A tweaked (and widely rumored) version of the N95 slider will, indeed, work on North American 3G networks, but it's still saddled with a steep price tag.

The updated N95 (which I blogged about last week) is more or less the same phone that I reviewed back in May, with one key difference: it will work on 3G HSDPA networks here in the U.S., making for speedier Web surfing, video streaming and file downloads.

That's the good news; however, the new N95 won't be offered through a carrier. Instead, the 3G N95 will be available unlocked in U.S. Nokia stores and on its Web site. While that means you won't have to sign a two-year contract to get the feature-packed slider, it also means there won't be any carrier subsidies to offset the $700 price tag. That's a little cheaper than the original's $750 sticker price, but still...whoa.

Anyway, look for the 3G version of the N95 to ship starting next month.

Related:
Nokia N95 Getting U.S. 3G Support; Carrier Too? [Yahoo! Tech]