However, since the smartphone is only available unlocked, which is great for flexibility - allowing you to select the GSM provider of your choice – it also means there's no carrier involved to discount the price.

So, unfortunately, Nokia's über handset is also über expensive.

You'll need to shell out $840 to pick up a N96 at one of Nokia's Flagship stores (in New York and Chicago) or online. It can also be found at Best Buy for $900 and Amazon for a far more reasonable - though still expensive - $705.99.

Fortunately, the inclusion of the 850/1900MHz bands in the U.S. edition of the N96's radio means the quad-band GSM/EDGE smartphone is compatible with AT&T's (and many other)3G networks.

Like its predecessor, the N95, the Symbian/S60-run N96 is a dual-slider that reveals a keypad when opened one way and audio controls the other. It is supposed to include several notable improvements, such as Feature Pack 2 of the S60 Third Edition interface and double the memory to 16GB from 8GB.

There's also a 5-megapixel camera, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and a quad-band GSM cellular wireless radio for voice service around the world. The North American edition adds a pair of 3G-wireless bands to support high-speed data service in the U.S.

For more on the N96, see here .