Nokia reveals UK release date for 5800 Tube

Nokia's 5800 will be available in the UK from 23 January

Nokia has announced that its upcoming touchscreen phone, the 5800 or Tube, will be available to customers in the UK from 23 January.

The new phone, touted to go head to head with Apple's iPhone, was originally announced in August and was expected to be released on 2 October.

Like the iPhone, the Nokia 5800 offers a 3.2in 640 x 360 touchscreen interface designed to be used with a fingertip, stylus or plectrum. The Tube also includes tactile feedback to help users confirm button and key clicks.

Nokia said that the device will feature a dedicated media bar, giving easy access to music, maps, Ovi share and other multimedia applications. It also has surround sound built-in speakers and promises 35 hours of music playback.

The handset features 81MB of internal memory but includes a microSD slot and comes with an 8GB microSD card in the box. It also boasts GPS and a 3.2-megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom. However, it appears that rumours that it would include a DVB-H TV tuner were not correct.

The 5800 will be available on 23 January only from Nokia's flagship stores on Regent Street and Heathrow's Terminal Five, or from the company's online store.

Following the launch it will be available through mobile providers Vodafone, O2, Orange, T-Mobile UK, Virgin Mobile, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U from 30 January.