N79 & N85: Nokia Gets It, But Is It Too Late?
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.
What Nokia needs to do is surprise us with a great feature that is not available on other handsets. Just like it did with GPS in the n95. Basically there have been no major new features in the nseries lineup since the n95. Come on nokia, give us a great touchscreen device with maybe an 8 megapixel camera and one killer feature! Apple did it with the screen/interface on the iPhone and it worked even though the rest of the phone is crap. In a way nokia did it with the n95 with GPS even though it was flawed too! Come on nokia stop trying to refine the n95 and make something new!
No. You got it wrong. Its like shirts: one likes the blue $99 shirt, the other likes the red $75 shirt, even though the fabric is a bit worse than in the expensive one. Its all about choises and seeing what custumers will pick in the end. It’s also about targeting different segments – the N79 may well appeal more to youngsters and perhaps women than the N78. Also, by the time N79 comes into shops (PLUS, the timing WILL vary by market based on the market conditions, consumer tastes etc), N78 price can perhaps be dropped a bit, to make it more appealing e.g. in India, Brazil etc. (see the Nokia executive interview on Mobile-Review) in which he explicitly says they want to pull some older products and have solid offerings to replace them in the mid-segments in emerging markets.
In short – stop stearing at specs so much. Phones are consumer commodities now. And only Nokia, pretty much, has the position of being able to throw something at almost any consumer group and country.
And on the consumers being confused: the flip side of it is this: they can go to a store and say “Wow, look at all these Nokia’s with fantastic specs, and all I neeed to do is to choose the form factor, color and price point I like and I still get a pretty darn top notch spec sheet for it (not that I really understand what all those specs really mean, other than the 5mp sounds really like its great quality)”
Ps. Look at these great news for the US residents among us:
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/7912_Nokia_6650_heads_for_the_USA_o.php
The thing going for the N78 for now is NA 3G support. Once Nokia has seen the light and puts that in the N79 it will be a different story of course.
I think that the thing that Nokia needs to do to really differentiate themselves in the US is one of the following (any one will do):
- Increase Battery Life: have a phone that has all the bells and whistles of s60 and yet still gets 3-5 days minimum average between charges. Make the phone a little heavier if needed, but put something like a 2000 mAH battery in the phone standard and offer smaller ones if people don’t like the weight.
- Play better with others: Make a handset that integrates flawlessly with Macs, Unix/Linux, acts as a flash drive without having to mess with modality (and deactivating apps stored on the card), acts as an iPod for iTunes, acts as a Windows Media certified MP3 player, prints to bluetooth, prints to infrared, acts as a Blackberry, connects flawlessly to Exchange/Outlook Web Access, etc. Just work with everything and don’t make users have to figure out how to MAKE it work.
- Actually market phones in the US: Don’t fall into the trap of assuming that the US will just magically understand the appeal of what Nokia phones have to offer. SELL to us. Show us the snazzy things that can be done. Put some TV spots out there. Push AT&T to actually carry a variety of models instead of just one or two. Send reps to the AT&T stores to help new purchasers understand all they can do with the phone. Work with AT&T and prevent their custom firmware from being so bad. Apple did it, why can’t you?
[...] Update: Dotsisx from Symbian-Guru echoes similar sentiments. [...]
The N79 and N85 are definitely something that the N96 will have to compete with.
Anyways look at the design of the N79’s keypad… it looks like the Nokia 1200’s keypad design. I am kind of disappointed with that.
N96 will be a good phone for the person who wants the biggest, baddest and ‘bestest’ phone out there.. oh and 16Gb of built in memory and micro sd(hc) card support!!! look like the its Nokia vs. Apple-part deux!
small grammatical error in my previous comment!
“…look like the its Nokia vs. Apple-part deux!”
corrected:
looks like its Nokia vs. Apple: Part deux
I believe the N96 is still viable thanks to the 16gb hard drive built in. That’s it’s defining feature, combined when with the memory card slot to give 24gb storage at a time.
Either way, the N85 looks like the baby for me when I upgrade again. Just gotta get past Xmas 2010 and I’ll be able to afford one. =o(
I don’t think that the N79 and the N85 should be released in February and before the N78 and N96
(There are of course arguable elements when it comes to the different specs in terms of hardware. E.g. larger screen, more memory etc.)
From a numbering point of view it is right to introduce them after the N78 and N96 as it counts upwards.
