Although it's running a few days behind the European update, we suppose late always trumps never when it comes to refreshed firmware. As of now, Americans can suck down v110.07.127 for their E71-2 in order to take advantage of a smattering of bug fixes. Most notably, users should see Nokia Email updates as well as "a new update to Mail For Exchange and Nokia Maps, both of which are pre-installed." As always, we'd highly recommend backing everything up before doing the deed, but if you're feeling froggy, jump.

[Via Symbian-Guru]

Enough already, alright? After hearing analysts suggest that the current economic situation would likely hurt handset sales at large, we've now got yet another poll telling us more of the same. After contacting a number of so-called gurus for their input on the situation, 8 out of 22 expected the market to contract next year, meaning that the mobile market could shrink for the first time since the tech crash in 2001; a month ago, just 1 out of 23 analysts polled felt this way. Granted, most still expect Q4 to grow compared to Q3 as individuals splurge during the holiday season, but things may not be so pretty in the new year. Here's an idea: let's make every phone at least as costly as the Softbank 823SH Tiffany -- those seem to be selling like gangbusters.

[Via mocoNews, image courtesy of CrashOnMyHead]

Not that we ever (okay, maybe there was a moment of weakness in there somewhere) doubted that Nokia's N85 was North America-bound, but the handset dubbed superior to the flagship N96 by one Italian reviewer is indeed coming to US soil. And we've found the FCC documentation to prove it. At this point though, there's little the User Guide, external / internal photos and SAR report can tell us that we don't already know, so again, the takeaway here is that we're one (huge) step closer to having an N85 to call our own. Now that's what's up.

The Foundations said it best in their 1968 classic, but seriously, why let us down like this? Nokia didn't mind busting out a litany of press shots and all the specifications one could need to get amped up about the 5800 XpressMusic, but it obviously has something holding it back from launching in "mature markets" before 2009. In an announcement that's just as disappointing to the suits in Espoo as it is to those in North America and Down Under (just to name a couple), we've now learned that the touchscreen-dominated handset will only be available in seven countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe before 2009 dawns. Even worse? Not knowing how deep into next year we'll have to wait for this thing here in the US of A. Catch our feelings spelled out in video form after the break.

Ready for your daily dose of "Thanks, Captain Obvious"? A recent Reuters report is suggesting that the mayhem on Wall Street could really pose a threat to handset makers, with RIM in particular at risk. The logic goes something like this: lots of finance workers probably use BlackBerries, and if their jobs suddenly evaporate, so will their handsets. In truth, all handset makers are going to have a tougher time moving handsets (particularly second, third or fourth handsets) with spending on the decline, and it's said that operators have already started to combat the issue by "shifting their subsidy dollars to more expensive phone models." RIM's co-chief executive Jim Balsille seems a tad less worried, stating: "No matter how much economic challenge there is, how many people do you know that have given up their mobile?" Well played, Jim.

[Image courtesy of DemInvest]

Barely a month after Nokia's North American E71 went on sale at the Chicago / New York flagship stores, we've received word that the QWERTY-less sibling (that'd be the E66) has now arrived at the same locales. The quad-band slider boasts support for AT&T's 3G network, and there's also a 3.2-megapixel camera, GPS, WiFi and all the other goodies you'd expect from another solid S60 contender. Snap it up now in Grey Steel for $540.

[Via IntoMobile]

With all the Touch Diamond / Touch Pro news surfacing for these US CDMA carriers, quite a few AT&T subscribers are beginning to get restless. Calm down, folks -- it seems the AT&T Touch Pro is a reality waiting to happen after all. Based on some admittedly dodgy claims and even dodgier photographs, one particular soul has apparently paid $900 for a pre-release Touch Pro with North American 3G. Only time will tell if he got duped, but we're going to believe that AT&T wouldn't let this gem pass it by for too much longer until proven wrong.

