Nokia N900 Finally Shipping In US Today

We're not sure what we'll do with our time now that Nokia have officially announced that their N900 is available in the US.  It seemed like we spent half our day fielding rumors about its release – either dates or postponements – that's when we weren't playing with the device itself, of course.

But all good games must come to an end (and we'll just start chasing HTC Dragon rumors again, so no need to worry about whether our days will be occupied) and as of this morning the pre-order shipments of US N900s are supposedly shipping out.  It's actually over a week since Nokia told us the N900 was officially out for distribution, so we're not sure whether they mean buyers should expect a delivery today, or if the Maemo 5 smartphones are just leaving the warehouse today.

Either way, the N900 is on its way and you should be able to pick one up from the Nokia Flagship stores in New York and Chicago, priced at around $649.  Alternatively it's worth shopping around online; Amazon are already listing it for just $509.99 after discounts and rebates, though there it's not showing up as available as yet.

Press Release:

The Nokia N900 is now available to US consumers

November 18, 2009

A computer in your pocket – The Nokia N900 is here!

WhitePlains, N.Y., USA — Nokia today announced that the highly anticipated Nokia N900 is now on sale in the United States and shipping to consumers who jumped on the opportunity to be among the first to pre-order the Maemo-powered mobile computer. With the Linux-based Maemo platform and with multiple ways to connect to the Internet, the Nokia N900 enables users to be online as it happens with a powerful computer in the palm of their hands.

"Consumers from every segment of the population are looking for more out of their mobile device – more power, more ability, more connectivity. The Nokia N900 ushers in a new era with a very powerful mobile computer," said Alessandro Lamanna, Vice President, Retail Sales, Nokia. "With an open source operating system, incorporated technology like an OMAP processor, and real time web widgets, the Nokia N900 delivers the experience of a pocketable computer that has the information you're looking for right there waiting for you thanks to the ability to be connected just about anywhere."

With the Linux-based Maemo operating platform, 32GB of storage and multiple options of connectivity including access for 3G data networks, consumers no longer need to leave everything that makes them them – their email, favorite websites, social communities, images, music – anywhere but on their Nokia N900. With the Nokia N900, you don't have to worry about missing that next great moment.

Additionally, with the ability to multitask several applications or web browsers at once, the Nokia N900 allows for users to eliminate boredom wherever they go. Surfing several web pages while listening to music while talking on instant message with friends – all at the same time – couldn't be easier.

Maemo software is based on an open source platform and allows for a variety of different applications to be developed – from home brew to commercial and everything in between; such as podcasting, Twitter and instant messaging applications. Consumers and developers can join the conversation with other members and Nokia employees by visiting http://maemo.org.

With a web browser based on Mozilla technology, the Nokia N900 allows consumers to access a world wide web that is more computer-like than before. Consumers can view their favorite websites, use drop down menus, watch Flash videos and access the web on a mobile device screen thanks to support for Adobe Flash 9.4 and gesture support within the Nokia N900 web browser.

The Nokia N900 comes with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard and enables consumers the ability to personalize up to four different home screens as they wish. One can be work related with a calendar widget and contacts application while another can be favorite bookmarked web pages while yet another can be set to show popularsocial networks.

The Nokia N900 retains Nokia's legacy of high quality imaging with a five megapixel camera, Carl Zeiss optics and a dual LED flash along the ability to share those images and videos straight from your device to services such as Ovi Share. With Ovi services like Maps and Files, the Nokia N900 allows users access to their Ovi account right from their device.

The Nokia N900 is available in a black finish and will retail for USD 649 through Nokia Flagship stores in New York and Chicago, nokiausa.com and various independent retailers and e-tailers including Amazon.com. For more information and high resolution images, please visit http://www.nokia.com/press.

For more information on how to develop for Nokia N900 and Maemo, please visit http://forum.nokia.com.