Every now and then a new toy comes along that is so exquisite it makes you drop to your knees in awe, screaming "I must have it!" Then they murmur the price and the palpitations start. Nokia's latest mobile phone, aesthetic and exorbitant, jumps straight into this category.
The chrome-covered 8810 is tiny; at 98 grammes it weighs less than a chocolate bar. The cover slides forward to reveal the keypad, extending the microphone closer to your mouth. The battery vibrates in your pocket when the phone rings.
It has all the latest technology; an infra-red link for lap-tops, smart messaging, GSM data capacity and 250-name memory.
Everyone who has seen this phone wants one, but Nokia has very few so far, and most shops can't get them. In Britain, wholesalers are selling "grey market" versions to retailers for £1,000; the retailers are finding customers, often wealthy oil sheiks, ready to pay more than £2,000.
Just to fan the flames, Nokia is offering a phone to influential people everywhere; Gerard Depardieu has one, so does Claudia Schiffer.
The Nokia 8810, around £650 where available.
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