Confused by Nokia's dual-platform, Maemo 5 and S60 5th Edition smartphone choices? You're not alone. Fortunately, things are starting to become a bit more clear thanks to some loose-lipped members of Maemo's marketing team attending an official N900 meet-up in London last night. According to The Really Mobile Project, Nokia will drop S60 from all of its flagship N-series consumer devices in favor of Maemo. Apparently, Nokia has been pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic response to the N900 OS even though the enthusiast package is not quite ready for mass-market appeal. Mind you, the transition won't be instantaneous as anyone with an N900 (and a clear mind) can attest -- the OS, services, and apps just can't compare to the mature S60 platform regardless of Maemo 5's superior user experience. As such, we'll continue to see N-Series handsets already in development pop with S60 on board alongside mass-market Maemo devices as the platform matures to the point that Nokia can make the full switch by 2012. Assuming, of course, Nokia doesn't end up adding webOS to its portfolio somewhere along the way.

Update: The Nokia Blog has what it claims is an official response from Nokia on this delicate matter. As you'd expect, Nokia says it remains "firmly committed to Symbian as our smartphone platform of choice." It then added this little gem: "Maemo is our software of choice for devices based on technology that you'd typically find inside a desktop computer. It delivers a different user experience and enables us to widen the market we can address." Perhaps you're even reading this on an ARM Cortex-A8 desktop PC right now?

[Thanks, Sockatume]

Nokia made plenty of folks happy with its decision to include Skype on its new N97 handset, and future N-series devices, but it looks like the usual cadre of UK carriers aren't among them, and they're now making their displeasure quite clear. That includes O2 and Orange, who are apparently threatening to refuse stock of the N97 unless Nokia strips out the Skype client, a point they have reportedly made directly to Nokia in "high-level discussions." Another unnamed "operator source" was apparently even more blunt, saying that this is "another example of them trying to build an ecosystem that is all about Nokia and reduces the operator to a dumb pipe," adding that, "some people like 3 may be in a position where it could make sense to accept that. But if you spend upwards of £40m per year building your brand, you don't want to be just a dumb pipe do you?" For its part, Nokia seems to be staying mum on the matter for the time being, though it's tough to see a handset like the N97 just sitting on the shelf, so it seems like one party or the other will have to give sooner or later.

[Via mocoNews.net]

No matter how accustomed we should be by now, it's always jarring to see one of the Nokia N-series phones drop at some outlandish unsubsidized price -- if you think the $556 tag on this N85 is hefty, keep in mind that Amazon is claiming that's already been steeply discounted from an atmospheric $1,200 "list price." While the phone is available to "buy" right this second at Amazon.com, there's a 3 to 5 week ship time quoted, so there's no telling if this'll be the first spot to nab the hotly-anticipated, N96-besting AMOLED handset in the States -- though it might be the first to take your hard earned cash for such a purpose.

[Via OLED-Info]

Man, Nokia sure is proud of its unlocked N96, huh? As with the HTC Touch Diamond in CompUSA and the BlackBerry Bold at Best Buy Mobile, the flagship N-series device won't run you cheap off-contract. The Boy Genius shows off a flyer advertising the 16GB, 5MP powerhouse for "just" $799.99 (as expected), but judging by the standard $899.99 price on the outfit's website, we're thinking the lower sticker may be for a limited time only. The question isn't how bad do you want it -- it's do you really want it more than 1.825 WiMAX-enabled N810s?

[Via Boy Genius Report]

While the 5310 XpressMusic candybar has first rights to the Comes With Music party, Nokia's old faithful won't be far behind. Mobile operator 3 UK is gearing up to launch a CwM-edition N95 soon, which will give Nokia fanatics that have somehow managed to avoid the heralded handset this long a chance to redeem themselves. Details beyond that are scant, but we are told that the contract-toting N95 will be available from 3 "next month" for an undisclosed amount.

[Via mocoNews]

Well, they're here. Nokia's latest and greatest N-series devices just hit the market like a trio of well-aimed bricks -- or at least that's what Nokia's hoping. We got to spend a little bit of hands-on time with prototypes of the new devices, and while we came away slightly impressed, we were nowhere near E-series impressed. Here's our biggest problem with the lineup: the only one worth talking about is the N85. Other than minor screen size disparities, the 16GB built-in memory of the N96 and the fresh candybar form of the N79, these three phones are pretty much exactly identical on specs, and yet the N96 manages to be inexcusably bulky, while the N79 sports an inexcusably terrible screen -- we're hoping that was just the prototype being funky, but we saw two versions with the same problem. The N85 isn't exactly the pinnacle of thinphoneness, but its amazing OLED screen and more refined design make the N96 look like more of a rough draft than a sibling. On the interface side, the phones are much more responsive to S60's new motion and transitions, but Nokia has oddly chosen to disable the Navi Wheel scrolling in all three phones -- a weird move, but we can't say we blame them, we haven't had a single good experience with Navi Wheel since Nokia introduced it. In all, we're not exactly thrilled about Nokia's prospects for winning over the masses with this new series of devices. Sure, Nokia will protest that it's going after the high-end users, but 5 megapixel cameras, GPS and WiFi are no longer the differentiators they once were, and users have begun to expect thinner, sexier devices at prices far below the N96's gargantuan $895 pricetag.

