Nokia's 8800 Gold Edition is announced

An addition to the Nokia 8800 series of exclusive and rather valuable mobile phones—enter the Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold edition. The phone is named after The Sirocco wind—originating in the Sahara desert. This model is encased in 18-carat gold plating and it's also enhanced with white gold with a sapphire-coated, scratch-resistant glass display.

The design itself has not undergone much change since the previous Diamond edition, though the color may not seem as bright as its predecessor. The reason being, that 18-carat gold has a paler complexion that 24-carat. Its slider is said to be extremely smooth and the overall form factor is a piece of exquisite craftsmanship.

"The Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold is set to continue Nokia's strong legacy in exclusive and highly desirable style accessories," explains Heikki Norta, Senior Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia. "The Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold remains true to the "form follows function" mantra of Nokia designers and engineers—a tradition built upon decades of experience in mobility."

The Sirocco Gold Edition of the 8800 is equipped with a 2 megapixel (high-resolution) camera and accompanied by the 262k color display, image quality will rest assured be really good. The phone also has quite a few messaging functions. Another plus for the phone is that apparently it comes with a coordinated desk stand and color-matching Bluetooth headset. Also considering the fact that 18-carat gold is more durable that 24-carat, the chances are that this phone might actually last longer as well.

The Nokia 8800 Sirocco Gold is available in select markets and is priced at approximately Rs. 57,650 (EUR 1000), before taxes or subsidies.