According to Engadget, Nokia"s most powerful handset, the Nokia N97, will be hitting flagship stores in New York and Chicago. Unofficial sources claimed that the handset would launch on June 2, but the date was not confirmed by Nokia. This comes after the release of other "blockbuster" handsets: the Palm Pre on June 5 and Apple iPhone 3G S (available June 19) yesterday at the WWDC.
The device is expected to retail for $699.99. However, for those who have pre-ordered the device, it would run them $524.25, through a $174.75 discount. No U.S. network provider plans to carry the phone, so do not expect any subsidised prices through contracts. For those who are willing to wait a little longer, they can get the N97 from Amazon at a discounted price of $603.99. However, the release date has been fraught with delays.
Here are the specifications of the N97 in brief:
- Screen: Resistive TFT touch screen, 16M colors, 360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches with handwriting recognition
- Connectivity: GPRS Class 32, HSCSD ,EDGE Class 32, 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP, USB v2.0 microUSB, GPS with A- GPS
- OS: Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 rel. 5
- CPU: ARM 11 434 MHz processor
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
- Camera: 5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, LED flash, video light
For those who want to know more about the device, you can check out the detailed specifications on Nokia"s European website. You could also check Engadget Spain"s hands on of the device to see how the device fares during use.
Well, June is proving to be an exciting month for technology enthusiasts with the launch of several highly hyped devices. For those in need of a highly capable handset, and an alternative to the Palm Pre and iPhone 3Gs, the Nokia N97 might just be for you.