Nokia’s Only MeeGo Smartphone, The N9, Starts Shipping (Pricing Starts At €480)

Nokia this morning announced that its sleek new smartphone, the N9 – which will almost certainly be the first and only MeeGo handset to ever see the light of day – has begun shipping to customers who’ve pre-ordered the device, and retail stores.

The N9 features an interesting UI that’s controlled with a simple swipe. The buttonless smartphone features three home views (Applications, Events and Live Applications) that are designed to enable people to easily and swiftly navigate the interface. Expect a hands-on soon.

The phone is available in three colours (black, cyan and magenta) with 16GB and 64GB storage options. The retail price is 480 euros (roughly $650) for the former, and 560 euros (~$755) for the latter, before taxes or subsidies to be clear.

Nokia says the phone will be on sale in countries around the world. Pricing and availability evidently varies from region to region and operator to operator, the company says in a statement.

Call me crazy, but I’d love to give this one a thorough spin some day.