Hasta La Gadget!

BOSTON–I spent some time today checking out the Nokia Surge, the company’s new smartphone for AT&T Wireless. In a twist, Nokia designed the Surge specifically for the U.S. That means there’s no unlocked version with a different model number (such as with the E71 and the E71x, for example).

In fact, it’s actually Nokia’s third smartphone for AT&T in the past 12 months; the first two were the Nokia 6650 and the E71x. That’s significant because it signals a change in Nokia’s strategy; up until recently, Nokia’s diverse lineup of unlocked smartphones have barely made a dent in the U.S. marketplace due to their high upfront cost.

That said, Nokia is aiming the Surge at a younger demographic than the E71x. The big news is the Surge’s thin, squat form factor, as if it endured a few passes of a rolling pin. It’s made almost entirely of black gloss plastic and accumulates fingerprints like crazy. The handset measures 3.8 by 2.3 by 0.6 inches and weighs 4.4 ounces. But it felt lighter in the hand than I had expected.