The Nokia N-Series is considered to be the handsets that feature the highest specifications paired with the latest mobile technology, the manufacturer uses the series to promote their newest innovations.

The company has also signed agreements with manufacturers of other relevant products who are also considered to be the at the top of their market, for example, Carl Zeiss lenses can be found in a number of the N-Series mobile phone cameras.

The latest addition to the range is the new Nokia N81 Cobalt Blue Edition, this new handset is a second attempt to bring mobile gaming to the masses, the manufacturer originally tried this with the Nokia N-Gage but was not successful mostly due to the overbearing size of the device, indeed it is a novel idea to merge a gaming console with the facility to make and receive calls but Nokia have now taken this idea one step further and have focussed far more on the handset and its features before adding the advanced gaming platform.

One big advantage the N81 has over the N-Gage is its size, with the new developments in mobile technology the manufacturer has managed to squeeze the very latest mobile features, software and technology into a handset no bigger than other N-Series phones.

To maximise space the N81 offers a slide out keypad rather than the fixed one found on the N-Gage, this frees up the internal space of the phone for more hardware, and it is impressive to find exactly what they have managed to fit in.

The N81 is a 3G enabled device allowing for fast internet browsing and download speeds, this makes streaming media smooth and uninterrupted, 3G also facilitates face to face video calling so that both parties can not only hear but see who it is they are conversing with. 3G network services also include access to a multitude of new mobile content including ringtones, themes, wallpapers, applications and in the N81s case new games all downloaded at broadband like speeds.

Nokia have even managed to incorporate a 2.0 megapixel camera on the reverse of the phone with a flash for poor light conditions, a digital zoom for close up photography and video support for recording and playing back short video clips. There is also a secondary camera on the front of the handset to facilitate the 3G video calling as previously mentioned.

WiFi is also present for wireless connections to intranets, hotspots and wireless routers as is Bluetooth for wireless transfer of files to compatible devices, users can send and receive video clips, games, music and applications without the need for wires as well as connect to Bluetooth headsets and car kits for safe hands free driving.

The main screen can be viewed in both landscape and portrait mode which is useful for playing games in landscape and capturing picture in portrait, there is a muti directional key located just below the main display which is used in gaming very similar to handheld gaming consoles making an easy transition from console to phone.

The N81 also features a multimedia player supporting MP3 and MPEG 4 sound and vision, the music can be uploaded from a PC with a USB cable or downloaded direct from the internet via 3G before being arranged into playlists according to genre, tempo or mood.

The new Nokia N81 Cobalt Blue is to be joined by another colour variant the N81 Graphite Grey, both offer exactly the same specifications and features but the exterior colour and keypad surround reflects the model colour name, there is also an 8GB version planned soon for extra memory capacity to hold vast amounts of new games and music tracks.