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Nokia Messaging comes to the Nokia 5800 in May

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

In conjunction with the Web 2.0 Expo and shown in action at CTIA 2009, Nokia announced that it has added Windows Live Hotmail support to Nokia Messaging.

Nokia Messaging is a free, downloadable application that lets you access up to 10 personal e-mail accounts on a Nokia device, all of which organized under a single icon. The app also supports Yahoo, Gmail, and AOL Mail, among others.

In addition, the Hotmail integration, the company also said it will add Nokia Messaging support to the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic starting in May. Currently, the app is available on 20 Nokia models worldwide, including the Nokia E71, Nokia E65, and Nokia N79, and will work on the upcoming Nokia E55, Nokia N97, and Nokia N86 8MP.

Updated at 10:15 PST Tuesday, March 3, with comment from Nokia.

Technical problems with the U.S. version of the newly launched Nokia 5800 music mobile phone have led flagship stores in New York and Chicago to pull the model, according to PC World. For now, U.S. customers have to settle for a European version instead.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)

Nokia announced the new Nokia 5800 Xpress Music's availability in the United States Friday. Positioned as a rival to Apple's iPhone, the phone is a music device with a touch-screen interface, priced at $399 before taxes and subsidies in the U.S.

But according to PC World, the U.S. launch has been interrupted by consumer complaints that the earpiece is not properly protected against moisture, which ruins the speaker. Users have also reported difficulties connecting to AT&T's 3G network, and many customers have reportedly already returned their phones.

Following its introduction in October 2008, the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music has seen successful sales in a number of markets, including Hong Kong and Moscow, where the device sold out within hours of the sales kickoff, Nokia said.

Responding to complaints about the 3G network, Nokia said in a statement: "We are aware that some consumers have reported difficulties connecting with the 3G network when using the North American variant of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic device. We are looking into the cause of this now. In the meantime, we have temporarily suspended sales of the North America variant."

The Finnish company previously told Mobile-Review.com that it shifted to a new earpiece supplier and that the earpiece problem should be fixed with models shipped after January.

As for connections to the 3G network, with Nokia's slogan of "connecting people," one hopes the company also works that one out.

The Nokia 5800 looks more than promising.

(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CBS Interactive)

While some manufactures (hello Samsung) rushed headlong into the touch-screen phone craze, other manufacturers were more cautious. For example, just look at Nokia. Though the cellular giant pumps out phones by the dozen, it wasn't until the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music that the company explored touch-screen cell phones with gusto (the Nokia 810 doesn't count). Positioned as a rival to the Apple iPhone, the 5800 is packed with a range of multimedia features. And it all comes in a sharp, slim package with an expansive touch screen.

Of course, we were very excited when we first heard about the phone, so when Nokia gave us the opportunity to look at a prototype, we jumped at the chance. Since it's not a production model, and it doesn't have final software, we won't have an official CNET rating, but we can report that the 5800 looks very promising. The design is attractive and easy to use, and the loaded feature set is impressive. And though we weren't able to test the Nokia Music Store, its music player should be top-notch. We didn't give the phone a full run through to gauge its performance, but we look forward to seeing a final version just the same. For more, check out our Nokia 5800 hands-on or see our Nokia 5800 photo slide show.

Most people will have to wait until 2009 for the Nokia 5800.

(Credit: Nokia)

When Nokia introduced its new 5800 Xpress Music on Thursday, it promised that the device would ship to Europe and Asia during the fourth quarter of this year. Reuters, however, is now reporting that the touch-screen music phone will miss the holiday shopping season in most markets.

According to the report, the 5800 will arrive only in India, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, and Spain by the end of the year. Other countries, including the United States and Canada, will have to wait until 2009.

The Nokia 5800 sports an eye-catching design.

(Credit: Nokia)

While LG and Samsung were quick to play their touch-screen phone cards after the release of the first iPhone, Nokia has been holding its hand close. That is, until now. On Thursday, the Finnish company announced the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music, an eye-catching slim touch-screen phone that looks vaguely like you-know-what. Though Nokia is quick to dismiss the iPhone comparisons, they are obvious, and analysts across the board are making them.

See our Nokia 5800 Xpress Music slide show for a full gallery of shots.

On the outside there's an expansive (3.2 inches) touch screen with tactile feedback that serves as the primary interface tool. There are also three physical buttons--Talk and End keys and a menu control--but this device is all about getting touchy-feely. The outside is mostly black but you'll be able to exercise a bit of personal style by choosing from three versions--each has a thin colored ring in either gray, red, or blue. At 4.31 by 2.04 by 0.61 inches and 3.85 ounces, the 5800 Xpress Music falls between the iPhone and the LG Dare in size and weight. Exterior controls include a volume rocker, a dedicated power button, and a camera shutter.

The Nokia 5800 as a music player.

(Credit: Nokia)

Features are more like the Dare than the iPhone. Inside you'll find a 3.2-megapixel camera with video recording and a Carl Zeiss lens, messaging, stereo Bluetooth, a microSD card slot, 81MB of internal memory, USB mass storage, personal organizer apps, a speakerphone, a 3.5mm headset jack, assisted GPS, a music player, and PC syncing. It's also a full world phone with support for four GSM bands and two HSDPA bands. On the whole, that's a loaded feature set.

Getting music on the 5800 Xpress Music should be easy. Besides the traditional methods of syncing with a PC (via Windows Media Player 11) or transferring songs via Bluetooth or a memory card, you'll also be able to access songs over the air from Nokia's music store using the company's new Comes With Music service.

(Credit: Nokia)

By now, you've heard about the Nokia 5800 Xpress Music, which was announced at the Nokia Remix event in London on Wednesday. Sure, the main headline may be the 5800's touch screen (a first for Nokia's cell phone line), but the handset isn't all about looks; it's got musical talent too.

Like the company's other Xpress Music phones, including the Nokia 5610 Xpress Music and the Nokia 5310 Xpress Music, the 5800 offers some advanced multimedia capabilities, particularly in the music category, but unlike previous models, the 5800 steps it up with the Nokia's Comes With Music service. What the heck is that you ask? Good question.

To provide a little background first, Nokia first unveiled its plans for the service back in December 2007. Nokia Comes With Music isn't an add-on service, but rather comes preloaded on select devices and gives you a year of unlimited access to any songs from the Nokia Music Store. Everything's included in the price of the handset; there are no additional subscription fees.

To give you a better idea of what is and isn't offered by the service, we've compiled this short Q&A about Comes With Music, which were answered with the help of a Nokia representative. Also, if you have a question about Nokia Comes With Music that wasn't covered here, please feel free to post it in the comments section and we'll do our best to get answered for you.

Q: Comes With Music lets customers buy an unlimited number of tracks from the Nokia Music Store but are there any limitations or restrictions?'
A: Comes With Music gives people a year of unlimited access to the Nokia Music Store catalog--from millions of tracks from a wide range of artists, including international hits and local talent--with the capability to keep all downloaded tracks.

Q: After a year, what's the cost to continue the service?
A: Once the Comes With Music first year service has expired, users can keep all the music they've downloaded and continue to update their collection with a la carte purchases. Pricing of a la carte depends on the Nokia Music Store pricing in the various regions.

Q: Will the tracks just be limited to use on the phone or can they downloaded to users' computers as well?
A: Nokia provides seamless access to a world of music--people can download music directly to their Comes With Music device or via their compatible personal computer. Plus, people can easily transfer tracks and playlists between their Nokia device and computer using the Nokia Music for PC software.