Nokia debuts N9 smartphone with MeeGo OS and NFC technology

Nokia has announced its first fully gesture-based, NFC-capable device running the MeeGo operating system as the ailing manufacturer attempts to reverse its fortunes in the smartphone market.

The Nokia N9 features a 3.9in WVGA Gorilla Glass Amoled display with 854x480 resolution and is powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor with 1GB of RAM.

Users will be able to use NFC functionality in a number of ways, explained Marko Ahtisaari, senior vice president of design and user experience, at the Nokia Connections 2011 event in Singapore.

Bluetooth headsets only have to be paired once and can then be synced to the N9 simply by tapping the hardware at the back of the device to connect, which Ahtisaari demonstrated on stage.

Users will also be able to share content such as business cards, images and videos between devices by touching them together.

N9 handsets will come with a choice of 16GB or 64GB of internal storage and will incorporate HSPDA connectivity as well as an eight-megapixel rear-facing camera with dual LED flash.

The Finnish manufacturer is also claiming the N9 to be the "world's first buttonless device" as the MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan interface relies entirely on touch and swipe-based navigation and has three home screens.

The 'Applications' screen allows users to organise and launch apps while the 'Events' screen provides notifications on calls, texts, calendars and social networks.

The ‘Open app' page showcases the most recent apps that have been used for quick access.