T-Mobile has withdrawn Nokia's 7210 (http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,5184,847,00.html) from sale just days after beginning sales of the much anticipated picture-messaging handset.

In a fax sent by T-Mobile to dealers (a copy of which was forwarded to The Register) the mobile operator explains it is withdrawing the 7210 from sale because of "continued instability of the handset" and customer complaints. Early customers report a number of problems, detailed in T-Mobile fax, including:

1. Radio interface freeze when the handset appears to be functioning normally but cannot make or receive calls (most commonly happens when GPRS is activated)
   
2. Intermittent software crashes
   
3. High level of picture messaging delivery failures

The reported problems with the phone are similar to those cited by mm02 last month when it pulled (http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/59/28158.html) the release of the 7210.

For T-Mobile the issue has gone further, obliging a limited product recall programme. Customers may return their 7210 handsets to retailers, while stores are advised to take the handset off display and remove all point of sale material relating to the product.

T-Mobile said it would "review a re-launch of the product in January", providing the technical problems identified with the handset are resolved. ®

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