The latest Nokia Eseries smartphone, the slim E71, is now officially available for purchase in the US. The handset is not yet offered by any of the North American carriers, but it can be bought unlocked, for a retail price of $500.

Of course, the E71 was already available at Nokia's Flagship Store from Chicago, but now every US user can get it, since the smartphone is sold through lots of "consumer electronics, wireless and online retailers", as well as at the already mentioned Chicago location and the Nokia Flagship Store in New York.

Measuring only 10 millimeters (0.39 inches) in thickness, Nokia E71 is presented as one of the slimmest smartphones on the market. The highlights of E71 include a full QWERTY keyboard, quad-band GSM and dual-band HSDPA connectivity (850 / 1900 MHz for the US version), Wi-Fi, built-in GPS, Nokia Maps, a QVGA TFT display with 16 million colors, full HTML browser, advanced email capabilities, Push to Talk, Office applications, a 3.2 Megapixel camera with auto focus, flash and video recording, Music and Video players, FM radio and Symbian 9.2 S60 3rd Edition.

Talking about the new Eseries smartphone, Bill Plummer, Vice President of Go-To-Market for Nokia Americas, said: "Every aspect of the Nokia E71 is designed to deliver a superior mobile experience. From the flowing stainless steel design, large brilliant screen, and QWERTY keyboard to a wide selection of messaging applications and services, this smartphone is already receiving rave reviews from consumers and business users alike. Personal and professional lives are becoming increasingly connected and the Nokia E71 is a stylish and powerful way to balance both, including through its unique one-click 'switch mode' function which adjusts the E71's look, feel and featured application-set from work-focused to personal-focused."

For the moment, only the dark grey version of the E71 is available in the States, the white one coming later this year.

No word yet on when Nokia E71 will be released via a US mobile operator, with a subsidized price and a contract agreement, but this should happen pretty soon.