While these models will be more stylish and thinner than previous NSeries smartphones, they'll still be far less so than rival’s devices (most notably Motorola's RAZR) in those regards—a complaint some have levied against current NSeries smartphones. "The models they will announce on April 25th won't be there either. Towards the end of the year, the N-series will become more realistic in their form factor. They're heading in the right direction, but the competition will move too," said a large telecom operator source, reported Reuters.

The cell phone maker singled out the N70 as its highest revenue generator when it reported its Q1 2006 earnings yesterday. The top-selling mobile phone vendor - with about a third of all handset sales - said it was the best-selling 3G device as well, accounting for 10 percent of all broadband handsets sold.

London-based research firm Strategy Analytics says that percentage translates into less than 2 million handsets for the quarter. By contrast, Motorola would have shipped 18 million RAZRs during the same period.

Nokia's First quarter profits ($1.29 billion) grew from the same quarter a year earlier ($1.07 billion) and sales nearly doubled in the North America to 8.4 million units, and increased 54 percent in China to 10.9 million units. Total worldwide sales grew by 29 percent; from 53.8 million phones in Q1 2005 to 75.1 in Q1 2006.

Strategy Analytics reports 229 million cell phones shipped during the first quarter of 2006, breaking the 200 million barrier for the first time. Nokia held 32.8 percent of the market, Motorola 21 percent, Samsung 12.7 percent, LG 6.8 percent and Sony Ericsson 5.8 percent.

Meanwhile, Nokia's complicated relationship with Qualcomm took an ominous turn yesterday. Qualcomm said negotiations for renewing licensing agreements between the two giants - set to expire in April 2007 - weren't going well. The agreement covers Qualcomm's CDMA and WCDMA patented technology used in Nokia's handsets. If for some reason the companies cannot close on a deal, Nokia would not be able to integrate Qualcomm's essential technology into its phones.

More on N73 & N93
Details leaked several weeks back about two new members of Nokia's multimedia-centric NSeries smartphones, both sequels to current models. Reportedly, the N93 camera phone is the follow up to the N92 and the N73 builds on the European-only N70. Both handsets run on the S60 3rd Edition interface and Symbian operating system, v9.1.

The rumor mill says the N93 (see picture) has a high-end Carl Zeiss lens - with 3x optical zoom - like another NSeries model, the N90. But raises the picture-taking bar from 2 megapixels to a mobile-phone-impressive 3.2 megapixels, with auto focus. Additional specifications include Bluetooth 2.0, a QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) screen, 3G UMTS technology, stereo speakers, and Wi-Fi.

It appears to merge the capabilities of the N90 camera phone with the design of the handset TV-centric N92. We're not clear as to whether the N92 will bring a DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) receiver aboard also, however—DVB-H bypasses a carrier's cellular network to deliver TV signals directly to phones. It frees up 3G bandwidth for other mobile operator content and promises excellent quality video.

Features of the N73 should include a 3.2-megapixel Carl Zeis camera (up from a 2-megapixel camera as well) with 3x optical zoom and auto focus. The GSM phone should also offer Bluetooth 2.0, stereo speakers, a memory card slot, a 3G UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) radio (averaging 300 to 400 kbps) for data services like video telephony, and a 240 x 320 pixel (QVGA) resolution display.