post in English in the English forums.

I did own a m6 though before getting the iTouch and iPhone3G.
Also i'm ocasionally still checking this forum out, even with the lack of posts recently.

That aside, I happily heard about the iPhone 3.0 firmware announcement and I had to say, not bad. Apple decided to listen to us and added a bunch of features. With still the m8 in the back of my mind its 'firmware advantages' (copy-paste, navigation etc) is back on the iPhone-level again.

Which makes me wonder the same question, how good is the m8 right now?
Still have the feeling the firmware isn't as near as it should be for a complete product.

iPod Touch 2G has been jailbroken, its going to be really hard to pass up for anyone now hehe

Custom themes, free apps and all the like, what more could one want?