How Nokia missed a trick with its Lumia 920 launch event

Here's a thing I didn't expect to type: I'd seriously consider ditching my iPhone for one of the new Nokias.

I thought the first Lumia was less interesting than the man introducing it, but the Lumia 920 tickles the tickly bit that makes me want to buy a shiny new gadget.

It's partly the hardware - the 920 is a really nice bit of kit - but it's also because I'm at the end of an iPhone era. My iPhone 4's out of contract, my TomTom iPhone car kit is broken, my Griffin case has gone all baggy and the introduction of a new dock connector in the iPhone 5 means I'll have to shell out on a whole bunch of dock adapters for my various bits and bobs.

Apple's grip on me is looser than it's ever been. Could Nokia tempt me away?

The answer's a great big yes, followed by a great big no.

Promises, promises

Maybe it's overfamiliarity, but I'm not hugely wowed by the supposed design of the iPhone 5: while the iPhone 4/4S is a lovely looking thing, the iPhone 5 appears to be the same thing stretched out a bit. The Lumia design's really grown on me, and in the right colour it's the sort of thing that puts a smile on your face every time you see it.

Compatibility isn't really an issue - the only must-have app on my iPhone is TomTom, and the Lumia looks like it'll be a really good sat-nav device; the phone cradle I bought to replace my TomTom one fits anything - and that camera's a really big draw. I'm a sucker for anything that promises better low-light shooting.

If the Lumia 920 actually existed, I might have bought one.

I know, I know, it exists, but it doesn't exist in my world: I can't order one online, I can't play with one in a shop, and I can't get one on a stupidly long and expensive contract.

I'll be able to do all of those things with the iPhone 5, possibly as early as next week, and of course once you're in the Apple Store they've got you.

This week, Nokia did half an Apple: it made me look at my current phone and think "hmm, it's getting on a bit. Time for a new one". But it didn't do the other half, which is to actually close the sale: where Apple goes "Boom! This date! This price!" Nokia said "Hmmm! Not sure! We'll get back to you!"

The Nokia Lumia 920 may be a work of art, but as Steve Jobs said: "real artists ship". I want a phone, not a promise.