Taken that aside what do your really have?
The N78 was the first Nokia device to introduce the FM-transmitter. Naturally the next device N79 should have this as well.
When it comes to the N96, well I don’t know what to say.
It seems as the success caught them for a moment there and they tried to rush out a new device that would catch up with their flagship.
Evolution wise the N85 seems to be a right step. Nokia have now already gone with microusb for connection to PC and using it for charging as well was a long awaited feature.
(This slowly but progressing integration have been seen when it comes to the charger adapters for their handsets and headsets using the 2.5 mm plug)
The N85 is also one of the more thoughtful solutions as I can see that integrates the technologies that they’ve managed to put inside a phone up until now, while further push ahead new technologies.
These integration in their media computers have also lead to the craving for battery and providing it with a more powerful battery is also one step into the right direction.
(Downside, that I can see is that some older accessories must be replaced when it comes to the N85. But overall impression is that Nokia are not that bad, such as for instance Samsung and SE just to name a few)
So it all kind of makes sense really though they maybe hang in a red thin line, whereas the N96 I’m not exactly sure of.
I think that Nokia is losing focus and diluting their hanset pool. They are giving consumers too many choices and trying to build an all encompassing handset, instead of focusing on mastering a few features in one phone.
I say Nokia should release 3-4 phones a year for differing form factor reasons and concentrate on building the software library/firmware/UI improvements for them.
It’s similar to the PS3/Xbox/Nintendo debate. It doesn’t matter which one is most feature packed and powerful, it only matters who has the best games!
Well, for the purposes of this debate, they only release 4-6 devices a year (in the N Series). AND, they are focusing on software/services/and also the UI probably more than any other manafacturer at the moment, with the possible exception of Apple.
In terms mastering one or two features in a given phone.. I guess they could sharpen that a bit by a clear “music king” and a clear “imaging king”, and at least the latter is already on its way.
I think we tend to get confused _because_ we follow what they do so closely. A regular consumer does not – some go for price – Nokia has an offer – other go for specs and the latest – Nokia has an offer – some go for a look/design – Nokia has an offer. I think they are doing a fantastic job, globally speaking, and the numbers simply confirm it.
well i am a currently a N95 8gb user, i thought next month or so i would jump to N96 wagon, (keeping in the mind the price will be $650). But now Nokia gave me an alternative (thank god),went through the specs. am interested in N85 ,as i am really bored with my current phone display (the whole display thing is just STRETCHED UP diagonally.)
So wat thing caught my mind suddenly is that , 1200mah and OMLED screen, wow i can really c the difference in the images itself (boygeniusreport site).So now all i need to sacrifice is:
2.8″ for OMLED screen (hope it does wonders)
950mah for 1200mah
16gb- who cares, tomm there will be a 16gb micro sd on the road (thnkx Nokia for giving a 8gb card)
aargh , it would have been just gr8 if nokia could have just , utilized a 2.8″ (without stretching it up), i would have just bought N85 with my eyes closed!
Hope i dont c a N86 , coming with `6 or 32 gb with same old crappy features, seriously not again….
sorry made a typo:
coming with `6 or 32 gb
Update:
coming with 16 or 32 gb
Folks, seriously, will cellular geeks like us ever be 100% satisfied? There’s always a “but” in every review I’ve ever read, and I don’t think that situation will ever change.
While we should continue to give Nokia our views on how to further improve their products, let’s not be so negative, OK?
Now, everybody take two happy pills and call me in the morning!
:)
they’re crancking out devices like a tortellini factory to give apple and SE a run for their sake. they have the material, the resources, and the tech.
a little mix and match a little flim flam and now they have something for everyone.
big guys, with big hands, with big pockets are going for the n96.
and then goes the line.
the more the merrier.. i loooove choices when it comes to new Nokia devices.
and yet no xenon on EITHER one. And no tests on the net of actual real-world dual led performance. Hmpf.
Im still hoping Nokia have an Ace up their sleeve.!
[...] Guru’s Dotsisx posts with her stance on the new devices from Nokia, saying she is ‘perplexed and confused’ about the [...]
I’m finding it hard to critic Nokia for their hardware choices. Sales figures are through the roof, market share is better than ever! Nokia seem to have a very good handle on what people want in phone, and when they get it wrong, like they did with the N81, there is always another model that’s just a few months away that will make up for it. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to hold for their internet services and web tablets.
