Nokia on Tuesday unveiled its first mobile device equipped with WiMax connectivity, the N810 Internet tablet. The fifth version of the popular handset, the mobile computer had been predicted for nearly a year and was announced at the CTIA Wireless show in Las Vegas.

The N810 WiMax edition will run initially over Sprint's Xohm network, which is being launched in several major cities this spring, including Chicago and Washington, D.C. Like its startup rival Clearwire, Sprint is attempting to build a nationwide wireless broadband network based on the 802.16e standard from the IEEE, known as WiMax. Sprint and Clearwire have been engaged for more than a year in on-again off-again talks to combine their WiMax efforts.

A little-known startup called Xanadoo said at CTIA this week that it has already launched WiMax service in several midsized towns in the Midwest including Lubbock, Texas, using technology from Navini Networks, which was acquired late last year by Cisco Systems.

Sprint has made a great deal out of the partners it is working with to build out WiMax service in the U.S., including Motorola, Intel, and Nokia. Nokia is the first Western manufacturer to unveil a mobile WiMax device; Samsung last year introduced the WiMax-equipped "Mobile Intelligent Terminal," a 1-lb. device with a fold-out keyboard and a 5-inch screen. Motorola is said to be readying its own WiMax device for release later this spring.

In a keynote speech at CTIA earlier on Tuesday, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse said that "we expect a two-year time-to-market advantage" with the Xohm network over other so-called "4G" wireless broadband technologies including Long Term Evolution, or LTE, systems. Hesse also introduced a new Samsung touch-screen device, the Instinct, during his address.

The advent of WiMax enabled portable devices, said Nokia North America chief Mark Louison at the N810 press conference, "will allow Internet services that are simply not possible in a fixed environment," adding that today's mobile devices will soon be as antiquated as print newspapers.

The N810 has a 4.13-inch touch screen and WiFi connectivity in addition to the WiMax service. In markets where Xohm is available, the service can be activated over the air. Available later this year, the N810 WiMax edition will be sold online and through retail outlets in markets where Xohm is available. It's expected to sell for a price similar to that of previous N810 models, around $440.

Sprint has said previously that it expects to have 10 WiMax-enabled devices available by the commercial launch of Xohm.