Finnish handset maker Nokia has teamed up with AT&T to pull the wraps off their latest smartphone, Nokia Surge, devised particularly for the networking savvy citizenries.

Based on a Symbian S-60 operating system, Nokia Surge, referred to as a ‘socially supercharged smartphone’, boasts of a horizontal slider QWERTY keyboard and preloaded JuiceCaster to enable you remain tapped with social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.

In addition, the smartphone offers other features like IM texting, multimedia messages, full HTML Web browser with Flash support for nearly all online destinations, and supports several AT&T services, such as AT&T Navigator, AT&T Mobile Music and AT&T Video share.

Other features include 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, a microSD expansion slot, and a 2.4-inch wide screen.

Available on AT&T’s 3G network, the handset will be launched in US on July 19 for $79.99, with a two-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate.

Commenting on the smartphone, Michael Woodward, vice president at AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, said, “Launching at 79.99 USD with a complete email solution, downloadable applications and full HTML browser with Flash support, Nokia Surge hits the sweet spot between a quick messaging phone and a smartphone because of its low-price and strong feature set.”

The $ 79.99 price is considered to be very competitive as compared to Apple’s iPhone 3GS. It remains to be seen if the model can stand competition to iPhone.