NAM Version of Nokia 5800 Goes on Sale in US Now

CHECK UPDATES BELOW
The North American version of Nokia 5800 is available now at Nokia Flagship Stores in Chicago and NYC. The stores began selling the XpressMusic phone today one day ahead of schedule.

The NAM version of Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is priced at $399. Sure, you’ve been able to score a $349 Euro unit for a while now, but if you have really waited long for a US 3G model of Nokia 5800, here it is available now for an extra $50.

The North American variant features quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) support, as well as dual-band UMTS (850/1900MHz) support for North American 3G networks such as AT&T and Rogers.

Congrats to those who took advantage of the pre-order discount opportunity this past Valentine’s Day while the phone was available at $339-359 in US. Those coupons are not working anymore. The pre-ordered phones are likely to ship in next few days.

So if you are in US, will you be visiting the Nokia stores now? Let us know

UPDATE (Feb 27):
We posted this US launch news even before any official declaration from Nokia as soon as we got the word. However, today Nokia officially released a press note about the US release of the handset and some included goodies.

For a limited time, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will also come with a 50 USD voucher for Amazon Video on Demand which allows you to download thousands of movies or TV titles as well as one month of free turn-by-turn voice guided navigation through Ovi Maps.

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will be available for approximately 399 USD before taxes and subsidies in the U.S. through Nokia Flagship stores in New York and Chicago, nokiausa.com and independent retailers and e-tailers.

“When it comes to music phones, people all over the world want a device that is a great music experience and still works really well as a mobile phone, without sacrificing features,” said Ian Laing, Vice President, North America Sales, Nokia. “The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic delivers on this and has clearly proven to be a device that consumers are clamoring for – selling more than one million worldwide since its introduction a few months ago.”

Check Full Press Release Here

UPDATE (Feb 28):
Its sad to inform you all but we are hearing word from some sources that Nokia NY Flagship Store has pulled the Nokia 5800 NAM phone from its shelves due to some reported issues. Users who just bought Nokia 5800 NAM version, reported some issues like problem in receiving 3G signals on AT&T and few had earpiece problems too.

The latest talk now is that the 5800 NAM devices may be working with 3G on AT&T now and that the issue may actually have been an AT&T issue and not a Nokia issue. Whatever that is, Nokia has put the sales on hold till everything gets fixed and cleared up. Its quite frustrating to see a poor launch of a great phone. Grrr..

UPDATE (Mar 06):
Good news finally is that the bug is fixed with a new firmware update and the devices are on their way back to US Flagship stores.

Nokia says it caught the issue within hours of the first units being sold; the device went on sale through Nokia flagship stores in New York City and Chicago. The company didn’t say how many consumers were affected by the problems, just that the issue was confined to a “very small group” of consumers.

“Those few customers of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic who experience a 3G signal issue are advised to contact Nokia Customer Care,” said a company statement. “Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience.”

So do you think this saga is over? Or can we expect more madness from this whole mess?

UPDATE (Mar 15):
Okay.. so it seems now all the launch drama of NAM version of the phone comes to a good end now. The phone is back in stores today after being fixed up. Check full news here.