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The trend among today's music phones is to pack gigabytes of storage. This week, Nokia introduced the first of these devices, the N91, into the U.S. Introduced over a year ago, the smartphone started shipping in Europe a couple of months ago. The Finnish phone company delayed the release of the highly-anticipated handset to make it compatible with as many music providers as possible. The Nokia N91 is initially available exclusively on online for $599.

This smartphone model runs the Symbian OS and S60 interface and features a 4 GB hard disk in its steel-chassis to hold up to 3,000 songs, according to Nokia. There's a 3.5 mm stereo jack for headphones right on the phone, so there's no need for dongles, and it bundles a headset and remote control.

The N91 also has dedicated keys for its audio player functions, which support the MP3, M4A, WMA, AAC, AAC+ and eAAC+ music formats. An industry standard mini USB 2.0 port support should make transferring files fast and easy. There's also Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity.

Of course, Nokia bundles music management software with the smartphone.Drag and drop your personal music collection from your PC to your Nokia N91 or synchronize your recent music purchases with your PC. You can also create and manage your playlists directly on your Nokia N91, or shuffle songs around to build your optimal listening experience.

"The second Nokia Nseries flagship device to hit the U.S., the Nokia N91 is ready to rock the U.S. audience. It combines a high-fidelity music experience with all the benefits of a multimedia computer," said David Watkins, Director, Multimedia Computers for Nokia North America. "The Nokia N91 delivers on the Nokia Nseries promise in a very compelling way. Its multiple connectivity and powerful performance in all areas, truly makes it the world's best mobile connected jukebox."

A new feature of the Nokia N91 is the possibility to share your playlists with friends by text message or Bluetooth wireless technology

Other audio features include an 8-band equalizer, an FM radio, and the capability to download music files over the air. Wireless features include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi plus a GSM/GPRS/EDGE (900/1800/1900 MHz) cellular radio.

The N91, like the other initial models in the Nseries integrates a 2-megapixel camera for up to 1600 x 1200 still images and video. Unlike the photo phone N90, the N91 doesn't implement Carl Zeiss optics.

Its screen runs at 176 x 208 pixels and the smartphone offers the same Series 60 software features as the other Nseries models. The N91, at 4.5 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches (113.1 x 55.2 x 22 millimeters) and 5.8 ounces (164 grams), is much smaller than the relatively bulky N90 camera phone, but not as tiny as the extremely popular N70.

The lithium ion battery is said to last for up to 10 hours of music playback, 190 hours standby time, and 3 to 4 hours talk time.

Nokia has sold 5 million of these multimedia-centric smartphones since introducing them last year. Last week - in fact - Nokia said the N70 was its highest revenue generator and the best-selling 3G handset period; accounting for 10 percent of all broadband phones sold around the world.

Canalys research reports 53 million multimedia phones sold in 2005, with Nokia commanding more than 50 percent of them. Nokia expects this market will hit 100 million units in 2006 and exceed 250 million by 2008.