Still in damage control mode, Finnish handset giant Nokia assured the world on Thursday that its flagship Symbian^3 device, the N8, has started shipping.

Customers who have placed a pre-order for the device will be the first to receive it but market availability “will vary by country and by operator, with broad availability in the coming weeks”.

Based on the Symbian ^3 platform, the N8 is spearheading the company’s renewed assault on the smartphone sector, with the highest number of online pre-orders in the company’s history.

But newly installed Nokia chief Stephen Elop took the reins at the firm amid news of delays to shipments of the N8. Nokia said it would start shipments of the device by the end of the third quarter and that it has, just. However, the company had targeted its online pre-order customers to receive their N8s by the end of September but is now advising that they should expect their devices in October.