Nokia: Lumia 800 Launch Going Fine, Thanks

Nokia launched its new Lumia 800 smartphone Wednesday to a welcoming reception in the United Kingdom, according to early reports.

Orange, for example, said preorders for the Lumia have been higher than for any other Nokia handset in its portfolio, including the N95 and 5800.

Now, while some of the interest in the Lumia 800 is almost certainly due to Orange’s “Get a free Xbox when you upgrade” promotion, it’s clear that there are other reasons as well. The handset’s slick design, gorgeous display and sophisticated integration of Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS have won it early accolades that we haven’t heard around other Nokia hardware in quite some time.

Said Nokia spokesperson Ray Haddow, “The level of preorders, as well as reaction in shops today, lead us to be very positive about the launch of the Nokia Lumia 800.”