The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic launched last week in the U.S. could have become a potential alternative to Apple's iPhone, if only it had stayed on shelves long enough. After buyers reported crippling connectivity problems, Nokia has pulled the U.S. version of the phone off its shelves and is trying to find a quick fix to the complaints.
Nokia sells the 5800 phones for $400 as an unlocked and unsubsidized device in the U.S. and the phone is available only through the company's stores.
"We have learned that some Nokia 5800 XpressMusic devices are having issues with 3G performance," said a Nokia spokesperson in a statement. "This is a very isolated problem concerning only the North American market and is not specific to any other region or country."
The problems come at a time when Nokia is struggling to expand its market share in the U.S. "For them to be having these kind of issues does not bode well," says Michael Gartenberg, vice president of strategy and analytics at market research firm Interpret. "This was a big product launch for them."
Nokia launched the 5800 Xpress phone in Europe last year to great success. The phone was billed as the company's first touchscreen device for the mass market. It also includes free year long access to any music as part of the company's 'Comes With Music' service. Barely weeks after its launch, Nokia said it sold 1 million 5800 XpressMusic phones.
In the U.S., the phone made its debut last week without any carrier support. But soon after, some users said they couldn't get the phone to connect to AT&T's 3G network. The 5800 logged on to the EDGE network without any reported problems.
Nokia's decision to brave it alone in the U.S. is likely to now hurt the company, says Gartenberg. " Something like this underscores the importance of the carrier relationship with the handset vendor," he says. "If Nokia calls AT&T over 3G problems, it is not going to get a very quick response because this is not an officially supported handset."
Nokia claims only users in New York and Chicago are affected, while in Dallas and Miami, devices are reportedly working fine. Currently only European versions of the 5800 XpressMusic phones are available in Nokia stores.
The company is investigating to find a "quick remedy," says a Nokia spokesperson.
Meanwhile, a few users have also reportedly complained about problems with the earpiece that comes with the 5800 phone. Nokia did not acknowledge or comment on those complaints.
See also:
Nokia's Upcoming Music Phone Takes a Shot at Apple
*Photo: (Manu Contreras/Flickr)
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