Nokia N8 smartphone

WHEN does a phone become too much? When it plays high-definition movies on your TV, or when it tells you how to drive in your own voice?

In its war against the iPhone, mobile phone giant Nokia is relying on giving its customers as many features as heavenly possible.

Perhaps, even, more than they really want.

The new Nokia N8 smartphone is packed to the brim with hi-tech tricks that range from brilliant to bizarre.

Due to hit Australian shores later this year, it will sell for $749, which puts it in the same ball park as the iPhone.

Here's our list of the N8's five most opulent features. You tell us — is it over the top?

Personalised GPS

The N8 has turn-by-turn GPS, which is great. But what's a little scary is that you can record your own audio to be played back as you drive.
In other words, you can sit there with your phone, record your own lines for 57 different possible driving instructions, and then listen to yourself yelling at you when you make a wrong turn.

The voice on the demo unit we tried said, in a surfie's voice: "Speed camera ahead dude! Either slow down or say cheese."

Nokia said customers could replace it with a recording of their husband or wife telling them how to drive. That sounds great, Nokia.

HDMI output

Despite the fact that connecting a gadget designed for mobility to a giant TV set seems a bit silly, the N8 lets you output video in HDMI.

That's what you'd usually use to connect a Blu-ray player, or something like a PlayStation 3, to an expensive HD TV, and it's designed specifically to do it in super-high definition.

Most phones can't output video at all, let alone in HDMI. And why would they? Do your home videos really need to be shown in 720p?