Nokia has promised a pair of firmware updates for its Lumia 800 smartphone, addressing battery life, power efficiency and charging performance of the Windows Phone handset. The news comes amid numerous complaints in Nokia support forums regarding underwhelming battery life, with some experiencing less than a day normal use before they needed to recharge.

The Finnish company insists that most Lumia 800 owners are having no power problems whatsoever, but concedes that there are a few problem handsets out there. A first software update, expected in early December, will include improvements to power efficiency therefore, with a subsequent update planned for early January 2012 introduces further enhancements to battery life and battery charging.

Nokia official Press release

"We understand that some people have expressed concerns about battery life on the Nokia Lumia 800.  Early investigations show that most people are enjoying the full Nokia Lumia experience without any problems and we have not been able to identify a single root cause that would lead to erratic battery behavior at this stage.  A software update in early December will make some improvements to power efficiency, while a second update in early January introduces high voltage charging, increasing the Nokia Lumia 800’s battery power from 1300mAh to 1450mAh. These are scheduled improvements and will enhance the overall experience, but are not designed to address any issues that may be occurring with individual products.  We recommend that anyone who has concerns contact local Nokia care representatives at their earliest convenience."

The Nokia Lumia 800 is the second most-popular smartphone in the Vodafone UK website, just behind the black iPhone 4S. Also the cyan version of the WP smartphone comes in third and that one is still on pre-order.

The online store of the Netherlands carrier KPN tells a similar story, with the Nokia Lumia 800 the second best-selling smartphone there. Some other Dutch stores also list the Lumia 800 as sold out.

Also many Orange stores in UK reported that they have sold-out all their supply of Nokia Lumia 800 units.

Nokia has confirmed that developers in its Launchpad project will be automatically receiving one of the 25,000 free Windows Phone 7 handsets the company has promised to coders in recent weeks, following up on the original free phone offer back in February. Launchpad members who also got a free E7 join Nokia Developer Champions in receiving either a Lumia 800 or Lumia 710, as well as a rebate on Microsoft App Hub membership fee.

"If you received a Nokia E7 back in February when we announced our new smartphone strategy, you will automatically receive a Windows Phone device. If you are currently a Nokia Developer Champion or a Nokia Launchpad member, you are already eligible, and you will soon receive an e-mail to explain how to get your new Nokia Windows Phone" Nokia

Nokia is saying that it will be available, just not from all retailers on day one. Looks like Clove got left out of that list. 

Word has filtered through the web that Nokia will be holding back the SIM-free version of its Nokia Lumia smartphone until January 2012.

The reports, from online retailer Clove, come at a time when Nokia should be all systems go with its new headline phone, especially since its pinning a lot of its future success on the handset, it does not need any bad press related to launch - especially delays.

However the handset itself will still be coming on 16 November it is just you will have to sign up with one of the many mobile carriers that will be offering the phone on contract.