There are two things we know about the Nokia N97 to be true - it's the most eagerly awaiting Nok this year and that it will ship in June. What we don't know is exactly when in June it will ship.

However, there is a rumour circulating that the wait may soon be over. It seems those wanting to get their hands on the first Nokia N97 devices off the line will be able to pre-order their Nok in the next day or so.

Yes, we know June isn't too far away and we can expect Nokia to start turning up the heat on the expectations of an early arrival for the Nokia N97 but according to UK Gadgeteer, the pre-order for the Nokia N97 may well start in the next day or two, courtesy of Vodafone of all people. We've just checked the Vodafone site but nothing has been posted yet.

Incidentally, the same report also mentions that Nokia will officially ship BBC iPlayer with the Nokia N97, the same also happened with Nokia N96.

Obviously, even if the Nokia N97 goes up for pre-order we'll still have to wait for it to ship, which could well be another six weeks or so away. In the meantime, we're going to keep an eye on the Vodafone site, as well as Nokia Online and see what develops.

We got our hands on the Nokia N97 for 24 hours a few days back and have to say that this device is shaping up to be one of the best Nok's out there. The innovative design and build quality make it truly a worthy 'flagship' device. Check out our Nokia N97 hands-on for the full picture.

Via: UK Gadgeteer