Nokia N96 released early

[The Feedster]

Nokia has gone out on a limb with the release of the N96, releasing it early to a select few as part of a competition.

The Finns will make 96 of the handsets available (you see what it did there?) to those who win a competition or donate €759 to WWF.

In return they receive a limited edition Nokia N96 in an ash box, laced with gold thread, made from tears wept by a nightingale at the turn of the last century. (Well, definitely the box bit).

Where's that dragon gone?

The website highlighting this competition is probably one of the best mobile advertising sites ever. Nokia has used 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'-style clips to show off each feature of the phone, and it looks cracking.

However, the constant demand from the number one manufacturer to call it a multimedia computer irks somewhat, especially as all the features can be clicked and viewed EXCEPT the calling function, which you can only look at once you have experienced the camera, the music player, the GPS etc.

Nokia - this is STILL A PHONE.

Anyway, this is likely to be in the hands of the chosen ones (the theme is addictive) around August, which is a full month ahead of its true release date, so there both Nokia and the red pandas will benefit from you not being able to wait to get your hands on the handset.

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