Nokia has finally taken the wraps off the long-awaited N9 phone, bringing with it the first viewing of MeeGo on a handset and jamming a boatload of top-end technology under the hood.
The new handset is rocking MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan, and comes with a 3.9-inch OLED display (no mention of Nokia's top-end ClearBlack technology though) which runs to a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels (WVGA).
MeeGo brings with a fancy new UI, with no traditional home screen for widgets and icons; instead we get the standard scrolling menu of applications, and list of missed calls and social networking feeds and a multi-tasking browser as our three 'home screen' offerings.
An innovative swipe gesture has replaced the home button, meaning users can jump back to the multi-tasking screen from anywhere in the phone.
Check it out in action with our hands on Nokia N9 preview video:
Polly Carbonate – a tough old girl
The polycarbonate shell might not be metal, but still features Nokia's 'all the way through' colour treatment, meaning it's more resistant to scratching and the Gorilla Glass front display should weather key attacks in your pocket too.
There's an 8MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics stuck on the back, coming with decent low-light sensitivity and auto-focus, and is capable of recording in 720p HD at 30 frames per second.
The processor at the heart of the Nokia N9 is the most powerful the Finnish firm has ever jammed into a phone: an ARM Cortex-A8 OMAP3630 1 GHz offering with PowerVR SGX530 graphics to help awesome-ize games and video.
Nokia is offering the N9 with up to 64GB of onboard storage, or a 16GB version will be available for those that don't feel the need for oodles on video. A 1450mAh battery is included too, and given Nokia's penchant for power management, we'd reckon the 450 hours of standby time might not be too far off.
Insta-pairing
Other techno-treats on offer include NFC (with some cool accessories to use the technology, such as insta-pair Bluetooth speakers) Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and up to 14.4Mbps connection speeds.
The Nokia N9 release date has been set rather ambiguously for 'later this year' with UK pricing to be announced in the future too – although we're hoping this bit of kit comes in at the Nokia N8 range of around £25 to £30 per month.
Nokia has produced a (surprisingly low-budget) video of the N9 in action, so you can check out the new MeeGo OS in some more depth:
We're going to try and get our grubby mitts on the phone in the very near future to bring you a hands on Nokia N9 review and answer any burning questions – so if you're curious about anything, pop it in the comments below.
