Click to View

Nokia has started shipping the latest model in its Nseries line of consumer and entertainment-orientated smartphones, the N81. It is available worldwide, including the U.S., in two editions: one with and one without 8 gigs of storage.

Both N81's are quad-band handsets with support for 2.5G EDGE networking in this country and 3G in Europe. As with other Nokia smartphones the N81s runs on the Symbian OS and Nokia's S60 platform.

There's also Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, FM radio tuner, 2 megapixel camera for picture and up to 15fps video, a 2.4-inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixel) resolution display and a numeric keypad that slides out from underneath the screen.

An integrated microSD slot allows you to greatly expand upon the standard N81's comparatively skimpy amount of memory and the N81 8GB's impressive iPhone-like storage capacity.

The smartphones measure 4 x 2 x 0.7 inches when closed and weigh in at only 4.9 ounces.

Since the focus of both N81 models is on gaming and entertainment, Nokia has included dedicated music and game keys as well as a new 3D user interface and menu to help make finding multimedia content easier for users.

Of course, there's an integrated music player and access to millions of audio tracks through the Nokia Music Store.

You can also check out Nokia's update to N-Gage, now a try and buy gaming service. The new iteration of N-Gage is due to launch fully before the end of 2007 and is no longer limited to just one Nokia smartphone model. Both N81s include demos for EA Sports FIFA 07, Asphalt 3: Street Rules and Space Impact Light.

Nokia is selling the N81 8GB for 430 EUR and the standard model for 360 EUR. The 8GB edition can be had through various U.S. outlets, including Amazon.com, for about $550.