[Via wmpoweruser]

Call it a hunch, but you shouldn't have to wait too awfully long (like, hours / days / weeks) to secure Nokia's North American E71 today. Said handset is now available at the company's flagship store in Chicago, complete with a QWERTY keyboard and US-friendly 3G. Eager to grab one? Total cost will be $483 (plus tax) in addition to a roundtrip ticket to Chi-town, considering the store won't ship to out-of-towners (or so we hear).

[Via IntoMobile]

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!

Get this: the first North American carrier to offer up Nokia's 8GB N95 isn't AT&T. Heck, it's not even a US-based operator. No friends, it's Canada's own Rogers Wireless. Just as we had heard late last month, the N95 8GB has officially landed in the Great North, and starting on May 6th, consumers up that way will be able to secure one for a hefty $399.99 with a three-year activation on the Rogers Vision Unlimited On-Device Mobile Browsing Plan. Don't weep too heavily, AT&T users -- your time should be coming soon.

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.

Bet you didn't see that coming, did you? The shock of a real, honest-to-goodness N95 with North American 3G bands becoming reality (sorry, T-Mobile, not you!) is still wearing off, and now the company's spouting off about a September release for the darned thing. As we found in our hands-on, this particular variant of the S60 superphone gets tweaked just a bit from the original -- though not as much as the bigger-screened N95 8GB -- offering a redesigned, recessed camera lens (sans protective cover), twice the RAM, dimpled music control keys, and re-upped battery capacity. Nokia claims this very special version of the N95 was made in part because it's been "extremely pleased" with response to the European N95 in these parts -- so to everyone with an N95 in your pocket right now, thanks! As we mentioned, grab it starting next month through a variety of online retailers plus Nokia's flagship stores in New York and Chicago for $699.

While we were already looking forward to the N800 Internet Tablet's inevitable successor, it seems like Sprint may have something else in mind. According to LinuxDevices, the operator "will offer a mobile WiMAX-enabled version of Nokia's N800 Internet Tablet to North American customers next year," which reportedly falls in line with the carrier's grand scheme of making 4G services available "to over 100 million people during 2008." Furthermore, Nokia's director of open source, Dr. Ari Jaaksi, was quoted as saying that this here device would "most probably" include WiFi and Bluetooth as well, but as expected, no details regarding a specific launch timeframe were divulged.

[Via JustAMP]

While the Canadians in the crowd may not have paid too much attention to the the Nokia 6300 review, you should probably take interest now that the handset is making its North American debut on Fido. The tri-band (850 / 1800 / 1900) candybar measures in at a sleek 13.1-millimeters thick, sports a sexy stainless steel motif, and packs modernized features into one of Nokia's most long-standing designs. Among the inclusions are a two-megapixel camera with video recording capability, a 512MB microSD card, Bluetooth, music player, FM tuner, voice dialing, a bundled headset, and a battery that purportedly lasts through 3.5-hours of continuous talking. Best of all, Fido users don't even have to wait for this thing to show up, as the 6300 is available right now for $300 sans a contract, $150 with a two-year deal, or $100 when signing a three-year contract.

[Via Cellphones Etc., thanks Branden]

Barely two weeks after i-mate's JAQ3 got previewed, and just a single day after some other firms caught the smartphone blues, the now-dull looking device is headed to American shores. Presumably hoping to grab the business of those who just can't wait for an iPhone, our textual begging was apparently heard, as now we US lads can get a little JAQ in us, too. As expected, this Window Mobile 5-powered device will sport a full QWERTY keyboard, massive D-pad for navigating those menus, 802.11b/g, two-megapixel camera, 2.4-inch touchscreen LCD, 128MB of onboard ROM, 64MB of RAM, a microSD slot, and four hours of reported talk time to boot. You'll also find quad-band GSM and Bluetooth 2.0 (with A2DP) connectivity, EDGE, and a side-mounted scroll wheel for one-handed navigatin'. So if the nicely-featured JAQ3 was everything (keyword: was) you wanted in a smartphone, you can rethink your decision to pick one up when they land here later this month.