It hasn't been long since Nokia announced the N96 - a mobile handset it then claimed to be the "most advanced computer optimised for entertainment".
Having arrived in stores just two months ago, the N96 has done little to dampen the hype surrounding rival handsets such as the BlackBerry Storm and Apple iPhone. Seemingly aware of the predicament, Nokia then tried its hand at the increasingly-popular touchscreen market with the Nokia 5800 (a.k.a. Tube), another handset that ultimately failed to spark the imagination.
Today, the mobile giant is looking swiftly beyond both those devices and forward to the Nokia N97 - a handset touted as the world's most advanced mobile computer, and scheduled to ship in the first half of 2009 at a cost of around £470.
The Nokia N97, pictured below, features a 16:9 3.5in touchscreen display that provides a resolution of 640x340 pixels. Underneath the tilt-and-slide touchscreen surface is a full QWERTY keyboard, housed in the 117.2mm x 55.3mm x 15.9mm shell.
As is often the case, Nokia's flagship handset has the hardware to make many of its competitor's offerings pale in comparison. Users can enjoy video at 30fps on the widescreen display or on external equipment using the TV out. When you're not watching, you could be recording at a resolution of 640x480 - and remember, Apple's iPhone doesn't offer video capture at all.
The Nokia N97's five-megapixel camera features a Carl Zeiss Tessar lens and a dual-LED flash. There's a very generous 32GB of on-board memory, and it can be bumped up to 48GB via the microSD expansion slot.
As you'd expect, the device offers HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS connectivity, and single-charge talk-time is rated at a reasonable 320 minutes.
It has all the on-paper credentials, but can Nokia refine the fifth-edition of its Symbian S60 operating system to a level that provides users with the suave iPhone-like experience that many have come to expect? That remains to be seen, but if you're willing to wait, we'll find out in around six months time.
Official press release: Desktop. Laptop. Pocket: The era of the personal Internet dawns with the Nokia N97
