…and it comes with a big price tag! I’ll let you decide if the onslaught of features being released with Nokia’s N96 is worth the $895.00 price tag, but I will tell you this: she sure is pretty.

Nokia has gone the extra mile to make an all inclusive device that includes every option a wireless enthusiast could ask for. The Nokia N96’s wrap sheet includes: the ability to hold over 20,000 images and 18,000 songs, a 5 megapixel camera including video capability, 2.8 inch QVGA display, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, and by the way of microSD – expandable memory. If I missed something, don’t worry, this device almost certainly has it. Really, its aim seems to be “one device to do it all.”

Where can you find it? Well the device had already been unleasehed in both India and the UK, as well as in limited quanities in the US. If you gotta have it, look to the Noka flagship stores in NY as well as Chicago — or of course, online.

We all have experienced for years the wired tangle of cables and wires that enabled many of the devices used in our modern lives. Wireless technology has improved that and allowed for the introduction of cell phones, mp3 players, PDAs, digital cameras, GPS units and many additional gadgets.

Perhaps the most emblematic symbol of the wireless revolution, the mobile phone, was originally designed as a cumbersome electronic device used for the transfer voice communication. At that time, no one imagined that a mobile phone could support additional services including: SMS, emailing, Internet access, gaming, bluetooth, infrared data transfers, camera, video recording, etc’.

Notably, although these are impressive technological achievements, the wireless innovation of today will become obsolete as continued improvements are made in the coming future. However, regardless of what progress is achieved, the consumers are still set to benefit.

Cell phone headsets provide such an example, starting with the wired kind that was available since the mid 90’s. Whether you’re a busy student, a frequent driver, or a professional business executive, the concept of a headset often appeals to many individuals. The headset was designed to free up the users’ hands as well as reduce the chance of radiation by providing some distance from the phone set. The wired solution is now superseded by the bluetooth version which offers the above advantages as well as becoming increasingly more of a high tech fashion accessory.

Pythias Brown, a baggage screener at Newark Liberty International Airport, is currently accused of stealing electronic gadgets from the luggage of passengers.

The theft lasted for more than a year and included a $47,900 camera from an HBO crew and a camcorder from a CNN employee. More than 100 items have been stolen. Among the items seized from Brown’s house were 66 cameras, 31 laptop computers, 20 cell phones, 17 sets of electronic games, 13 jewelry pieces, 12 GPS devices, 11 MP3 players, 8 camera lenses, 6 video cameras and 2 DVD players.

The spotlight was place on Brown when he tried to sell the items on eBay. Investigators placed the winning bid on the camera and later connected Brown’s address and credit card number as well as the post office video images from where the camera was sent, to the camera’s serial number.

Since the story broke out, Brown has been placed on administrative leave and is expected to soon be dismissed. If convicted, he is facing up to 10 years in prison.

In a market where iPhones and Gphones are getting all the hype, Nokia holds a special place in my tech loving heart, as the company that has produced most of the reliable cell phones I’ve chosen to use over the years. I’ve yet to have an issue with them, either. Knock on wood, just in case, though.

RIM’s popular Blackberry gets a makeover and targets a new audience with their first flip phone offering. With a sleeker design, that also means a smaller keypad, the new device is suited more for the personal user than the business tycoon. In fact, the new model, called the BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220, does not contain a full QWERTY keyboard, instead opting for a 20 button keypad.

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 also offers a 16GB memory card, two megapixel camera, built in Wi-fi, satellite navigation system and more. The release date should land in fall, and pricing has not yet been disclosed.

It’s a smart move by RIM – spreading their eggs into multiple baskets in an effort to protect their market share from significant competitors. My personal opinion is that the new phone will do well, especially amid recent Iphone connectivity blunders.

Various rumors are circulating the web about the release date of Google’s Android phone offering, some claiming it will be available (through T-Mobile) in just four weeks, some say five, and others still predict a much longer wait.

The Google Android device, called G1, will be sold by T-Mobile, with a hefty $399 price tag for those paying full retail. You’ll have to sign a contract or be an existing T-mobile customer to get a better deal.

The phone is said to include a 3.0 megapixel camera, a touchscreen display, 3G connectivity and a full QWERTY keypad. Oh, and get this: you’ve got to have a Gmail account in order to fully activate the phone’s service.

Personally, I’m a Google-dork and tend to like everything they produce, however I thumb my nose at the requirement of having a Gmail account in order to activate services with the G1. That’s going a little too far, and I’d wager that this restriction will be removed.

Anyhow, no doubt the G1 release will make waves, but I’m not fully convinced yet that this is a good wave to surf.

Wow. There’s plenty of buzz surrounding Blockbuster’s offer to buy Circuit City. Blockbuster’s reasoning is full of the usual business jargon: cutting costs, benefiting from complementary products, exploiting the growing convergence of media content and electronic devices, etc. All this will result in a “game-changing retail concept with a sustainable competitive advantage.”

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div>Cellphone subscribers in the 30 countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reached close to 933 million in 2005, meaning 80 subscribers per 100 people. Interestingly enough, there are 14 countries which have more cellphone subscribers than people with Luxembourg having the highest penetration rate: 157 subscribers for every 100 people!

The United States is below the average with at least 15 countries that have a higher penetration rate. South Korea and Japan appear to be the only countries which have adopted more third-generation (3G) phones than 2G phones. See below for a chart (via the Economist):

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According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), which cites its favorite source of “people familiar with the matter,” Google is working on a new search service for cellphones that will help consumers search for and buy ringtones, games, and other mobile content. Google has even considered including a “social-networking component” (whatever that means in this context). The new service sounds basically like Froogle, er, Google Product Search but for the cellphone.

Google already has cellphone versions for most of its popular services, including search, Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube. But Google will now effectively broker the sale of mobile content (likely via Google Checkout), which would divert consumers away from the likes of Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc. Those companies have their own storefronts for selling you stuff, of course. And they get a significant chunk of such transactions.

Considering global sales of music, video, ringtones, and other mobile content was $27.4 billion last year (and growing rapidly), it’s no wonder Google wants in on the action. But when will the search giant work on what we really need?

Did you know the Google directory also contains a cell phone directory too?