Nokia’s Linux-Based N900 Finally Official

Nokia’s new N900 “mobile computer” is now, finally, official. The N900 is most notable for being the first handset to features the Finnish company’s new Maemo 5 operating system, an OS skewed heavily towards internet use and built on a Linux base. Here are the key features of this rather sleek looking new cell.

The screen is touch sensitive (natch) and squeezes 800 x 400 pixels into 3.5-inches, the unit includes GPS, an FM transmitter, TV-out and USB ports and a 5MP camera. And of course it has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, something very important for some people (although there is an on-screen QWERTY, too). It also has a hefty 32GB of on-board memory, expandable with a microSD card.

In short, it does everything a modern phone should. What it will come down to is the software, a place where Nokia has arguably lost its way of late. Nokia’s dumb-phones were probably the easiest to use handsets then available. Will Maemo fix this?

For that, we’ll have to wait for the hands-on test. But the pictures look promising, and the light-on-dark interface is both clear and gorgeous. The N900 will be available in October for around €500 ($710). And one more thing: the Mozilla browser does Flash. Take that, iPhone.

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Nokia's Surge official on AT&T, ships July 19 for $79.99

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

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Nokia makes 3720 official, its "most rugged mobile handset to date"

Nokia's not exactly known for its beefy, ultra-survivable gear, but unless the human race plans on getting a whole lot less clumsy, rugged phones will always be a good idea -- and Espoo's 3720 certainly seems to fill the bill. The Series 40-based candybar features a 2 megapixel cam with LED flash, triband EDGE (sorry, North Americans), FM radio, microSD expansion, and the latest and greatest Bluetooth 2.1, but the real news here is that the phone is built to meet IP54 standards. A quick check with our handy-dandy IP code reference tells us that means that "ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact" -- in other words, your phone might get nasty dirty, but it'll keep chugging -- and it can withstand "splashing" water. Scuba divers, the search for your perfect phone probably continues. Refreshingly, the 3720 will run just €125 (about $175) unlocked when it ships later this summer.

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