The Nokia N97 is a high-end smartphone featuring a 3.5-inch tilting touchscreen, a full QWERTY keypad underneath the display, 32 GB of built-in memory, and a social location function that uses the integrated GPS sensors found in many smartphones to connect users through their social networks, giving updates and locations as desired. The N97 uses quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) networks and is compatible with Nokia Ovi Internet services, including the Nokia music store and map services, for which the phone has a music and video player. Nokia has also given the N97 a 5-megapixel camera with Zeiss optics, a digital compass, Wi-Fi compatibility, and DVD quality video capture. The phone is expected to be released in Europe during the first or second quarter of 2009, and is shipping in North American on June 2.

Although the MSRP for the Nokia N97 is listed at $699, the N97 is currently available for pre-order directly from Nokia for $524.25, but if you use code CARTP409N at checkout the price drops to $454.

A press release from Nokia puts the N97 out in more than 75 countries officially this June, with a £500 pricetag in the UK sans contract on June 19; if you're in the UK and want it with the contract you'll apparently have to wait until June 26.

The first 1.1 firmware update (11.X.021) is set to be released July 1, 2009.