Nokia unveils its flagship N97 internet smartphone

Nokia N97

Unveiled today in Barcelona, the N97 is designed for "internet-savvy consumers". It has a 3.5in, 16:9 widescreen display, and has up to 48GB of memory, with 32GB of onboard memory expandable with a 16GB microSD card for music and other digital media.

It's equipped with a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, and its music capabilities include full support for the Nokia Music Store. Nokia claims continuous playback of 1.5 days when listening to music.

"From the desktop to the laptop and now to your pocket, the Nokia N97 is the most powerful, multi-sensory mobile computer in existence," says Jona Geust, vice-president for Nokia N Series.

With integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass, the N97 can update social networks automatically with "real-time" information.

Friends, social networks and news are available by simply touching the screen. The display can be personalised to show your favourite widgets too.

Blogging, chatting and posting on the web is made easier using the Qwerty keyboard, and Flash videos can be streamed directly to the phone.

The Nokia N97 is expected to go on sale in the first half of 2009 for around 550 Euros/£460 (before tax).