Nokia is set to open a flagship store in Chicago from the middle of this year, and will follow up with a New York store in the "Fifth Avenue region" before the end of the year.
The stores will sell Nokia's full North American product lines, including high-end phones like Nokia's N93, N91, N73, and N80. The N93 camcorder-phone, released today in Berlin, was not initially announced as available for the US.
This move is a departure from the traditional modes of selling for cell phone manufacturers; the vast majority of phones are sold through carriers' stores at present. The N. Michigan Avenue will take up 3,500 square feet.