It shouldn't come as a surprise that leaked lineup documents suggest Rogers has an eye on Nokia's Surge; Rogers has a pretty good relationship with Nokia, after all, and the Surge is the kind of device that pretty much any text-savvy carrier with an established rapport with Nokia would be looking into. What might be more of a surprise is that they'll apparently be launching it as the 6790 Surge -- Nokia's global designation for the device -- as opposed to the simpler "Surge" preferred by AT&T. After AT&T's move we'd taken 6790 as more of a European branding, but hey, props to Rogers for keeping it real and letting Nokia roll with its traditional scheme. No word on availability yet, but we'll allegedly be looking at CAD $89.99 (about $83) on a new three-year agreement when it finally does launch.

Some might say that the phone you're peering at above is the most un-Nokia-like Nokia device produced in quite some time (if not ever), but remember, this one was custom made for US consumers and AT&T's audience -- something that's not true for too many Espoo-sourced handsets. Once known as the Mako, Nokia's Surge (or 6790 in international speak) is certainly unorthodox in design, though the actual specs list is fairly familiar. We get the feeling that Nokia was aiming to hit a very specific niche with this device, somewhere in-between the text-happy handsets adored by tweens and the smartphone desired by Mr. Suit. Care to see if we think Nokia accomplished said goal? Then head on past the break, vaquero.

Nokia's North American product portfolio dude had mentioned in a recent interview that AT&T's Surge would end up seeing global duty, and sure enough, here it is. Known as the 6760 around the world (which complies with Nokia's typical four-digit naming scheme, by the bye), the phone's specs are basically identical to its Yankee cousin: 3.2 megapixel cam, 2.4-inch QVGA display, AGPS, S60 3.2, microSD expansion, and a side-sliding full QWERTY keyboard. "Typical Nokia" is not a phrase we'd use to describe the 6760, but here's the million-dollar question: can a phone clearly designed with AT&T's needs (and North America's needs) in mind sell elsewhere? Look for it to launch around Europe in this quarter for €199 (about $283) unlocked, with black, red, and white versions becoming available on a region-by-region basis.

The old adage goes "be careful what you wish for; you just might get it." After years of bellyaching (we're as guilty of it as anyone) that Nokia was giving Europe first dibs on its hottest handsets over North America, we're now seeing perhaps the most dramatic, positive shift in North American strategy in the company's history -- in fact, they're straight-up saying that they want to push all the way to number 1 in the local market. But is it enough of a shift to fend off aggressive moves from Samsung, LG, Apple, and the rest of the gang across every conceivable market segment?

Nokia's product portfolio manager for the region, Ira Frimere, sat down with Computerworld recently to discuss the renewed push, admitting that the company has had to rethink some fundamental things about its products and its business model to help its cause in the States; one small example is the fact that the Surge is launching without the typical four-digit model number or Nseries / Eseries code that is found on virtually every Nokia sold worldwide, ostensibly because Americans apparently prefer names to numbers (it'll launch as the Surge 6790 internationally, it turns out). Additionally, the company has dedicated a facility in San Diego to working with its North American carrier partners -- AT&T and Verizon, most prominently. It's still early on, but the labor there seems to already be bearing fruit, considering that AT&T will be stocking three S60 devices once the Surge launches -- a record -- and Verizon's rumored to have some interesting stuff in the pipeline.

Frimere adds that Nokia believes services are key to winning American hearts and minds, an area the company has been putting extensive R&D into lately with its Ovi line (unfortunately, so is everyone else -- and getting to iTunes and App Store-level acceptance with Nokia Music and the Ovi Store is going to be an uphill battle, to say the least). Ultimately, the conclusion seems to be Nokia's reluctant admittance that breaking into the US market requires a willingness to give carriers far, far more respect than they deserve by bending and breaking to their somewhat odd demands -- and that's going to be an ongoing problem for consumers, whether you're a Nokia fan or not.

We've known about Nokia's so-called Surge for months now, but at long last, AT&T has done its duty by making things official and giving us a price and release date to consider. The Symbian S60-based smartphone is aimed squarely at social media freaks, boasting a full QWERTY keyboard, a browser with Flash support (imagine that, right?), a pre-installed JuiceCaster app for easily updating your Facebook / Twitter status and a price tag that's sure to turn heads. For just $79.99 after rebate, you'll also get a 2 megapixel camera, AT&T Navigator, AT&T Video Share and the pleasure of handing over at least $30 per month for a required data plan (if you want the $50 rebate, anyway). If you're sold already, you can get yours on July 19th.

Having already given you the AT&T spec sheet and images on this new Nokia, the only things missing are launch date, price, and a bit of video. Well, a janky QIK video just made its way to YouTube claiming that Nokia's Mako is coming to AT&T in mid-July as the 6790 Surge. It should be "priced pretty well" but those details haven't been finalized. So if a quick messaging device running S60 beneath a 2.4-inch 240x320 pixel display with HSDPA data and 2 megapixel camera is enough motivation to prompt another mouse-click then by all means, click through for the video overview provided after the break. Stay cool, bye.