The N97's official availability date set for the UK

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Today, June 2nd, marks the official shipping date of the N97, but, as usual, it will take a few weeks for it to get into most retail stores. In the UK the N97 will go on sale Friday 19th June, via the Nokia Regent Street store and at the Nokia Shop (Black N97 and White N97for £499 SIM free. The Nokia N97 will also be distributed by 3, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U from Friday 26th June, i.e. a week later.

World of Nokia reports that the N97 will be available on 3 for free on an £35 Mix and Match 18 month tariff. It may (unconfirmed) also be available on PAYG for £369.99. While 3 typically offer some of the best value prices O2, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone are all likely to have similar offers.

Carphone Warehouse will offer the N97 SIM-free and via contract on multiple operators. They sometimes offer a slightly more competitive price point than direct operator deals.

Here's the press release announcing the start of N97 shipments:

The highly anticipated Nokia N97, Nokia's flagship mobile computer, will begin selling in June in more than 75 countries. Along with a tilting 3.5" touch display, QWERTY keyboard and a fully customizable home screen, the Nokia N97 will offer instant access to the full range of Ovi services.
 
"The Nokia N97 is an important step towards our vision of delivering a highly personalized Internet experience," said Jonas Geust, Vice President and head of Nokia Nseries. "Fuelled by a multitude of music, maps, games, media and applications via Ovi, the Nokia N97 transforms the Internet into an experience that's completely tailored to the tastes and interests of its owner."
 
The Nokia N97 is Nokia's first device to feature a personalizable home screen, which can be customized with a range of widgets which bring live information directly to the device. These widgets include key social networking destinations like Facebook and Hi5, news services like the Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters, as well as shopping and weather information. The Nokia N97 is the first device to ship with the Ovi Store, which offers easy access to applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services, and much more. Ovi Store has paid and free content from a range of global and local content providers and developers, including Paramount Pictures, Facebook and Qik, as well as a selection of Twitter applications.

There's an accompanying press site which offers more information on the Nokia N97.

Here's a video, via Nokia Conversations, showing the N97 being manufactured and prepared for shipping: