Nokia: 5800 XpressMusic Issues Are 'Isolated Problem'

Just days after the launch of the U.S. version of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic handheld, myriad technical problems have forced some stores to pull the model from their shelves. Nokia, however, said the difficulty the device is having connecting to AT&T's 3G network is a "very isolated incident."

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, a music-centric touch-screen handset, launched in the U.S. Friday after several months of availability abroad. The multimedia-focused device looks to rival the Apple iPhone 3G. Shortly after its U.S. release, users complained of not being able to connect to the 3G network. The problems forced Nokia to pull the device from flagship stores in New York and Chicago.

Nokia said it is looking into the issues and posted a statement on the Nokia Blog.

"We have learned that some Nokia 5800 XpressMusic devices are having issues with 3G performance," Nokia posted. "This is a very isolated problem concerning only the North American market and is not specific to any other region or country. We are currently investigating the matter further to find a quick remedy to the situation."

Nokia urges any 5800 XpressMusic users who experience 3G signaling issues to call Nokia Customer Care.

Nokia added that so far it appears only New York and Chicago are affected and devices in Dallas and Miami have been working fine.

"The investigation is ongoing on the device itself and the network used in these cases," Nokia wrote.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic offers a 3.2-inch touch-screen display with a "media bar" that acts as a drop-down menu for access to music and entertainment, along with a direct link to the Web. The handheld supports Flash and also features a graphic equalizer, 8 GB of memory for up to 6,000 songs and support for most digital music formats. The 5800 also offers a 3.5mm headphone jack and surround sound stereo speakers, a 3.2-megapixel camera and a new "contacts bar" that lets users highlight four favorite contacts on their home-screen and track a digital history of their text messages, e-mails, phone logs, photos and blog updates with one click.

The device also will soon offer Comes With Music, a service that lets subscribers download unlimited songs from millions of selections in the Nokia Music Store. Comes With Music is expected in the U.S. later this year.

The service, which will add about $100 to the cost of the phone, has raised questions around digital rights management (DRM) protection, since all songs in Nokia's library are DRM-protected, meaning users can play songs on a single phone and save one copy on one computer. DRM protects against unauthorized copies, but most digital music stores now offer DRM-free tunes, including Apple's iTunes. Record labels, however, are adamant about DRM-protected songs with subscription services.