Nokia drops Lumia 900 price to $0 in response to bug outrage

Hey, no mobile data - it's a feature not a <arrgh>

Nokia is hoping an emergency rebate program will mollify American consumers who rushed out and bought the company's new flagship Windows phone - only to get bitten by a serious wireless data bug. The Lumia 900 is Nokia's big comeback phone - and also Microsoft's biggest ever shot at the mainstream US market.

It was launched at the weekend with a 21-gun salute, and while no reviewers put it ahead of the competition, it was generally well-received. Especially with a price point of $99.99 upfront, on a two year AT&T contract. But users found a serious radio bug that killed cellular data.

Nokia says models now being manufactured contain a fix. The company will push out a patch to Lumia 900 owners next Monday and will exchange 900s affected that are already in punters' hands. In addition, anyone buying one between now and April 21 will receive a $100 rebate on their AT&T bill.

It's hard to see what else Nokia can do to maintain the market's confidence. For a company that has become notorious for its bureaucracy and slow decision-making, this is remarkably decisive. ®