Nokia Unveils N79 and N85 Smartphones

Nokia has taken the wraps off two new smartphones which will take many of the features from recent top-end devices and bring them down to the mid-range arena.

The N79 and N85 will give more users the ability to interact with and create rich mobile content.

The Nokia N85

The N85 will essentially be a replacement for the groundbreaking N95 smartphone. Featuring a design evolved from the N81/N96 models, this will be a dual-slider model packing an AM-OLED screen with a 320-by-240-pixel resolution and a 1200 mAh battery.

Some other features of the N85 will include:

• Integrated GPS with Nokia Maps 2.0
• 5 Megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens
• TV-Out
• FM Transmitter
• 802.11g Wi-Fi
• Support for Nokia's N-Gage gaming platform and dedicated gaming buttons
• Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR+

The N85 will features quad-band GSM and tri-band 3G support in both European and North American versions.  The N. American 3G support will include only AT&T's frequencies; however, with the full range of frequencies , only one phone is needed when traveling abroad.

Availability will be in the third quarter of this year. For more information about the N85, visit the Nokia N-Series website.

The Nokia N79

The N79 will be a stepped update to Nokia's recently released N78 handset. Featuring a candy-bar design and Symbian S60 Feature Pack 2, this device is aimed at those who wish to have the most multimedia possible in a small handset, but also personalize the device to their personal style.

This smartphone will feature:

• Xpress-Smartcovers: two front and five rear covers come with the device; the covers can react with the displayed theme to coordinate the look of the device with the look of the shell
• FM Transmitter: combined with the 1200 mAh battery and direct access to the Nokia Music Store, music play can be shared with other devices that can receive FM radio signals; there is also an included headset with music playback keys and a 3.5 mm headset connector.
• A 5 Megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens: similar to the optics found on the N82 and N95 models; features the ability to geo-tag photos and upload to popular web services; a dual LED-flash is added to assist in night and video capture.
• Built in GPS with Nokia Maps 2.0
• microSD slot with included 4 GB card included

In addition, the N79 iwill be compatible with thousands of currently available S60 software and services. The inclusion of Feature Pack 2 also adds the ability to update the firmware over the air (OTA) -- no PC needed.

A GSM mobile, it will support tri-band frequencies 850, 1800, and 1900 MHz, making this a European compatible device. It also has UMTS/HSDPA on the 900 and 2100 MHz bands.

As with the N85, the N79 is expected to be available in Q3 of this year. For more information, visit the Nokia N-Series website.


Related Articles:

• Nokia Looking Ahead to AMOLED Screens
• Nokia Promises N. American Version of N96