The Nokia 8801 'luxury mobile' has been known about for a while, and now Nokia and T-Mobile have announced the availability of the handset at retail, through t-mobile.com and selected US T-Mobile retail stores. The slider handset is manufactured using mineral glass and high-grade stainless steel, which help to justify the US$550 price tag.

"The bold design and robust feature set make the Nokia 8801 phone more than simply another handset, it's an experience," said John Clelland, senior vice president of segment marketing for T-Mobile USA. "We're excited to offer T-Mobile customers a unique device to go hand-in-hand with their lifestyle."

The phone enjoys a fairly standard range of features, including bluetooth connectivity, SVGA camera, tri-band support, speakerphone, FM radio and voice recognition, and also streams stereo audio via bluetooth.