Nokia says Symbian 3 phone to hit shops in third quarter

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The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia on Tuesday released details of its first smartphone based on Symbian 3, the much-awaited updated version of its aging operating system.

The Nokia N8, which includes a 12 megapixel camera and an inbuilt video editing suite, will be available "in select markets" during the third quarter of this year for around 370 euros (492 dollars), Nokia said in a statement.

Last week, the Finnish company's shares took a hit when the group reported weaker-than-expected first quarter profits and gave a weak outlook, but said it had managed to boost its smartphone market share to 41 percent.

The company is under pressure from the likes of Apple's iPhone and Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry in the high-end cellphone segment, with rivals' phones seen as faster and easier to use than Nokia's Symbian technology.

During a results briefing, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said the new Symbian 3 phones would be faster, more user-friendly and well placed to compete with rivals.