Is Nokia "Tube" my next phone?

Ok, so the rumors are out: Nokia is about to release its first touch screen phone (in years) with an upgraded, modern S60 user interface. October the 2nd is around the corner so let's wait and see what it holds for us. I still have my SonyEricsson K610i as my main phone and I am looking to upgrade it. But none of the phones have really impressed me so far. I have had my opportunities to play with other Nokia phones, mostly S60 3.1 and 3.2 but I hate the old version of the S60 UI. If Nokia has managed to pull of a decent modern touch based UI, I think Tube has what it takes to replace my SonyEricsson.

Tube's specifications (again, according to rumors) are really impressive; 3.2" touch screen with 640 x 320 pixels, HSDPA connectivity, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, A-GPS, Wifi and, most importantly for me, a 3.5mm headphone jack. It should also be shipped with a 8 GB memory card and this makes the phone my perfect MP3 player as well. See, I am also looking to replace my current 1GB iPod Nano (1st gen) with something else and I really want to be able to use my phone as an MP3 player as well. But I don't want just an ok MP3 player in my phone - I want an MP3 player in my phone to replace my current one!

Looking at the specs, I really can't understand what the fansboys are whining about that this would "only" be a mid-range phone. Come on! What do you expect from a phone? How is some N96 or N85 any better than Tube, based on the rumors floating on the Internet? Nothing in the specs point to anything mediocre in this phone. True, it looks a bit plastic, but if the build quality overall is good I wont complain.

Overall, Tube is looking quite good, but I am really worried about the UI. I say again; S60 3.2 UI SUCKS big time. Nokia really has to pull this one off and I am sure Nokia feels the burdain. Tube is automatically compared to the iPhone and its slick UI. I really hope the UI in Tube is polished and works well, fast and logically. Then I think Tube will be my next phone.

Whenever it is available in Finland that it. Let's wait and see. Fingers crossed.