Nokia N8 online stock from October 15th; in UK stores Oct 22nd

Nokia's N8 may have begun shipping, but the number of people currently holding the Symbian^3 smartphone is still dwarfed by those still waiting for one.  The Finnish company has just announced that the N8 will be available for online order – either SIM-free or on contract – and with immediate delivery from October 15th; meanwhile in-store UK retail availability will follow on a week later.

As of October 22nd, the N8 will arrive in Carphone Warehouse, O2, Orange, Phones4u, T-Mobile, Tesco Phone Shops, Three Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone stores, where it's expected to be priced from free on new, £30 per month agreements.  That gets you a 12-megapixel camera with autofocus and a Xenon flash, a 3.5-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, WiFi and five-band UMTS/HSPA.

More on the Nokia N8 in our hands-on unboxing and video demo.  We'll have our full review of the smartphone up soon.

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Press Release:

NOKIA N8 GOES ON SALE!

London, October 6th – The much-anticipated Nokia N8, the must-have smartphone for the latest Ovi Store apps, will be available to purchase on the 22nd October from the Carphone Warehouse, O2, Orange, Phones4u, T-Mobile, Tesco Phone Shops, Three Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone .

The Nokia N8 smartphone will also be available online for immediate delivery at http://shop.nokia.co.uk/ from the 15th October, for £429 SIM free or on contract from £30 per month.

The Nokia N8 will come packed with a range of brand new, exclusive content from the Ovi Store including BBC iPlayer, enabling catch up on the last seven days of BBC radio and television. Specifically designed for the Nokia N8 to make the most of the device's features, the app has the same functionality as the online version of BBC iPlayer.

The Nokia N8 offers amazing functionality and usability:

· New and exclusive Ovi apps including X Factor and LoveFilm

· 12 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and Xenon flash

· Record HD quality videos; edit using a unique, built-in editing suite and play-back with Dolby Digital Plus surround sound

· Connect to your social networks and view live feeds from Facebook and Twitter in a single app directly, via up to three personalised home screens

· Flick scrolling and pinch-to-zoom, plus a faster and more responsive user interface.

Sami Lehtinen, Group Manager, Nokia UK, says, "The Nokia N8 is one of the most innovative phones of 2010, packed with market leading features, including the best picture and video capability available on a smartphone.

"The reaction to the Nokia N8 continues to be phenomenal and, after all the build up, it is great to be getting it into the hands of customers."