The touchscreen smartphone, which has a 3.5 inch screen and both a touchscreen and a glide-out Qwerty keyboard, is the latest handset in Nokia’s N series. It follows the blockbuster N95, the handset which has so far sold 15 million, and the N96, which was released earlier this year.

The N97 is the latest handset to join an increasingly crowded smartphone market that includes the G1, which runs Google’s Android software, the BlackBerry Storm, which went on sale last month, and Sony Ericsson’s X1.

Nokia claims the N97, which is due to be released by the middle of next year, is “the world’s most advanced mobile computer” and will boast new services that will transform the way people connect to the internet.

The phone comes with 32 GB of memory – more than twice the capacity of the most powerful iPhone on the market – with the option to expand this to 48 GB with a 16 GB memory card. This means it can store thousands more songs, or hours more video, than its rivals (up to 37 hours of music and 4.5 hours of video playback to be precise).

In a gentle dig at Apple, Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia’s executive vice president of markets, who unveiled the phone, made the point that the N97 can access “the entire internet, not just piece of it” as, unlike the iPhone, it will be able to play the Flash videos used on many websites.

In another move that makes the N97 more like a mini-computer than a phone, the screen tilts to a 35 degree angle when the keyboard glides out, making it easier to see the screen while typing. It is a nice touch. I tried it out: your forefingers fit snuggly behind the screen making it more stable to hold and therefore easier to type. Unlike other slide-out Qwerty keyboards, as seen on handsets such as the G1 or the HTC Touch Pro, which feel quite clunky as they move into place, the N97 really does glide, or almost pivot, out. It is a very satisfying movement.

Like most of its rivals the N97 will run over HSDPA, the fastest type of mobile broadband, with speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps, and, although this is a feature surprisingly absent in the Storm, the N97 is wifi enabled.

While the hardware is impressive, it is the software that Nokia executives are most excited about and which they say will let users personalize the internet.

The N97 will sport internet widgets that can be moved around with your finger to personalize your home screen and a Nokia Messaging button – a single application that will enable you to access any webmail, e-mail and Instant Messenger accounts you might have.

The N97 also introduces so-called “SoLo”, or social location, making it easier to update social networks automatically with real-time information. The phone’s integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass means it knows exactly where it is, and, if your friends allow it to, will know where they are too, opening up new possibilities for gaming and applications.

More Information: Nokia

Guinness World Records have confirmed the title after seeing the phone put through its paces. Earlier this year it was dropped from a height of 10 feet, sprayed with water from a high velocity jet and even placed in a cement mixer.

Guinness World Records then examined the handset and said only superficial cosmetic damage would be tolerated, even a small crack in the screen would have jeopardised the record attempt. Unlike my phone – which seems to shatter into 27 different pieces if I even look at it in the wrong way – the JCB Toughphone passed the tests.

Makers say the mobile can operate at temperatures from -20c to +60c and be dropped, shocked, splashed and covered in dust, all without missing a call.  A spokesperson for JCB said: “The market has been demanding a no-nonsense mobile that can handle the knocks of an active lifestyle as well as dealing with the rigors of life on a building site.”

Available from: JCB ToughPhone

The SLATE features:

• Camera
• Bluetooth capable
• Text Messaging
• Instant Messaging
• Mobile Email

Available from: at&t

The handset will make American consumers wanting Google’s Android OS, but not wanting T-Mobile’s G1 jealous. The Agora is sells unlocked for use on any network. The handset will reportedly come in two flavors including the Agora and Agora Pro.

The normal Agora will retail for AUD $299 and offers a 2.5-inch TFT-LCD touchscreen, integrated QWERTY keyboard, and 3G network capability. Other features include all that Android has to offer like Google Search, Talk, Calendar and more. Bluetooth 2.0 and a microSD card for memory expansion are integrated as well. The phone looks very much like the original Samsung Blackjack to me

The Agora Pro offers up all the same features and adds in a few other niceties like GPS, Wi-Fi, and a 2-megapixel camera for AUS $399. Both of the handsets are slated for availability on January 29, 2009. The good news for geeks in outside Australia is that the handset can be shipped internationally for a price of AUD $59.85.

Available here: Agora | Agora Pro

The De Vere Diamond iPhone.

“A billion years in the making”.

The ultimate cell phone and literally ‘out of this world’.

What can we say and where do we start?

Introducing the most beautiful, glamorous and prestigious luxury phone in the world. Combining the classic styling of the Apple iPhone with the jeweler’s skill of setting minute diamonds.

Sexy, sleek, stylish and luxurious.

You have to admit, it looks like something only a millionaire would own, but you don’t HAVE to be a millionaire to own one!

The only Apple iPhones to be set with flush mounted diamonds to be found anywhere in the world.

The diamonds are set into the existing front steel bezel without voiding the existing Apple manufacturers warranty, but even so, each one is covered by our own warranty, guaranteeing repair and replacement free of charge.

You can consider a De Vere Diamond iPhone as an investment. Whilst the iPhone is relatively inexpensive. It has a value that comes from the diamonds set into it, and these diamonds will always have a market value.

If a customer wishes to upgrade or change their iPhone, the existing diamonds can be set into the new model. They would only charge labour costs.

The prices for supplying a diamond inset bezel and fitting it to your existing iPhone are:

• 25 diamonds  GB£431.25 (US$794.00)
• 50 diamonds  GB£862.50 (US$1587.00)
• 75 diamonds  GB£1293.75  (US$2380.50)
• 100 diamonds GB£1725.00  (US$3174.00)
• 125 diamonds GB£2156.25  (US$3967.50)
• 150 diamonds GB£2587.50  (US$4761.00)
• 175 diamonds GB£3018.75  (US$5554.50)
• 200 diamonds GB£3450.00  (US$6348.00)
• 400 diamonds GB£8900.00  (US$16376.00)

The prices for supplying an unlocked Apple 16GB iPhone 3G complete with a diamond inset bezel are:

• 25 diamonds  GB£1051.83  (US$1935.00)
• 50 diamonds  GB£1483.08  (US$2729.00)
• 75 diamonds  GB£1914.33  (US$3522.00)
• 100 diamonds GB£2345.58  (US$4316.00)
• 125 diamonds GB£2776.83  (US$5109.00)
• 150 diamonds GB£3208.08  (US$5902.00)
• 175 diamonds GB£3639.33  (US$6696.00)
• 200 diamonds GB£4070.58  (US$7490.00)
• 400 diamonds GB£9520.58  (US$17518.00)

They are available from De Vere’s OF London