Nokia launches N9 smartphone

Nokia yesterday mounted its latest assault on the smartphone market with the launch of the N9 handset.

The beleaguered company has struggled to compete with high-end rivals such as the iPhone and phones running Google's Android operating system. Chief executive Stephen Elop unveiled the N9 in Singapore yesterday.

Questions were raised over the device – despite the high specifications of the hardware – as it is the first and also the last to run the company's now obsolete operating system Meego.

Nokia signed a smartphone partnership with Microsoft earlier this year, and Mr Elop said a device should launch before the end of the year.