Having already given you the AT&T spec sheet and images on this new Nokia, the only things missing are launch date, price, and a bit of video. Well, a janky QIK video just made its way to YouTube claiming that Nokia's Mako is coming to AT&T in mid-July as the 6790 Surge. It should be "priced pretty well" but those details haven't been finalized. So if a quick messaging device running S60 beneath a 2.4-inch 240x320 pixel display with HSDPA data and 2 megapixel camera is enough motivation to prompt another mouse-click then by all means, click through for the video overview provided after the break. Stay cool, bye.

What does this look like to you? If you answered "most definitely not a phone," well, we're not so sure about that. In fact, we're certain it is a phone, considering that the FCC documentation identifies it as such. Even juicier, though, is the fact that the Nokia RM-599 (all Nokias get RM codes prior to their market model numbers and names) has WCDMA on Bands II and V, which would be just what the doctor ordered for use on North American 3G spectrum. Given the odd outline foretold by the ID label here and the radio specs, we're thinking we could be looking at the Mako for AT&T, which means it may have just cleared one of the last few hurdles ahead of release. Of course, we don't know exactly how it's doing in AT&T's testing labs -- that's another story altogether -- but maybe we'll see this sooner rather than later.

Nokia Messaging represents Espoo's premiere email experience -- so premiere, in fact, that the company eventually plans to charge for it on some of its devices -- and to help makes it just a little bit more awesome than it already is, they've now started adding in instant messaging capability. The new Nokia Messaging - E75 IM Beta (yes, that's the full official name) offered by Nokia Beta Labs rocks compatibility with Yahoo Messenger and Ovi -- more services are expected to be compatible in the future -- and appears to serve up pretty much all the features you'd expect of a modern mobile IM client, including background notification, multiple conversation management, status control, and chat log save capability. So far, only the E75's compatible, but Nokia's imploring folks to stay tuned to Beta Labs for updates on when they'll open it up to other devices.

Thomas Ricker and Chris Ziegler came away from their N97s with very different opinions of Nokia's premier superphone -- and they weren't afraid to let those opinions be known in a series of vicious verbal volleys. Head on over to Engadget for all the drama!

If you stop to think, really, about how much we take pleasure in seeing pictures of phones get utterly dismembered, it's quite disturbing. So don't think about it, and instead hit up the read link for a gallery showcase copious amounts of a prototype Nokia E72 innards, ripped apart alongside an E71 (on the right in the image above) for comparative purposes. There's a very brief question-and-answer session just after the photos, but it's definitely not gonna keep you satisfied between now and its third quarter launch window.

You'd think that Nokia would want to do a better job of building up such important product announcements with a long, drawn-out series of frustratingly unhelpful teasers, viral videos, and global PR campaigns, but instead, it turns out that the rumored E72 and 5530 XpressMusic have been officially unveiled at the company's Connection 09 event in Singapore. The E72 is arguably the bigger announcement of the two, succeeding the E71 by adding a whopping 5 megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack (thank goodness), integrated compass, 10.2Mbps HSDPA, and an optical navigation pad; it'll hit in the third quarter for €350 (about $489). Follow the break for video of the E72 in slick, polished, high-orchestrated marketing action. Next up, as we'd heard, the 5530 ends up being a small step down from the 5800 in the S60 5th Edition totem pole, offering just EDGE data without any form of 3G (though you've still got WiFi). It's got a 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash, 3.5mm jack, and a 640 x 360 touchscreen display. Like the E72 it'll be available in the third quarter; it'll retail for €199 (about $278) unlocked.

[Thanks, nabs]



Read - Nokia E72
Read - Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

Looks like the E71 is about to be upstaged as Nokia's premier business-class smartphone -- someone in Espoo's just hit the corporate YouTube account with this promo video for an E72. Upgrades include a five megapixel camera, a relocated headphone jack, and what looks to be an optical mouse instead of a D-pad -- a welcome upgrade for click-happy S60. That's all we know for now, but we're digging for more -- check the video after the break.

