The Nokia X3 Touch and Type, Nokia's surprise addition to the X-series of music mobiles, has been awarded its very own page on Nokia's website. This can only mean that it is drawing close to release. Check after the jump for all the details...

Although it shares part of its name with the Nokia X3, the Nokia X3 Touch and Type is a very different phone. The compact slider keypad has been dropped in favour of a more conventional - but very nicely designed - candybar shape with fixed keys.

The real magic of the Nokia X3 Touch and Type lies in the screen, however. The 2.4 inch TFT is a resistive touchscreen that gives easy access to all the phone's functions with the swipe of a finger or stylus. The idea is to give the best of both worlds - easy texting and 'blind' dialling using the keypad, with intuitive touch controls for the web, selecting contacts, playing music and so on.

The Nokia X3 Touch and Type's page doesn't yet have a price or release date, but the appearance of such a page is usually a sign that release is just around the corner. Check back with us for details as soon as Nokia makes an announcement.