Nokia's fessed up to the fact that "a limited number" BP-6M batteries used in the N73 have, over time, swollen up -- apparently in some cases to about three-times their original size. The worst of these cases have resulted in handsets with a battery cover that won't close at the back -- rendering the phone totally not cool. It's a fairly common lithium-ion battery occurence after a few years, but don't worry -- it's not dangerous, just annoying. Look at this way: at least the batteries aren't exploding.

Remember that sketchy Nokia N73 ripoff that happily traded any semblance of 3G data -- and legitimacy, for that matter -- for a touchscreen? It seems Brando, everyone's favorite overseas purveyor of all things gadgety, has gotten into the Keepin' It Real Fake business (a slippery slope, if we do say so ourselves) by offering up said N73 forgery as the "Nokir E828" ("Nokir" instead of "Nokia," get it?). We remain utterly underwhelmed by the E828's meager spec sheet; the QVGA screen with stylus is cool, don't get us wrong, but GPRS is the widest bit pipe you're going to squeeze out of this thing and the 2 megapixel cam cowers in the shadow of the N73's 3.2 megapixel piece. Ah well, at least it only sets buyers back $200 -- and just like the eBay-hawked version before it, that's a good chunk less than the real deal.

Even if you're a die-hard Palm or Windows Mobile fan, it's hard to deny the appeal of Nokia's N-series lineup of S60-powered "multimedia computers," whose connectivity and imaging options are some of the best you can find on a smartphone today. As promised, the company has just officially released both the N73 (pictured, bottom) and N93 (pictured, top) handsets that we've been following for some time, and although you probably won't be able to pick them up through traditional channels, we know that they'll definitely be available at your local Nokia retail outlet. As a quick refresher, both of the phones (we know, we know, we're not supposed to call them phones) are highlighted by 3.2 megapixel, Zeiss lens-equipped cameras, with the N93 throwing in a 3x optical zoom and support for 30fps VGA video. Both models also feature high-res 2.4-inch displays, Bluetooth radios, a miniSD slot for image capture or rocking tunes, and quad-band GSM plus 3G UMTS capability. On top of all these attractive features, the N93 also gives you built-in WiFi with UPnP functionality, video out for replaying your precious memories on a big screen, and what sounds like better-than-average in-camera editing. We're still gonna stick with our current smartphones for now, but these models are so hot that we're seriously reconsidering our snobby insistence on rocking those handy QWERTY thumboards at all times.

Read- N73
Read- N93
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]