Nokia knows that this economy is tough on your wallet and so they have released five new affordable phones. These phones include the Nokia 1280, Nokia 1616, Nokia 1800, Nokia 2220 and the Nokia 2690. Sure they aren’t much to look at, but we are talking affordable here.

Each of these models has features that include anything from FM to a flashlight to dust-resistance to amazing battery life, so there’s something hee for everyone. All should be available by the first half of 2010.

We adults have the Kindle and the Nook, along with other e-readers. But what about the kids? It’s the kids who we want to get reading. Nokia is at least thinking about the children.

The Storyplay e-reader is a new take on storytelling and reading. It will feature Elmo from Sesame Street on a removable paper book that’s attached with magnets. The reader has two screens. One will display Elmo and his antics, while the second screen will display a live video screen. (Displaying what?)

The Nokia N900 might have just been released, but hot on its heels is its successor, the Nokia N920 Internet Tablet. It showed up at the Nokiaport.de forums.

The photo appears to be real and we know that the device will feature a 4.13″ capacitive touchscreen display in a thin body. And yes, no sign of a physical keyboard. We don’t have any info on its release date, but don’t expect it for awhile. We will likely see it at Mobile World Congress 2010.

Nokia went official with the specs and pricing for its first netbook today called the Booklet 3G. We already heard lots of rumors that Best Buy would be the exclusive seller of the device, and that has been confirmed.

The Booklet 3G will also use AT&T’s 3G network as the exclusive data carrier. The netbook will be available for $299.99 with a new 2-year data plan agreement. If you just want the netbook, it will sell for $599.

Nokia has teamed up with fashion house RAOUL for an extremely limited edition of its N97 mini. This edition is limited to 1000 units. The package features a back cover with RAOUL signature stripes, a custom designed Fashion Asia widget, and a calf-skin leather case.

It’s available right now in Singapore and is available for pre-order for 400 Euros (or $589). As a reward for buying this limited edition piece, you will also get a complimentary RAOUL Gold membership with 25 euro credit, which can be traded on your next purchase of their boutiques.

Verizon Wireless has announced several new handsets this week that are going to be exclusives for the carrier. Some of the handsets were higher end devices and others like the Nokia 2705 Shade are cheaper handsets for users who want nice features, but don’t want to spend a lot.

The key features of the phone are that it has Xpress-on covers for color customization, it is VZ Navigator capable and has a large display on one of the smallest devices Verizon offers. The phone can also store up to 1000 contacts.

Looks like those of you who picked up the entry-level Nokia Mural from AT&T got the short end of the stick. Turns out, the device only runs on AT&T’s 2G network, instead of the 3G network as promised. It was revealed by an AT&T memo screen capture, and is being blamed on a mistake at Nokia’s factories.

The devices in question will have to be sent back to Nokia for a software re-flash. AT&T will have to send the devices back to Nokia by Sept 25th. According to a spokesperson for AT&T, those who don’t want a replacement can get an alternative.

There’s some good news and some bad news. We’ll give you the good news first. You’ll like it. Nokia is making its Booklet 3G netbook available for pre-order. Awesome, I know. However the bad news is that it’s only available in Italy right now.

To refresh your memory the netbook weighs 1.25 kg and is just over 2cm thick, with integrated 3G/HSPA connectivity and Wi-Fi. Other features include 1GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, and HDMI out.

Nokia World 2009 is underway in Stuttgart, where they’ve officially unveiled the N97 mini. The Nokia Mini is geared toward social networking and the younger generation, those hip kids who can’t quite handle the N97. What we have here is a 3.2 inch N-series with a comfortable QWERTY keyboard for $640.

Nokia is calling it the world’s “slimmest travel companion” due to built-in Lonely Planet guidebooks. The phone should be available for free on contract in “many, many markets.” The first shipments start in October.

Nokia has announced that their Nokia X3 handset will play nice with Comes With Music. Availability in different markets will be announced soon. This one won’t run on the Symbian S60 operating system, but they are claiming that it is the best non-smartphone music handset from the company yet, powered by S40.

The microSDHC memory card slot will hold up to 16GB of music and you’ll also get Bluetooth connectivity, a 3.2-megapixel camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a 2.2″ display. The big question is price. How much on contract? Hopefully it will be reasonable.

Nokia just introduced us to their new payment system, which is simply called Nokia Money. The new payment system is set to offer banking to the poor and those in developing countries who don’t have the kind of banking choices that we have.

It’s based on Obopay’s existing cellphone payment system in North America and Europe and will use current cell phone features to pay for items in stores. You can also use it to pay bills, other people etc. Nokia Money will be formally unveiled at Nokia World on September 2nd and will be available early next year.

There are only a few categories in the consumer electronics market that are still doing well during the global recession. Two of the most robust categories are netbooks and smartphones. Netbook sales are booming and most computer makers and several companies who aren’t computer makers are getting in on the action.

Nokia has finally announced the netbook it has been teasing in meetings for a while. The machine is called the Nokia Booklet 3G. The big claim for the netbook is that is has 12 hours of battery life.

There have been rumors floating around about a possible netbook from Nokia. And now it seems like the rumors may have at least some basis in reality. A Finnish blog named Puhelinvertailu has uncovered some trademark registrations that may shed some light on upcoming Nokia products, including a Nokia laptop computer, which could be the netbook.

The trademark used the term “booklet”, which has us intrigued. Sadly, that’s about all we know at the moment. It might be a netbook, it might be something else. It might be nothing at all.

The Nokia N86 had already been announced for the U.S., but an update on their bulletin board has dropped the pricetag to $558 unlocked from their flagship store. To refresh your memory, the N86 has the same two-way slide of its N85 predecessor and features Nokia’s first 8 megapixel camera.

Sure, it’s still pretty expensive, but at least you are getting that 8-megapixel camera. We are wondering just how many will be swayed at this price point. Let us know what you think. Does this ell you on it?

We’ve been waiting for Nokia’s Surge for months and AT&T has finally made it official. The Symbian S60-based smartphone is aimed at social media enthusiasts and features a full QWERTY keyboard, a browser with Flash support, and the pre-installed JuiceCaster app for easily updating your Facebook / Twitter status.

You’re sure to love the price too. Just $79.99 after rebate. It also boosts a 2 megapixel camera, AT&T Navigator, and AT&T Video Share. Social butterflies can get in on the action on July 19th.