Are you excited about the N79 and the N85? Well so am I, or so I thought. I’m not as excited as I believe I should be, but I’m not disappointed either. I’m just … perplex and confused *insert confused emoticon of your choice*.
Both the N79 and the N85 are great, probably even excellent. Nokia has finally checked all the boxes: they listened to people’s rants and delivered 2 handsets that we almost can’t fault at all.
- We want a minimum of 5MP camera with VGA video recording and TV-Out. Check! We’d like everyone to experience the goodness of 5MP cameras!
- Bigger battery is a must, at least enough to last a full day under heavy usage, or 2-3 days under average usage. Just ask, 1200 mAh under the hood.
- How about an OLED screen or microUSB charging? Don’t worry, N85 delivers both.
- Oh and Tri-band WCDMA now that we’re at it? Sure thing, N85 to the rescue again.
- FM transmitter, Accelerometer, Navi-Wheel, multimedia playback keys, 3.5 mm headset plug, GPS and geotagging, all should be a standard offering as of now. Yeah, why not!
- We also need a lens cover to protect our 5MP camera, just because. Okay, whatever, you got that.
- Resurrect the Xpress-On covers that everyone of us loved and swapped for ages, but in a stylish and geeky manner, will you? Of course, and we will put 3 covers in the N79 box, for free, because we love you!
- Well say, what about more storage, in the box, since microSDHC cards cost next to nothing these days? What the hell, we’ll throw 4GB for the N79 and 8GB for the N85.
- How about a free N-Gage game, so that people know what that “Games” icon is all about, since everyone is attracted by free stuff? Just say the word, we’ll also have 15 trial games installed so you can try almost every game before making your final purchase.
- Heck, we’ll even come up with a new SportsTracker-like service, LifeviNe, and put it on the new handsets, just so you can enjoy it.
So what am I so perplexed about then, since almost all of our prayers have been answered? Well, I’m perplexed about the N78 and the N96: they don’t make sense anymore. The N79 is EVERYTHING the N78 should have been. The N85 is everything the N96 should have been, or 99%: add the kick stand for video viewing and make 2 versions, one with DVB-H and one without, raise the N85 price a bit if you need to, and you have a much better offering than the N96.
So where do the N78 and the N96 fit in the Nseries image now? I wonder, I’ll be reserving this until I have the N79 and N85 in my hands. Who is going to favor them over the N79/N85? I really don’t know. What if Nokia released the N79 and N85 back in February instead of the N78/N96? That would’ve made much more sense, in my opinion. How about the consumer, will he be swamped by the many similar Nseries devices? The user has more choice, but is also more confused. How about the Nseries line, is it too crowded, what will come of it when all the numbers are used, and has it lost the “ultimate” tag that people think of when they hear “Nseries” because of these multiple offerings? We’ll wait and see.
If you have different answers or views to the above question, please post a reply. I’m curious to see how many people are as intrigued as me, I’m also interested to see if someone out there has a persuasive answer. Chyme in, it’s your thoughts that enrich us, whatever they are.
