On Tuesday, Nokia, the world's largest mobile handset manufacturer, launched the N97 handset and also showcased updates to its navigation and messaging services. The latest set will act as another potential rival to Apple's iPhone.

In the first half of 2009, the N97, Nokia's second touch-screen device in as many months, will begin shipping.

It was described as the most powerful mobile computer the world has ever seen by the company's president and CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo.

This latest handset by the Finnish company is being seen as an attempt to regain lost ground in the touch-screen market. The features of the N97 includes 3.5-inch, 16:9 touch-screen, up to 48 GB of storage, a Qwerty keyboard, 5-megapixel camera with a dual LED flash, A-GPS (Assisted Global Positioning System), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and Wi-Fi.

Mr Kallasvuo said, "We are transforming the Internet. This is a world where you will have the power to tailor and personalize your Internet, to make your life easier."