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If you want a boat load of multimedia features in a phone but don't want to be locked into a service plan, Nokia has floated three new N-series unlocked phones into the market. All three are equipped with 3G, a 5 MP camera with dual LED flash, turn-by-turn GPS, music and video player, a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack and WiFi, and all can run Microsoft Exchange software.

You may forgo the costs of a regular contract, but you'll pay a bit more upfront for these fancy phones. The N96 retails for between $750-$800, the N85 (above right) between $600-$650 and the N79 (right) between $500-$550. But they all have replaceable back plates with sensors that change your wallpaper color to match the new plate, either white, brown or coral red.

If you're still interested, the N96 is a two-way slider – slide it down to reveal a speaker and music control soft keys, slide it up to get the numeric keypad. To store your music and photos there's 16 GB of flash memory built-in and a microSD card slot that can accommodate up to an 8 GB card, and to watch video there's a 2.8-inch widescreen LCD. While 3G, the N96 works only on U.S.-based networks.

Both the dual slide N85 and the candybar N79 are 3G world phones and are equipped with 2.6-inch screens and FM transmitters to beam your music through your car's radio and speakers. The N85 is bundled with an 8 GB SD card, the N79 with a 4 GB card.

Labels: cellphones