I believe my first posts on this site were in a previous thread discussing the N800's looks, and I suspect I made a particularly bad first impression. I stand by my views though.

In any case, I only own an N800 rather than a price-reduced-on-account-of-the-N800's-release 770 due to my partner-in-life. I'd wanted a 770 since they were first announced, but had resisted purchasing as reviews made it clear I'd be disappointed with the device's performance. However, the N800-induced price drop made the 770 an attractive toy. To me, that is. My partner-in-life declared the 770 ugly and instructed me to purchase an N800, even if it did cost more.

She's the one with the art degree, so I should defer to her sense of style. Particularly when it means I get to spend a bit more money for better computing power.

when i showed n800 to my friend, he said the shape and styling looks too old. I told him this is about two years old since launched!!
But personally, i prefer the shape of n800 with the dpad, two speakers all looking at you for your command !!

The N800 is ugly. I mean, seriously ugly. It's from a decade of home electronics I wanted to forget - right alongside pastel green kitchens and stucco houses.

The 770 reminded me of Coleco for some reason. But my N810, it's sleek enough to get attention and I wouldn't try to hide it.

I think ugly is too harsh, though I always thought it looked cheap. Since I have bought an n810 I have a newfound respect for my n800's retro look. It looks like a seventies design of a third millenium gadget.

It certainly looks cheap, yes.

I like the looks of the N810 much better.

BUT: The N810 is so much easier to operate! The D-pad and the menu button are a mess on the N810 - and I'm not only talking about their location here. On the N800 the D-pad was so easy to press you could actually use it. On the N810 it doesn't matter much it's hidden away, because even with the keyboard out it's hard work to press it and have it do want you want.

So N810 vs. N800 is a good example how functionality and user friendliness versus just good looks.

Thanks for your answers, guys !

When I first saw the n800 I thought it looked beautiful. But now compared to new modern devices it's defiantly a dated look. Not ugly, but not as beautiful as it use to be.

The screen shouldn't be recessed, and the device shouldn't be as thick. But, I like where the speakers are placed. I'd move some hardware buttons though.

Meh. Ugly is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. But I don't find any of them ugly. I will give the N800 credit for having a more utilitarian design, but mainly from differences regarding size, not style. (N810 must be small, so let's hide the D-pad, and make it so small my fingers run into each other on the bank when I hold it for two-thumbing.)

The styling, they're just different, neither one is ugly, but neither one's appearance is precisely sexy, either. (Both devices are sexy, but that's about a lot more than looks!)

Interesting; I have the same attitude about these stainless steel appliances that are all the rage these days. I mean, what's up with that?

I think we must agree to disagree about the beauty of my shiny toys, however. But that's OK.

I'm annoyed by all these glossy black plastic devices that are appearing everywhere. They're awful fingerprint magnets and they never look good after you've actually used them.

Matt plastic is always the most stylish option IMHO.