This is the best article I've read which might explain the delay and slience from Nokia:

Which could be summarized as "Nokia knows that Symbian cannot cut it anymore given the competition and they know they only have one last shot given the n97 mess. So they are trying to reduce any negatives at launch"

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbi...n900_dela.html


"....but Nokia’s willingness to risk bad press and annoy customers underscores how crucial this product is to the company, which has been struggling to recapture momentum in smartphones lost to the likes of Apple (AAPL) and BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIMM). The company blamed a shortfall in smartphone sales in part for its disappointing third quarter results announced Oct. 15."