You won't find the mega-slim (9.9mm, to be exact) E52 in the hands of any businessfolk just yet, but as usual, some FCC lab has the guilty pleasure of putting this one through the RF wringer well ahead of release. The version tested here is a Band I / VIII piece, which means it'll do full HSPA on the 900 and 2100MHz bands -- not exactly what your average North American S60 geek is looking for, but with the crazy precedent the N97 has set for launching in NAM flavor first, who knows what'll happen?

Following a beta kickoff late last year, Ovi Maps -- the latest iteration of Nokia Maps -- is now final and ready for download. It's a pretty big upgrade from the product it replaces, bringing 3D landmarks, higher-resolution satellite imagery available in both 2D and 3D modes, a wider variety of point-of-interest information for destinations, integrated weather forecasts, enhanced pedestrian and automotive turn-by-turn navigation modes, and -- a biggie for yankees -- real-time traffic information for the US. It's a big, worthwhile spec bump, and by our count, it's currently compatible with 26 S60-based Nokia devices; owners of some recent phones (the E51, for example) will be disappointed to see that they're being left behind in the old Nokia Maps realm, but who knows -- maybe some sweet-talking (or fit-throwing) would help the situation.

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.

In North America, Rogers has a reputation for getting the most cool GSM handsets the quickest (that's not the only reputation it has, but we won't go there right this second) -- but this is one case where T-Mobile USA beat 'em to the punch by a mile. The Canadian carrier is adding the Nokia 7510 to its TalkSpot-compatible lineup, meaning you'll be able to offload calls to WiFi when you're within range of a hotspot and transfer seamlessly to and from GSM. There's no 3G, but the colorful flip does come with changeable faceplates, a concealed secondary display, 2 megapixel camera with flash, and microSD expansion. Look for it for CAD $49.99 (about $43) on a three-year deal.

[Via Unwired View]

There's no shortage of complaints -- some minor, some not-so-minor -- about the shipping firmware in the N97s that are already out in the field (our wonky backlight comes immediately to mind), but fortunately, it seems that Nokia's looking to tackle the issues perhaps more proactively than it's ever done before. Nokia Conversations' official Twitter account has announced that the "first variants" of the N97 (which we would take to mean the North American version, since the US got it first) will be blessed with firmware 1.1 starting on July 1, which hopefully will be available over-the-air without any Nokia Software Updater silliness. No word on what exactly will be changed in the new release, but honestly, if we can just get the LL Cool J startup screen, that'll be good enough for us.

[Via Nokia Experts]

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.

While the free-market works pretty well when, uh, left alone to be free, sometimes it needs a push from a visible hand. Case in point, phone chargers, at the moment some 30 different types of chargers are used on handsets throughout Europe. Today, the European Commission received industry backing of its phone charger standard that relies on a micro-USB socket. The standard is now backed by all the majors (representing 90% of the European mobile market) including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Apple, LG, NEC, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung and Texas Instruments with compatible devices starting to appear in Europe next year. Or course, the micro-USB charger standard already has the blessings of CTIA, OMTP, and GSM Association which implies a broader adoption beyond Europe, someday. One charger for any mobile phone... where's the catch?

Nokia isn't the first name that comes to mind when we think of rugged phones -- that honor would probably go to Sonim or perhaps Moto -- but alas, Dutch site Mobile Cowboys says that there might be a 3720 candybar in the works that'll be compliant with the IP54 standard for water, dust, and shock resistance. The tip they received suggests this miracle of modern engineering might be released in the September timeframe for a date with T-Mobile destiny (European T-Mobile destiny, that is), so get ready to get sloppy for this one. Go ahead, learn how to knock over glasses of water with effortless grace -- just make sure we're not around, if that's alright.

[Via IntoMobile]

For anyone firmly planted in the touch world, the N86 8MP may feel like a bit of a step backwards -- but as non-touch Nokia smartphones go, the N86 8MP represents a new high end, outdoing the N85 and possibly beating the final nail into the coffin of the aging N95 series. The dual slider's just been released over in the UK, and All About Symbian has done its typically fantastic job of breaking the phone down to the nitty gritty. Anyone used to the N95's well-documented creakiness will be pleasantly surprised, as AAS reports that the N86 8MP is one of the most solid phones Nokia has made to date (they've been getting better for a while now, we'd say), though the added chunkiness over the N85 might be a big drawback for some -- especially considering that it's essentially the same phone as the older model other than the better camera and the active kickstand. In the final analysis, the camera output looks very good (though perhaps not quite as good as the variable aperture and Carl Zeiss optics had us hoping) and AAS comes away with the conclusion that it could be the "best device money can buy" -- assuming, of course, that you're cool with S60 3.2 and touch isn't your bag.

If the opinions of two star-crossed bloggers weren't enough to sway you firmly into either the "yea" or "nay" column regarding a Nokia N97 purchase, perhaps seeing how it fares after being dunked into a bowl of corn flakes will help you make up your mind. N97Geeks.com has gone the 'ol torture test route, including of a series of scratch attempts for the screen and the body as well, plus the aforementioned test where it became a part of "this complete breakfast." The result was an almost fully functional if slightly scuffed up handset that now has a non-working menu key and a wee bit of internal condensation, meaning you can probably get by without a screen protector or case if you hate buying accessories. But, for best results, keep this one clear of your Kellogg's.

Quick, what's easier to find: an E52 or a game that'll run on it? You'd think this is an egregious case of putting the cart before the horse, but you've got to give the N-Gage team credit for being well-prepared -- they're already listing Nokia's new mega-thin business candybar as being compatible with the service. Also on board is the just-released (and still hard to find in many parts of the world) N86 8MP and -- perhaps most notably -- the N97, making the beastly handset Nokia's first S60 5th Edition phone with N-Gage support. How's the experience sans keys? Let us know your thoughts in comments.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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!