Nokia promised us two new handsets today, and just as we heard last week, it's the N85 and N79. Not a lot of surprises with the N85 since it popped in the FCC database a couple weeks ago and started appearing in the wild: 2.6-inch AMOLED screen, GPS, five megapixel cam, N-Gage compatibility, 8GB of microSDHC storage, WiFi, and a 28-hour music playback battery life. The N79 replaces the N78, similarly bumping the cam to the big five em-pees with a dual-LED flash, GPS, 4GB microSDHC storage, WiFi, swappable back covers, and a 24-hour music playback battery life. Should be out in the UK as of next month, but we're hoping to see these hit our fair shores posthaste. N79 pictured after the break.

[Via Electronista]

Get this: the first North American carrier to offer up Nokia's 8GB N95 isn't AT&T. Heck, it's not even a US-based operator. No friends, it's Canada's own Rogers Wireless. Just as we had heard late last month, the N95 8GB has officially landed in the Great North, and starting on May 6th, consumers up that way will be able to secure one for a hefty $399.99 with a three-year activation on the Rogers Vision Unlimited On-Device Mobile Browsing Plan. Don't weep too heavily, AT&T users -- your time should be coming soon.

Here's an odd one for you, a Nokia patent application just revealed those images above. The odd part is not so much the slider mechanism they are attempting to patent. Rather, it's the use of those dumbed-down product images instead of the purposely vague schematic usually submitted to the USPTO. And if we're not mistaken, that looks like "8 megapixel" stamped just below the lens. New N-Series in the oven, Nokia?

[Via Unwired View]

Nokia's N81 is now, at this very moment, "available globally" according to Nokia. Pre-tax, pre-subsidy €360 / $515 for the 2GB microSD model or €430 / $615 for that full 8GB of on-board flash experience. Since the revamped N-Gage platform isn't online yet, the N81 comes pre-loaded with three playable demos of FIFA 07, Asphalt 3: Street Rules, and Space Impact Light. Those same games will be available for free download-and-preview over HSDPA when the service goes live sometime "later in 2007." Still, while Nokia touts a global launch, the fact that this quad-band GSM phone only sports 2100MHz WCDMA will limit its effective use in North America -- even if it is FCC approved.

The good news? Nokia's N95 product page on the official Nseries site is pretty thorough -- enough to give the Symbian lovers among us some in-depth reading material to hold us over for a bit. The bad news? Their device comparison chart now shows a second-quarter '07 release for the superphone, one quarter later than we were expecting. Of course, in this day and age, delays of this nature should never surprise us; if anything, we'd be surprised if a phone of this complexity were to actually arrive on time. But needless to say, the official N95 material on the site is most definitely not enough to bide our time for another four to seven months.

[Thanks, festriaqua]

We're not getting played for a fool again until we actually have a real, actual device resting comfortably in our hands, but Nokia's promising to bring the 3G love to the US for reals this time with its new N75 clamshell, announced today as part of its Nseries onslaught. The S60 3rd Edition handset looks to pack a decent punch into its 95 x 52 x 20.2mm form -- which Nokia is dubbing its "smallest multimedia computer," bearing in mind the E50 isn't considered such a device -- bringing a 2-megapixel cam, 40MB of internal storage with microSD expansion to 2GB, integrated stereo speakers, Bluetooth 2.0, QVGA internal and 160 x 128 external displays, quad-band GSM / EDGE, and some of that sweet, sweet WCDMA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands. Best of all, it's being promised for US release in the fourth quarter of 2006; we don't if you-know-who has decided to pick it up, but if not, we've every reason to believe the unlocked versions will be flying out of Nokia's own warehouse at a brisk pace. Check after the break for more smooth, creamy, flippable S60 goodness.

Nokia's lovefest for its, shall we say, senior Nseries models today didn't stop with the N91's upgrade to 8GB. In tacking the "Music Edition" label onto the tail ends of their names, they've re-upped the N73 and the elder-statesman N70 candybars, slapping them with a fresh coat of black in the process. Unlike the N91, the internals seem the same -- they're advertising the new models as coming with 2GB and 1GB of storage respectively, but the bumped capacities turn out to be nothing more than bundled storage cards; likewise, the touted 3.5mm audio jacks are delivered via in-box Pop-Port adapters. We're always happy to see a manufacturer breathe some fresh life into old handsets, but unless black is your color, we hope existing N70 and N73 owners don't let a couple bundled accessories ruin their love affair.

So it's not official official yet, but we know enough to say with some confidence that Nokia's oft-rumored N95 (alias N83) dual slider will be announced today. What does that mean? For one thing, it means we can move past the frustratingly blurry spy shots and onto some glamorous press photos, but more importantly, it takes the guesswork out of the spec sheet. Let's just put it this way: for anyone who thought the N73 was a half-baked effort, the N93 oughtta fit the bill. Nokia seems to be challenging naysayers to find a missing feature or buzzword, cramming in a 5-megapixel cam, integrated GPS, 802.11g, a 3.5mm audio jack (if the A2DP support isn't your cup of tea), 150MB of internal memory, microSD expansion, and HSDPA support (a first for Nokia). Word on the street has the everything-to-everybody N95 dropping in Q1 of 2007 for around €550 -- that's about $700, just in case the possible US release actually goes down.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Are you loving the N93's spec sheet, but gargantuan clamshells aren't your cup of tea? No worries, friends; the 3.2-megapixel candybar N73 has just been approved by the FCC, and thanks to quadband GSM, we have a fighting chance of seeing this one drop in the States -- at least in Nokia's flagship store, if nothing else. Specs are enough to get the juices of any S60 fan flowing: UMTS (albeit on the 2100MHz band), 2.4-inch QVGA display, MiniSD slot, stereo speakers, FM radio, Bluetooth 2.0, and the list goes on. Now let's just cross our fingers Qualcomm doesn't get its way, and we might be seeing this hotness before too long in these parts.

[Via Mobilewhack]