Microsoft and Nokia are attempting to make a comeback in the mobile market through their partnership and a very nice handset in the form of the Lumia 900 (read our review). But the news isn’t all good following a successful launch, and the smartphone seems to have fallen at the first hurdle.
Reports started surfacing a couple of days ago that the 900 was unable to connect to a data network. It didn’t matter what type of network it was (2G, 3G, 4G), the handset would lose the ability to connect after a reboot, a restart, or turning on airplane mode. As you can imagine, it left users frustrated.
Nokia has been quick to respond though, and reassured 900 owners that this is a software glitch, not a hardware problem. The issue is one of memory management and Nokia is issuing a fix that should be available from April 16.
That fix is still several days away, so Nokia is offering to replace your handset with a new one that doesn’t include the glitch if you so wish. As an added “we’re sorry” move, anyone who has already purchased a Lumia 900, or does so before April 21 will receive $100 credit on their AT&T bill. That’s regardless of whether you choose to swap the handset for a new one or not.
As the phone initially cost $99.99, Nokia is effectively giving you that money back and the handset for free. It also means the handset is free to purchase until April 21.
A $100 and a handset replacement is a fantastic response to a frustrating problem, and Nokia should be commended for doing it. They could have easily just said sorry and told people to wait for the fix, but instead they’ve responded by removing any need for anger or frustration.
