That Nokia feels the need to tell World+Dog that it has begun shipping its N8 smartphone speaks volumes.

The N8, announced back in April, is Nokia's new flagship, and it's keen to ensure the roll out goes smoothly. Its reputation is riding on it, a successful launch showing it can hold its own in an iOS and Android dominated world - dominated in terms of mind share if not market share.

But rocks in the road have already forced it to admit that the release would have to be put back a month.

Originally due out now, Nokia said last week that it was holding the handset back in order to "ensure a great user experience".

But look, today's announcement effectively said, no problem, we're shipping on time!

Well, sort of. Units may be leaving Nokia, but possibly not in great numbers. Folk who ordered ahead of time will get their N8s first, though Nokia didn't say when precisely. Order one from the company today and you'll be waiting until the end of October for it.

Nokia said availability will vary by country and by operator, with "broad availability in the coming weeks".

Read Reg Hardware's Nokia N8 hands-on first thoughts. ®