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Nokia said March 29 it has issued a software update for its troubled Nokia 5800 XpressMusic device. A best seller in Europe, Nokia introduced the XpressMusic consumer touch-screen smartphone to the United States in late February. Nokia touted the phone as a serious rival to Apple’s iPhone.
A week later, Nokia temporarily pulled the device from U.S. shelves after users complained of 3G connectivity issues.
The software update promises faster Internet data downloads, improved e-mail and search service, and additional camera support for a burst mode that allows users to take multiple pictures with single button presses.
“The update includes great improvements in the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic,” Nokia’s Soren Petersen, senior vice president for devices, said in a statement. “As mobile devices become more and more advanced, additional features and new functionalities are easy to install to the existing device.”
Running the fifth edition of Symbian S60, the smartphone features a 3.2-inch touch-screen with 360-by-640 resolution, a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, Wi-Fi and an FM radio receiver. The 5800 XpressMusic also comes with software for viewing Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF documents.
The device delivers access to all music, video and photos through a one-touch “Media Bar” drop-down menu. The bar also offers a direct link to the Internet and to online file sharing. Because the device supports Flash content, individuals can surf the entire Web.
A contacts bar allows users to highlight four favorite contacts on the home screen and track a history of recent text messages, e-mails, phone logs, photos and blog updates with one touch.
The 5800 comes with 8GB of on-board memory with the ability to expand to 16GB through a MicroSD slot.
After the reported connectivity glitches, Nokia promised a quick resolution and had the phones back on the U.S. market in a matter of days.
“We have concluded this was an isolated situation related to a configuration change in the North American variant,” Nokia said in a statement.