Update: The YouTube video's been pulled, but luckily the guys from IntoMobile snagged it.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

When we think of S60-powered handsets coming out of Samsung right now, it's pretty difficult to think of anything other than the mighty i8910 HD -- but just like Nokia, Sammy's got a full range of hardware it wants to put out to market, so you've got to fill in the lower-end nooks and crannies just as you would any other. And actually, calling the B5100 "lower-end" really isn't doing it justice since it's got a 3.0 megapixel camera and HSDPA of some non-US variety; it's just that when you put it up against one of the most impressive phones ever made, this thing simply pales. At any rate, it's not announced yet -- the FCC's just seen to it that pictures and the user's manual are now available -- so we'll hold back on not buying it until after it's available.

[Via GSMArena]

If you had any doubt about the reach of Nokia, the world's leading mobile handset maker, then check this: Nokia just announced the simultaneous June launch of its flagship N97 in more than 75 countries. We already had hints of this for the US and Western Europe but it's good to have it official. And with N97 chatter on the uptick recently, we're expecting to see this 3.5-inch QWERTY touchscreen slider running S60 5th sooner rather than later.

Like this thing? We hope you don't -- or if you do, we hope you're on Vodafone, because that's the only way you're going to get it, it seems. The Nokia 6730 Classic candybar is an interesting device in that Voda intends to launch it globally across its entire wireless footprint, bringing turn-by-turn navigation and S60 to a wide audience spanning multiple continents and target demographics. It's also got a 3.2 megapixel AF cam, the usual microSD expansion, and a 2.2-inch display, all launching next month for an undisclosed (but we imagine very reasonable) price.

We were cautiously optimistic after seeing the alleged 5900 XpressMusic leak out a few weeks ago that Nokia was taking a keen interest in upgrading the plain-vanilla looks of its midrange 5800 to give it more of a premium feel, but strangely, it sounds like there might be very different forces at play here. Cellpassion says that it can "confidently say" that the silvery device here is actually a downgrade from the 5800 -- a model 5530 codenamed "Kenzo." Rumored specs include a 3.2 megapixel AF cam (same as the 5800), a lower-res QVGA display clocking in at 2.9 inches, 150MB of onboard storage, and -- here's the kicker -- no 3G or WiFi. It's said to be looking at a retail price under $200, which makes us wonder if this couldn't actually be the domestic Chinese version of a device that could launch in other markets with 3G and / or WiFi enabled. Just a guess, but here's hoping we get some concrete answers shortly.

Ironically, it could be argued that it's BlackBerry OS in most desperate need of a mega-capable browser right now, but to start off, Skyfire's tying up some loose ends and going gold with the Windows Mobile and S60 versions of its well-received app. Reflecting the impressive length, width, and girth of the WinMo version's private and beta periods, 1.0 is said to feature some key improvements around performance, battery drain, better navigation and a new search feature. The gold builds are available now over at Skyfire's website, and don't fret, BlackBerry folks -- we're told a public beta is next on the company's radar.

Google's been hard at work recently making as many non-Android mobile devices fully (well, at least partially) compatible with its cloud, and Google Sync has now moved to yet another platform. The S60 version of the client is now in beta, bringing contact and calendar syncing to a very large, very important new customer base -- and it's totally push, meaning users don't really have to do anything to keep their data in sync. Since it's still in beta, Google is recommending that users back up their phone before installing and using the software -- and we can personally attest to the value of backing stuff up before performing a fresh sync in any situation, so yeah, go ahead and do that.

[Via Phone Scoop]

With that May launch window closing fast, it looks like Nokia might get Ovi Store in under the proverbial wire: it just went live on Vodafone in Australia, which was soon followed by other carriers, and then Ireland and Singapore. According to a post that was subsequently pulled from Nokia's Conversations blog, Nokia confirmed the rollout and said that it was progressively moving the Ovi Store to "production servers," and that we could "expect a broader announcement and consumer availability soon." Unfortunately, since that post has been pulled, we're not really sure what to expect, but at least the lucky few with Ovi can beam back important missives on their Twittix apps about what life is like in the future. Above are shots of the store live on an N97.