This is just an interesting little video Nokia created about the design inspiration/intentions behind the new Nokia N82.  Or just call it a marketing video. :)

I’m just glad the phone that they’ve created to cater to the kind of consumer I am - younger creative professional looking for phone that lets me create and share easily - isn’t a slider, twister, or a flip.  Love me some sturdy, well-built candybar phones.

Once N Series devices started getting 3.5mm audio jacks, they started being seriously considered mp3 players.  And much to my surprise, when I had the Nokia N95, I discovered they’re actually *great* players for subscription music services like Rhapsody and Yahoo! Music.  The N82 continues to show their commitment to music, as it’s not a music-centric or flagship do-it-all device, and they *still* included the normal headphone jack.  Nice.

And now, it’s easier than ever to sync your N Series phone with iTunes (and iPhoto!), thanks to Nokia Multimedia Trasfer (for Mac).

I made a short little video with a Nokia N93i to demonstrate how easy it is to manage music on your Nokia if you’re used to (and refuse to give up) iTunes.  Once I saw how easy syncing (not just add, but remove and update) was, I felt the need to share.

So now N Series handles both iTunes sync, as well as syncing with subscription music services!

Find me an N82 with an armband for it, and I think my iPod nano will be collecting dust…

Over at his blog, James Burland has been one of the lucky few to have been given an N82 device to start exploring.  He’s already posted some great photos comparisons between the new device and the N95, but thankfully, he’s also posted a crisp quicktime video (and a youtube version) of the N82, so you can get better feel for the material and feel of the device.

Definitely check out his N82 video and also the his great N82 photo galleries.

Yesterday, Nokia successfully held another interactive virtual launch event, and I’d like to say it’s the company’s best to date.  Early this morning, the curtain pulled back and revealed an interactive chat room, where you could view a list of videos, documents, and while getting the full dig on the N82 in explicit detail, also speak to the product managers behind the new imaging powerhouse.

After a brief N82 video spot, experience starts off with a introductory tour of the N82, lead by Nokia’s Multimedia VP, Mark Selby.  Once he begins speaking about Nokia’s history in imaging, it is slowly revealed that his presentation is being filmed on the N82 itself… talk about high-profile dogfooding!

The gospel he’s preaching about the mobile phone photography revolution is all music to *my* ears, sure, but he also brought up some pretty impressive trends most people haven’t considered, but should.  While we’ve seen the effect that youtube and video sharing sites have had on live and broadcast events, the introduction of and major advances in mobile phone imaging has lead to a new level of do-it-yourself journalism via N Series… the self-contained photographer/videographer/writer/publisher that can work on-site, edit, and publish rich media content… all while in the field.  Quite a contribution to the recent journalism debate of enabling the amateur and challenging the channels of existing professionals.

And now, enter the N82.  As he puts it, “the best device for capturing, sharing, and publishing your images.”

I love love LOVE, that he dives right into the specifics and challenges of mobile photography… especially in a market where so many are counting megapixels rather than assessing image quality.  I’m glad that Nokia has heard the screaming in the mobile photography community for a better optics solution for low-light situations… after all, most of my life that I’m capturing and sharing happens after 6pm. 

And talk about open.  This device has made it clear that the N95 will not be the only monster-featured handset, but new future devices will be keeping the momentum - not just current flagship devices.  Once you capture images and video, you aren’t locked down at the mercy of your manufacturer/carrier (ahem.. iphone? One day they’ll have picture messaging), but have your GSM network, 3G, WiFi, GPS, USB, and even composite video out.

And the biggest surprise of the day… the Nokia N82 is currently shipping to stores now for immediate sale.  Awesome move… after waiting almost 6 months after the annoucement for the N95, this is a welcome change.

Stay tuned for more Nokia N82 launch-specific posts, as I’ll be covering the event in a different manner than usual - a little less FYI, and a little more meat.  Hope you’re hungry!

Beating the official announcement by a day, press photos of the Nokia N82 have been posted online.  And if the spy shots weren’t convincing enough that this is a beautiful and wondrous thing, hopefully these will.

While many handsets (including the iPhone) truly target media consumption, this Nokia handset again shows the company’s vision to empower media creators.  And unlike most companies, just because they’re making a photo/video centric handset, doesn’t mean they’re going to leave off all the other power features the company has worked hard to integrate well into their handsets… GPS mapping, WiFi, and all the other sweet trimmings.

For now, have a look at all of the Nokia N82 press photos on Nokia’s web site.  And after tomorrow morning, info on the Nokia N82 annoucement will be at http://nseries.com/truestories/.

 
Nokia loves their little mysterious web promos, and viral flash sites to stir things up before a big announcement.  The Womworld team just shared another one…. with a countdown timer.

Behind those curtains?  If the floating mysterious music player iconography preceded the N81 music phone, red show curtains for the photo/video N82 superstar seems pretty darn fitting.

This is the phone of phones - for me in particular.  I’m pretty stoked.

The folks over at mobifrance.com have posted a handful of photos of the upcoming Nokia N82 device, alongside the handset it’s replacing (N73) as well as the ever-popular N95.

I’m excited the device I’ve been praying Nokia would make - candybar shaped Xenon flash camera giant with VGA video, WiFi and 3.5mm audio jack - wasn’t just a power point concept leak turned rumor.

So why do they have one?  Not quite sure, but if they’re posting their own unique photos of the new phone, and Nokia isn’t demanding they take it down, we can assume (you know what that makes) a couple things: there are review models ready (and starting to) make the rounds, and they’re damn close to announcing the sucker.

Unfortunately, Q4 2007 is wishful thinking.  I’m guessing they call it Q1 for a to-market release, and sadly that means April-May by historical evidence.

But I’d be happy to be wrong on this!

View the rest of the Nokia N82 Photos

Update: Hands-on photos appear to be showing up all over the place now!