Nokia have their unique way of innovating, it’s not as focused as Apple, it’s not as ‘out there’ as Nintendo, but it certainly worked for them this year.
However, as Smartphones become more like pocket computers and less like phones with cameras, Nokia are going to find themselves having to work much harder to maintain that massive market share.
If you read the review eldar gave to these phones you’ll know that he agrees with you.
And the thing that really got me happy when reading it is that he said that nokia will release 7 new phones in february and 2 of them will be milestones for the whole industry for at least one year.
That’s all I was looking for, a revolutionary phone like the n95 was in 2007 and i guess we’ll get two of those.
http://www.nseries.com/nseries/nokiavine/
If you check that out then you will immediately see why Nokia is one of the leading companies to merge mobility and Internet together.
Others are doing nothing compared to this and it is already in live!!!
I don’t know what the strategy is with the N-series phones. Why build the N96 and N78 if you’re going to release the N85 and N79 a few months later? There isn’t all that much to differentiate them. Why not just concentrate resources on two of them and release resources to work on the next gen devices. It almost seems as if there in an intra-company internecine battle going on.
Anyway, I’m still waiting on my dream phone: Candy-bar form factor(eg N82) with 2.8″(min) OLED screen, Xenon flash, Optical zoom, top rank music player with media keys AND touch screen function.
Bet it would have been here already if Nokia hadn’t been messing around making phones with trivial distinctions! :)
[...] can see a global manufacturer grab 40% market share in a certain domain, and keep asking for more. We can probably argue about the relevance of the N85 and N96, in the Nseries line and in the full Nokia portfolio, but do we know better than the people behind [...]
To tell you the truth, I’m really tempted to get the N85 and it’s OLED screen. Although the N96 is beautiful, the “early adopter” price is a bit too steep. The prices of the various N95 models are also tempting, but that is something that most every Symbian fan has. The N85 has just the right blend of price, features and exclusivity. Of course there is the 5800 Xpress Music, with the new touch interface, but I think I’ll hold out until they come out with an N-Series or E-Series S60 touch.
I really think Nokia needs to go all out on its next flagship model though. The N96 is great, but its more of an evolutionary upgrade than revolutionary from the N95. An OLED screen is a good direction to go. How about a larger resolution than QVGA? A VGA or larger resolution screen would make sense. Yes, I know that there is the E90, but the form factor, to me at least is more utilitarian and less elegant (not to mention heavy).
If there is going to be large onboard memory (like 8/16 GB or above), there should also be a microSD slot, because it is more than just a memory expansion slot, it’s a quick and easy way to file transfer.
While we are on the subject of storage capacity flagship devices should always be on top or close to the top of the competition. It took 5-6 months for Nokia to release with the N96-16GB after the iPhone 3G-16GB launched the summer before. The average consumer may “splurge” for a high end phone, but will usually hold onto it for a year, possibly more so naturally they would want to make sure the storage capacity is at the top end as well.
As for the S60 vs the “touch” S60, I guess time will tell. Most S60 “power users” will stick with the standard S60. Touch screens do have its appeal, it’s the reason the iPhone 3G beat the RAZR as the #1 handset in the US. It’s also the reason Windows Mobile Pro 6.1 OS, despite it’s age is still around, because companies like HTC, Samsung and Sony Ericsson can and are putting their own Touch UIs on top of WinMo 6.1 to enhance the user interface experience.
One last thing Nokia needs to address in its flagship phones is compatibility. They have done a good job this far in getting quadband GSM and EDGE on the newer models, but it’s silly that Nokia has to have 2 different models of the same phone to cover all of the 3G bands. They need to put in some R&D into making a quadband or even a 5-band 3G radio. I want to be able to switch between AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s 3G service via SIM card swap and still be able to use 3G in Europe and Asia. I’m sure others (business travelers, gadget enthusiasts who don’t want to mess with 2 separate phones, etc.) want to do this as well.
Unfortunately the trend is moving in the opposite direction. HTC phones like the Kaiser/Tilt used to have all the bands covered, quadband GSM and triband 3G-HSPA (850/1900/2100) of course, with newer 3G bands coming out or already out depending on the region, I suppose it became more cost-effective to make regional versions. Despite all that I’m pretty sure there is a market for flagship type phones that can cover the more ubiquitous bands, and of course the more 3G band compatibility, the better.
Anyway, that’s my 2 cents…