Just as Nokia continues to expand and diversify its mobile-device portfolio, so it is deploying multiple platforms to serve different purposes and address different markets, noted IDC Senior Research Analyst Jonathan Arber.

"While we have seen continued growth in Symbian as a smartphone platform, Maemo enables Nokia to deliver new mobile-computing experiences based on open-source technology that has strong ties with desktop platforms," Arber said.

A Multitasking Phone

Equipped with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a 3.5-inch, 800x480-pixel touchscreen, the new Nokia N900 handset has been designed to enable users to browse the Internet just like on a regular notebook or desktop PC. The Maemo 5 software also empowers users to open and run multiple applications simultaneously, the company said.

"The Nokia N900 shows where we are going with Maemo, and we'll continue to work with the community to push the software forward," said Nokia Executive Vice President Anssi Vanjoki. "What we have with Maemo is something that is fusing the power of the computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone, and it is great to see that it is evolving in exciting ways."

Under the hood, the Nokia N900 sports a 600-MHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios, an Assisted GPS receiver, and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration. Also on tap is a five-megapixel camera featuring Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash.

Nokia's new quad-band GSM phone, which features GPRS and EDGE enhancements, sports up to 1GB of application memory as well as 32GB of data storage for retaining up to 40 hours of DVD-quality video or 7,000 music tracks. The device's storage capacity can be further expanded to a maximum of 48GB with a 16GB microSD memory card.

Turn-By-Turn Navigation

The Nokia N900 ships with a mobile browser powered by technology from Firefox developer Mozilla. The device also offers full support for Adobe's Flash 9.4 software for displaying online videos and interactive applications.

According to Nokia, all content running on the Nokia N900 is constantly available through the device's dashboard. What's more, the panoramic home screen can be personalized through the user's addition of favorite shortcuts, widgets and other optional apps, such as a version of Skype currently being developed for the new handset.

Slated to ship with Ovi Maps preinstalled, the Nokia N900 will be able to provide users with the quickest available route for navigating to intended destinations. Moreover, the Nokia Messaging service aboard the phone is capable of mobilizing up to 10 personal e-mail accounts as well as enabling text messages or IM exchanges -- and with multiple text conversations running simultaneously in separate windows.

The Nokia N900 is scheduled to become available "in select markets" starting in October with a retail price of 500 euros (US$719.22), excluding sales tax and wireless carrier subsidies. However, the United States does not appear to be part of the company's initial product-introduction plans.

Pegged at a maximum of 25 frames per second, the MPEG-4 video recording spec for the N900 suggests a focus on sales in Europe and elsewhere overseas rather than the U.S. -- where 30 fps is the norm. Nokia didn't immediately return a request for further information.