That delightful little gift to original N95 owners in the form of firmware v30 has now spread to the European-spec N95 8GB, too, offering better battery life (allegedly), a new Flash Lite client, upgraded media player, "enablers" for Comes With Music (sounds promising), and a host of other tweaks that make the N95 better than ever. In fact, it might have some N95-1 and N95-2 owners saying "N96 who?" -- but North American N95-3 and N95-4 owners, as usual, might let their eyes wander toward the newer piece anyway since there's no indication when they'll be seeing the upgrade.

It isn't hard to see to perks to Apple's "one size fits all" approach to software for the iPhone and iPod touch. After making N95-3 (the regular ol' N95 for North America) users wait months to get the software updates of their European counterparts, it took 'em another few days to get the N95-4 (the 8GB version for North America) up to snuff as well. Of course, the N95 8GB already had a few of the software improvements, but this seems to pull it in line with the v20 firmware all the cool kids are rocking. Unfortunately it's not all gravy, you're going to have to do all the heavy lifting of backing up and re-installing your apps, and we've been having trouble getting the update to work at all on our particular 8GB -- we'll let you know how that goes. Still, the speed gains are (probably) worth all the hassle, so fire that sucker up and get updating!

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Update: Problem solved, turned out to be a bum USB port on the PC we were using. You may also run into Vista compatibility issues using Nokia's Software Update app, though we had no problems when we told Vista to front like XP SP2 using the shortcut. Proceed at your own risk!

The user community already had a number of hacks available for this, but you can't help but get a warm fuzzy every time a manufacturer snatches up cool functionality and bundles it into the official firmware. N95 8GB firmware v20.0.016 is now out and about, offering automatic screen rotation based on the device's in-built accelerometers (why this wasn't functional out of the box is beyond us, considering the requisite hardware was already in place) along with browser and WiFi updates. As always, we suspect this is hitting the Euro-spec N95-2 first -- but we imagine an update for the N95-4 can't be far behind.

[Via All About Symbian]

Seems like Nokia could've used this press release... oh, about two weeks ago when we first got the fateful call from our local store about its availability. Alas, a late press release is better than no press release at all -- especially for a device of this magnitude and symbolic importance in the North American market -- and maybe this is indicative of broader availability. In fact, the release specifically mentions that the N95 8GB "will be available through Nokia Nseries retailers across the United States, such as the Nokia Flagship stores in New York City and Chicago, as well as many online e-tailers," so if you can stomach the $749 outlay, it shouldn't be terribly difficult to come across.

We just got a call from our friendly local Nokia flagship store, and lo, it seems the mythical N95 8GB with HSDPA 850 / 1900 is now in stock. The all-black monster of Nokia's current Nseries lineup will run you a stiff $799 -- so get your credit card out, get your 3G on, and find out exactly what 8GB of music you want to carry with you.

We've already mentioned that the LG Vu is looking solid for a late March release after being held up (or so they say, anyway) to work through a few MediaFLO issues; we've now received independent confirmation that it's true -- assuming no more issues arise, of course -- but that's not all. No, far from it, in fact. The Sony Ericsson Z750 is apparently inbound for a release within two weeks, and along with the rugged Motorola W760 "Hurricane" (pictured), that should close out AT&T's March docket.

Moving on to April and beyond, the Pantech "Breeze" is expected some time next month, but don't get too excited -- it's an entry level flip that should move out the door free on contract. The Motorola Z9 slider should lackadaisically stroll into stores in late April, and finally, we've heard that the Nokia N95 has been approved by the carrier's powers that be (!!!) and should be available in the second quarter; no word on whether it's the standard N95 or the N95 8GB, though. How about an N96 with MediaFLO while you're at it, guys?

[Thanks, Kal]

Update: We've just heard from another tipster that the N95 in question is the original for the North American market, the N95-3. It apparently just started going through the arduous approval process last week, a testing marathon that takes roughly 400 hours -- four to six months -- to complete. By then, we'll all have 4G radios embedded directly within our brains and be living in terraformed colonies on Mars, but it was a nice thought on AT&T's part nonetheless.

Nokia has historically had a tendency to release new colors of existing phones without much of an official announcement, and we could be dealing with that sitch again here. Retailer Plemix is now offering the N95 8GB in the black that we're all accustomed to along with a new shade -- copper -- that runs a few dollars more than the original. Hey, you've gotta pay to play, right? We're hearing that the copper version maintains the black front end, which would be inline with the original N95's tendency to sport silver up front regardless of what's going on around back. If anyone gets one of these copper suckers in their hands, do let us know, won't you?

