Nokia rolls out 5-megapixel N82 smartphone

Nokia on Wednesday aimed at cementing its position in smartphones and launched the N82. Considered a sequel to the popular N95 slider by the company, the bar phone is designed to be multi-talented but focuses around photography. Its 5-megapixel camera is backed by autofocus, a Carl Zeiss lens and a Xenon flash that help it capture photos closer in quality to a dedicated camera. It can also capture relatively high-resolution video and make video calls on supporting networks, Nokia says. Increasing its similarity with the N95, the N82 incorporates a GPS receiver with Internet assists and Wi-Fi for local networking.

The Finnish handset designer supports its claims of a multimedia phone by including a 2GB microSD card for storing images as well as AAC, MP3, and WMA music. The device equally handles Nokia's latest services such as the Nokia Music Store in some countries as well as the N-Gage gaming platform. Sales of the N82 are already beginning today in some European countries for about 450 Euros ($659) before including tax or carrier discounts. Nokia has not announced a North American release but explicitly supports the quad-band GSM and EDGE data needed to work in the region, suggesting a release as an unlocked device. 3G access over HSDPA is limited to the generally Europe-only 2,100MHz band, the company warns.