Nokia lops £105 off Tube

IF YOU'RE quick, you can save at least £105 on the price of Nokia's first ever touchscreen handset - the 5800 Xpressmusic aka the Tube. If you're totally mad you can visit Nokia's store at Heathrow Terminal five to do so.

Sensible people will, of course, trot down to Nokia's other flagship store on Regent Street where it will go onsale for £249 (inc VAT) totally unlocked after 10 am today ( 23rd January).

Scouring the Net, the normal retail price appears to be around £354. One outfit, Simply Electronics, is offering the version bundled with Shure SE210 headphones for another £85.

That seems pretty pointless given that those headphones are available separately for around £70. Anyway, the INQ thought that Nokia's own WH-500 headphones were more than up to the job.

Mysteriously, however, no-one seems to be selling the WH-500 yet even though the INQ was assured before Xmas that the product was available. We'd guess that they'd retail for around £35 to £40.

This being the UK, naturally you can get your hands on the 5800 handset for free. Phones4U are offering it with an Orange contract for £35 on an 18 month contract.

However, if the INQ reads Vodafone's tariffs correctly, it's possible to get the phone free on 18 month contract for as little as £20 per month. You have to pay £64 if you're upgrading, though.

On top of all this, it's quite feasible to buy the handset online from the Nokia shop and others. Vodafone even guarantees to get the phone to you by next Monday (26th).

Sadly, the INQ doesn't have any spies on Regent Street but somehow we don't think there's an Ithingey-style queue outside the Nokia store. µ