You already knew Nokia's evolutionary N96 was all set to be shipped in the fall, but it's about time Nokia came clean with the release information on its leaked-out-everywhere E-series. While Anssi Vanjoki, senior executive vice president of Nokia Markets, didn't specify model numbers, it's widely assumed that the E66 and E71 handsets are included when he states that "a group of E-series multimedia computers" will be brought to market in Q3. No mention of a price or expected launch regions, but at least you've a quarter to circle in your date book, yeah?

Nah, these shots aren't real (so far as we can tell), but wouldn't it be nice if they were? A presumably bored and decently talented Photoshopper got to work on a trio of Nokia Eseries phones, and the end result is three of the cutest mobile renderings you'll ever have the pleasure of witnessing. Of course, this isn't the first time a Hello Kitty fanatic gave a Nokia an unsuspecting paint job (scroll down, it pops up in the final pic!), but we must say we're a tad partial to the pinked-E90. Hey, with the amount of objects that her cuteness has landed on these days, you never know how serious Nokia may consider it.

We knew they were coming and now, finally, Nokia went and blessed their quad-band GSM / UMTS / WiFi totin' E61i and E65 official. The E65 is the first slider to drop as an E-series business device. Although the styling is a bit flash for an E, this slider is designed with suits in mind so it'll integrate just fine with your corporate telephony system. The E61i (pictured) also integrates with your corporate email system -- as you'd expect from QWERTY-based E -- and adds a 2 megpapixel camera to the mix as well as an enhanced keyboard which includes new NAVI and "One Touch" keys. Both the E65 and E61i feature Nokia's new Intellisync Mobile Suite 8.0 platform which, according to Nokia, allows businesses to "achieve new levels of productivity and competitive advantage." We'll just have to wait and see about that. The E65 is already available in select markets while the E61i won't pop until Q2 -- both S60 devices will demand an unsubsidized price of about €400. You can peep the E65 after the break.

Admittedly, we had our fair share of panic attacks at Engadget HQ when news spread that Nokia might restrict sales of its E70-2 (a standard-issue E70 with GSM 850 in place of UMTS 2100) to its two American flagship stores in New York and Chicago. Thankfully, those fears have all been laid to rest on news that sales have begun directly off Nokia's US website, offering the trick, S60 3rd Edition QWERTY candybar for a stiff $450 unlocked. Oh, and if you decide to take the plunge, rest easy -- the firmware bungle has been cleared up.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Owners of WiFi-enabled, Series 80- and S60-powered Nokia handsets will soon have "one-click" access to over 50,000 hotspots worldwide thanks to a new software client being developed in conjunction with trusted connectivity services provider iPass. Already available for Windows, Macintosh, and Windows Mobile devices, the iPassConnect client gives people an easy way to connect to any hotspot across some 28 different networks, including T-Mobile, Wayport, and The Cloud, offering both a consistent user experience and simplified billing. The first models to receive the iPass treatment will be the 9300i and 9500 Communicators, which should see the new software sometime this summer, followed by a version for E-series devices by the end of the year.

[Via PC World]