you’ve been bluetoothed: The nokia store finally opened on friday (it was meant to open in early december, as nokia sponsored the Regent Street lights) - i missed the opening but went down today. It’s massively disappointing form the exterior, looking like a small branch of carephone warehouse - but it is filled with delights once you trott in past the slightly off putting security staff. Theres some serious cash gone into the fittings - everything is either glass or steel or electronic. Theres led back lit walls, rows of screens - oh and some product - thankfully all full operations and usable (thank you apple). There an element of Apple Store ‘homage’ throughout, so glass stairs becomes great glass elevator, glass walkway becomes erm well glass walkway though with added vertigo, upstairs has a sort of seminar area and genius bar thing. Oddly downstairs there is a mini vertu store - with the stupidly backwards and overpriced bling phones, rap stars and taste free billionaires only need apply - it sits uncomfortably, lacking the minimal grace of the rest of the store and making it feel like you’ve accidently transported into selfridges. On the plus sides theres some interactive bits like you can bluetooth a photo to a big screen to email on, and now and then mini interactive movie things start up - with dizzy rascle introducing a friend, who introduces a friend etc as the chain builds up the network of camera phone photos float behind, neat. You also get bombarded with bluetooth messages with things like wPostcard.sis and MotionLens.sis - neither of which worked on my n95. Now as a concept store its great, as a retail its a tad pointless - everything is EXPENSIVE more than even buying from nokia.com direct (N95 £460 vs £399, N810 £340 vs £329) but hey thats not the point is it! play here - get for free at carphone/operator shop round the corner.
