14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago, on October 3 for a bit more clarity, Nokia was officially launching the much awaited Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, also known as the Nokia “Tube.” Naturally, given the high level of anticipation, everybody was really excited about the news – until they found out that the phone was not going to be out on the market this fall or this winter.
Nokia later announced that the phone would first be made available on only a few emerging markets like India, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia and Spain. This, of course, means that the US and Europe won't be get the “Tube” this year.
Now, the Nokia Tube is making the headlines yet again, as it just got the FCC's approval, so this should qualify as good news, at least for the US, right? Well, yes and no.
It seems that the model that got the federal OK is not the HSDPA 850 / 1900 version, which means that no high speed data access will be enabled. This, in turn, translates into no Internet and no full use of the phone's capabilities. Also, this might be a sign that the model that passed testing is yet another one designed for US emerging markets, since the FCC gives the thumbs up for all 50 US states but also for the District of Columbia and US possessions.
Obviously, it seems that nothing is one hundred percent certain when it comes to this phone, except for the fact that the US and Europe won't be getting it too soon. Then again, US and Europe “Tube” fans might think that not getting the phone could be a good thing, since it’s some sort of guarantee that, by the time it reaches them, the device will certainly be thoroughly tested and that all the problems that it might have will be long discovered and solved. For users here, the options are simple: either find consolation in this or embark on a holiday shopping trip to the emerging markets. So, how about a trip to Spain for the holidays?