Smartphone preview: Nokia N9

Before the marriage between Nokia and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 platform, much Nokia chat had centred on the MeeGo operating system. Despite presumptions the MeeGo experiment had died before it got off of the drawing board, this relationship may yet still bare fruit.

Over the past few weeks there have been a series of leaks seeming to confirm the existence of the Nokia N9 - a slider smartphone with QWERTY keyboard that had techies getting over excited thanks to talk of a 1.2GHz (or 1.6, depending on who you believe) Intel Atom processor alongside a 12-megapixel camera, with a 480x854 screen.

First there was an FCC document filed on March 11 which seemed to fit the bill. These are sent to the US Federal Communications Commission in advance of handset releases and detail testing, but are certainly nothing like proof that a device is going to hit the shelves.

And a week later came the video many are claiming to be a leaked promo for the Nokia N9 (or perhaps N950). The clip (see below) is certainly pretty convincing, giving rise to a general acceptance in the tech community that the handset will indeed see the light of day.

Even if the MeeGo experiment is dead in the water (which is, once again, speculation), it would seem prudent for Nokia to at least release one handset to try and recoup some of the investment it must have poured into the project - especially in the light of its struggling sales worldwide over the past couple of years in the face of strong competition from the likes of Apple, Samsung and HTC.

So, is this the Nokia N9? Or the Nokia 950? You decide.

It certainly looks like something is heading our way though, so as soon as special offer and deal details arrive for the new Nokia, you'll find us posting them here.