[Via IntoMobile and Cell Addict Blog]

We certainly can't guarantee that your wait for the US 3G version of the Nokia N95 8GB is nigh, but it did just pass through the FCC, meaning the last major hurdle to selling the things in the US is over. We don't blame you for gawking, just hang tight until Nokia drops the official word giving you occasion to lose somewhere close to a grand from your already badly abused bank account.

The Digital Living Network Alliance, long a territory of receivers, televisions, and other things that you don't put in your pocket, has taken the bold step of certifying Nokia's N95 8GB as a compliant Mobile Digital Media Server. What does that mean in practical terms? Well, Nokia clearly regards the N95 8GB as a multimedia powerhouse, and DLNA certification guarantees that the handset is going to be more than happy to serve up music, pics, and videos to other devices around the home. Nokia touts that it's an "active member" of the DLNA, so we'd be surprised if this was the last Nseries device to get blessed with the alliance's stamp of approval, too.

All signs pointed to this sucker existing, and sure enough, here it is. The N95 8GB for North America is pretty much exactly what you'd expect it to be -- an exact replica of the European version with the 2100MHz WCDMA radio surgically removed and replaced with an 850 / 1900MHz counterpart for speedy data in these lands. The screen is up to 2.8 inches versus the original N95's 2.6, but the 8GB of internal storage comes at the cost of the microSD slot, so don't get all cocky on us about rocking 16GB of storage in your pocket, alright? Check it in stores this quarter for $749.

Not too far removed from its N95 and N95-3 brethren, the mighty N95 8GB has now been hooked up with a firmware update for all to enjoy. Like the N95-3's most recent (and so far, only) update, this one appears to be a minor patch that might leave users wanting more -- improvements seem to be focused on performance and quality, not new functionality -- but hey, any time a manufacturer feels like making its phones a little more stable, you won't hear much bellyaching on our end. Now that this business is all wrapped up, perhaps you can turn your attention to bringing the N95 update's joy to the N95-3, guys and gals?

[Via All About Symbian]

Update: We missed a couple key gems here in the new update that have been discovered by folks over the course of the day: full support for Flash Lite 3, video included -- meaning YouTube is a go -- and support for Nokia's widget platform. Not bad! Thanks, everyone!

What's that we see? The Nokia N95 8GB listed on the Nokia US retail site? Okay, calm down, it's not the US-specific version (read: it uses 2100MHz WCDMA, i.e. European 3G), but you'll still have a 2.8-inch mammoth screen, A-GPS, a five megapixel camera, and the rest of the goodies that maybe, just maybe, you'll be willing to fork out $780 for, even knowing that a US version HAS to be right around the corner.

[Thanks, Preston]

There's something not quite right about this ad for Nokia's N95 spotted on Yahoo! today. For what it's worth, clicking it takes you to Nokia USA's page for the North American N95 -- but first of all, the phone here doesn't look exactly like an N95. Yeah, it obviously is, but what's up with the weird edges? Secondly, there is no such thing as a North American N95 8GB (yet), calling into question the "8gb expandable memory" touted here. Third, if this is an N95 8GB, why isn't it black, and why is the memory called expandable when it's not? We figure Nokia's just trying to advertise the plain old N95-3 here, but golly, let's try to execute a slightly cleaner ad campaign next time, okay, guys?

A mention on Nokia's own interweb not enough to convince you that the North American rendition of the N95 8GB is real? Between the larger display, cool black case, and 8GB of integrated storage, Nokia could end up swiping another several hundred dollars from a decent chunk of original US N95 buyers which we figure is enough convincing for Espoo's bean counters, but it's not good enough for you, eh? How about a major retailer boldly taking orders, then? MobileCityOnline is so convinced that the N95 8GB will get redone with HSDPA 850 / 1900 that it has begun taking preorders with an estimated ship date of February 15, making it a lovely belated Valentine's Day gift -- if it actually exists, that is.

[Thanks, Pdexter]

If you recall, the North American version of the N95 was basically willed into existence by folks who boldly ignored the lack of support for their native 3G bands and bought the original anyway; Nokia was pleased with the unexpected cash flow, woke up, and cobbled together what we now know as the N95-3. So is history going to repeat itself with the N95 8GB? The Nokia Guide discovered a mention of an "N95 8GB NAM" in the compatible phones list for Nokia's Download! app, and while there's been no official announcement of such a device in the pipe, it makes total sense that they'd scheme to swap out the eight gigger's radio the same way they did before. Also mentioned is an "N82 8GB," another nonexistent handset that we'd be less than shocked to see happen since the N82 is undeniably one of Nokia's flagship handsets and is now flanked by 8GB versions of its N81 and N95 cousins. Only question left is, who's planning on holding on that N82 or N95-3 purchase now until this all plays out?

[Via Boy Genius Report]