In a welcome, yet odd, development, Dell has started selling several high-end Nokia phones in an unlocked state via its online store. So far searches reveal that Dell is selling the Nokia N80, E61i, and E61 for around $400, and the N95 for $732. Those prices don't sound too great when compared to in-contract prices, but compared to similar unlocked offerings from high street stores they're pretty damn competitive. Besides, it doesn't look as if Dell is partnering with any mobile operators, and is instead highlighting the unlocked prices. Unlocked cellphone price war, anyone? If Dell's in the game, then you can bet that others will join.

We'd already seen some shots slip of what we'd then identified as the E62i, but thanks to sharp eyes over at All About Symbian poring over Nokia's user agent profile list, it sounds like the E61 / E62's successor may ultimately come to be known simply as the E61i. That little tidbit of information isn't terribly interesting in and of itself -- they can call it "Espoo" for all we care -- but the profiles also reveal a few key specs that the Nokia (and QWERTY) fanboys among us will be happy to hear. First up, the E61i will come in two variants, one with 3G data and one without, suggesting that the latter might succeed the E62 in American markets while the former will carry the torch in Europe. It'll also make a switch from miniSD to microSD expansion and add a camera -- possibly bad news for those corporate suit types whose business don't allow shutterbugs on the premises. Also revealed is the E65, a phone we've never seen, though All About Symbian suggests it may be a slider (a la N80). Specs include a QVGA display, 3G data, microSD expansion, WiFi, and a camera. Neither phone is listed as running Nokia's latest S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 (which seems odd for any new S60 goodies in the pipeline) which means that A2DP probably isn't in the cards and the aforementioned 3G radios will likely top out with UMTS, not HSDPA. Be that as it may, we're not going to draw any premature conclusions and let rampant speculation get the best of us, but the sooner you could officially reveal these, the better -- mkay, Nokia?

[Via All About Symbian]

Well, it sure took them long enough, but Cingular has finally gotten around to rolling out Nokia's biz-centric QWERTY phone, the E62. Luckily, the price is right: going for "as low as" $150, as expected. At 0.5-inches thick, and with a well-sized QVGA screen, the E62 isn't totally weak-sauce compared to its E61 high-end predecessor, but it does lack the fancy WiFi and UMTS of the E61. Plenty has already been said about the specs (EDGE, Symbian 9.1, the like), so we'll spare you this time around. You should be able to nab this one September 29th -- none too soon, to be sure.

It appears that another carrier has decided to give VoIP its warm, loving embrace. Nokia will be supplying Singapore's SingTel with its E60, E61, and N80 Internet Edition handsets, all of which support both GSM and WiFi; add some SIP-compliant VoIP into the mix, and you have yourself a nice little dual-mode solution. SingTel hasn't announced pricing, but plans on offering a flat-rate service enabling its customers to hop on the VoIP bit from any hotspot, including SingTel's own Wireless Surf Zones. There's no mention of handoff capability between networks, but if the price is right, we'll let it slide -- just don't go wandering off while you're hitting up the WiFi.

[Via Slashphone]

Before we go any further, let's lay out two very important points about BenQ's E61. First, it sports 1MB (yes, that's "megabyte") of internal shared memory. Second, it bears a strong resemblance to a doorstop. That being said, if you're still reading, the the tri-band GSM E61 could end up being a good bargain for you if you're in Europe -- Virgin Mobile is launching it for free with contract. The MiniSD slot will necessarily be where all your tuneage resides, and BenQ gets you started with a 512MB card in the box. Once you load it up, music playback is good for about 10 hours. Not much else to write home about -- you get a VGA camera, passable 160 x 128 display, and with that wedgelike design, you'll be able to chock aircraft and pry off manhole covers.

[Via Stuff]

A whole six months after Nokia announced their E61 QWERTY S60 smartphone to the world, they're finally "shipping" the phone, and say it is gradually becoming available across the globe. No word on when exactly we'll get to hunker down with a retail version of the device in the US, but Nokia did mention that the E70 will follow later this month. We're sure you've heard plenty of the WCDMA 3G data, WiFi, QVGA screen, and miniSD this device includes, but it sounds so much sweeter with the knowledge that the phone is on its way... to somebody.

Nokia is blaming software problems for the delays in their N91, N71, N80, E60, E61, and E71 phones. No word on what exactly is at fault, but Nokia does claim they'll be shipping the N91 -- which was slated for a holiday release last year -- this week. The N71 and N80 are supposed to follow later this month. Nokia claims the business-centric E61, E61, and E71 -- which all missed their March launch target -- are still wrapping up in software testing, and that the E61 will get priority for release. In other news, Nokia managed to to get a class-action lawsuit by a New York judge dismissed last Friday. The 77-page opinion thoroughly trounced the opposition, which had filed suit in April 2004.