Nokia has finally come clean and given the upcoming N8 smartphone an official announcement.

While it won’t be available right away, there’s a lot to look forward to on this Symbian^3-based mobile device.

Running on Nokia’s new signature operating system, the N8 is ready for native multi-tasking and multiple, customizable home screens. Users can navigate the multi-touch screen with flick scrolling and pinch-zoom. Naturally, users will also get access to Ovi Store apps plus a free Ovi Maps walk and drive navigation program with guides to destinations in more than 70 countries.

Here’s what else the N8 will pack, including a camera that other handheld manufacturers should aspire to:

• 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen
• 16GB of internal storage
• microSD expansion slot
• HDMI output
• 12-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss 28mm wide-angle optics and a Xenon flash
• Onboard editing software with face detection
• 720p HD video recording
• Access to Web TV services (i.e. CNN, E! and National Geographic)

Available in five different shades (black, silver, neon green, red/orange, blue), the N8 will be available in “select markets” in Q3 2010 for €370 ($494). So I’m predicting a European release ahead of a North American one… Until then, check out the video of N8’s introduction to the world.