Nokia Offers Lumia 900 Customers $100 Credit And Fix For ‘Software Issue’

Nokia has announced it will offer Lumia 900 customers a $100 discount after a software issue was discovered shortly after the handset’s launch in the US.

The Finnish company said it had identified a memory management issue which could prevent some users connecting to mobile data networks and would be rolling out a solution in an update next Monday.

Fault at launch

The Lumia 900 is Nokia’s first 4G LTE-enabled Windows Phone handset and was launched in the US on Easter Sunday. This hiccup comes after months of promotion across the Atlantic for the company’s flagship phone.

“It’s like they stalled their engine when everybody is looking at them at the start of their race,” said Gartner mobile analyst Carolina Milanesi, speaking to Reuters. “They really did not need it particularly in this market, but I like the way they are dealing with it.”

Writing on Nokia’s Conversations blog, Chris Weber, Nokia’s chief in the US, and Jo Harlow, head of smartphones, said Lumia 900 owners would be able to update their software when it became available or trade in their current device for an updated one.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused,” they said. “As a gesture of good will, every individual who has already purchased a Nokia Lumia 900 – or who will purchase one between now and 21 April – will receive a $100 credit to their AT&T bill from Nokia.”

This discount will effectively render the handset free for some, as it costs $99 with a two-year contract with AT&T.

The Lumia 900 is expected to arrive in the UK on 27 April, with Phones4u and Carphone Warehouse currently taking pre-orders. It will not have 4G compatibility however, as the UK is yet to get a 4G network up and running.

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