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Nokia N79 Gets Real With Funky Growth

By The Guru on August 26, 2008

Nokia has finally announced the much-leaked N79 candybar Nseries handset. This one definitely has a…new….design, and I can’t help but stare at the two protrusions that look like growths on the face of this otherwise decent looking phone.

Fortunately, the Nokia N79 is actually a really well-stocked handset, in terms of features. Obviously you’re looking at Symbian 9.3, S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, with all its bells and whistles. Quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) means you’ve got a signal nearly anywhere, though unfortunately for us Americans, the N79 is only sporting WCDMA (900/2100MHz) for 3G connectivity in Europe and Asia. WiFi is also on board for super-fast data transfers.

A 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics seems to be the standard on new S60 devices, and the N79 is no exception. A dual-LED flash offers plenty of brightness, and a video recording light, to boot. The new physical lens cover is present, and hopefully this will become standard issue, as well. Video recording is a respectable 640×480 VGA resolution at up to 30 frames per second, and a built-in microSD card slot with bundled 4GB microSD card means you won’t run out of memory any time soon.

Nokia N79

The Nokia N79 also features a built-in GPS receiver and accelerometer, in addition to its Naviwheel for quickly browsing through long lists. An FM transmitter is now paired with the FM radio, so you can send or receive FM broadcasts easily. The display is a small-ish 2.4″ QVGA TFT, again, standard issue for S60 devices as of late. The 3.5mm audio port pulls double-duty as a TV-Out connection, and there are dedicated music playback controls hidden around the d-pad.

Unfortunately, the Nokia N79 is unable to use its microUSB port for charging, instead relying on the tried-and-true 2mm Nokia power port. In fact, the only thing really new or cool about the N79 is the user-changeable Xpress-On covers, which cover the back of the phone and automatically install a matching theme, so that your phone’s menu is color-coordinated with your phone’s outside appearance. The Nokia N79 is set to hit the streets in Q3 2008, priced at EUR350 (US$521) before taxes and subsidies.

The gang over at MobileBurn.com were able to spend some hands-on time with the Nokia N79 recently, here’s the video:

Nokia N79 Technical Specs
Operating System Symbian 9.3 S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2
Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA 900/2100MHz
Data GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA/WiFi
Size 110mm x 49mm x 15mm (4.3″ x 1.9″ x .6″)
Weight 97g (3.4oz)
Battery Life Estimated 17/15 days standby time (3G/GSM)
Estimated 3.5/5.5 hours talk time (3G/GSM)
Display 2.4″ 16 million color QVGA TFT, 240×320 pixel resolution
Camera 5 megapixel autofocus with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash
Video VGA resolution 640×480 record at up to 30 frames per second
Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
Memory 50MB internal, microSD memory card slot with 4GB card included
Other Built-in GPS receiver, TV-Out, FM transmitter, 3.5mm audio port, Accelerometer
Availability Planned Q3 2008
Pricing EUR350 (US$521) before taxes and subsidies
Download the Nokia N79′s Data Sheet

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The Guru

The Guru, aka Ricky Cadden, started Symbian-Guru.com in November 2006, out of his excitement for the S60 3rd Edition version of Symella. The Guru has used Symbian devices since the Nokia 6620, and is known for his perspective as a power user. You can follow The Guru on Twitter at @Rcadden

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  • hyperkind

    wow thats a sexy phone!

  • hyperkind

    wow thats a sexy phone!

  • Anonymous

    OMFG.
    look at the KEYPAD.
    if only i could transplant that onto my n82 somehow.

  • Aatif

    OMFG.
    look at the KEYPAD.
    if only i could transplant that onto my n82 somehow.

  • Anonymous

    and im guessing nokia’s given up on the 3d acceleration??
    none of these have em, do they?

  • Aatif

    and im guessing nokia’s given up on the 3d acceleration??
    none of these have em, do they?

  • Deelash

    Why did Nokia bother with the n78 when the n79 is going to arrive less than a year after the n78? What kind of marketing strategy is that?

  • Kalle

    I like the two new phones, but I’m a bit peeved that none of the new N-series got xenon flash. Been almost a year since the last one and I’m not particulary fond of other aspects of the N82. N79 would have been perfect for me with a xenon flash. Perfect.

    I wish Nokia focused more on xenon.

  • Kalle

    I like the two new phones, but I’m a bit peeved that none of the new N-series got xenon flash. Been almost a year since the last one and I’m not particulary fond of other aspects of the N82. N79 would have been perfect for me with a xenon flash. Perfect.

    I wish Nokia focused more on xenon.

  • http://www.symbian-freak.com/ christexaport

    Is this, too, a Freescale based offering? I like the look, and the keypad does indeed look beautiful, even if the buttons are somewhat short. I like the dual LED for video, too. Ricky, the USB charging would’ve been nice, but keeping the Nokia charger port is still advantageous, as not all USB hosts support bus power, and having a dedicated power port to use in during data transfers to these hosts will be a plus.

    I actually love the button layout and look as well. The prominence of the Menu/Task Switcher button is welcome in comparison to the lame N78. It is the biggest button on the device, and sits close to where the thumb should rest, like the most-used button should.

    HOWEVER, Nokia continues to go from the more functional 8-button layout to 7, deleting the beloved pencil key. This DESPITE its less intuitive text editing solution, and loud outcries from longtime users.

    Nokia has no idea what made their implementation of S60 world dominant. The Menu/Task Switcher and Pencil keys are the ICONS OF SYMBIAN S60! Nokia shouldn’t have removed the Pencil key because it supposedly caused confusion in users. In fact, had they had any sense, Nokia would’ve taken the opportunity to educate new consumers with a major American educational awareness marketing campaign explaining the functions of the Menu/Task Switcher and Pencil keys. I’d have gone even further, and changed the Symbian logo to include the Menu/Task Switcher icon as the “S”, and the Pencil icon as the “I”, and eliminate all confusion about those important functions.

    Assuming users are stupid and should only have access to dumbed-down functions is the iPhone way, not the Nokia way. They must be more proactive in exposing the Symbian S60 platform and show why it dominates the globe, or Android will take its place.

    Nokia has proven itself clueless in growing beyond its already conquered markets. I have been unable to find steady employment for nearly 2 years now, yet someone is being paid to make these silly moves to promote and develop initiatives. I am now offering MY help. As an advanced and avid American Symbian and Nseries user, with intimate knowledge of the US market, and many ideas that would result in better utilization of the US marketing budget, more US revenue for Nokia services, and exposure to users new to smartphones, I gladly offer my services in exchange for a trial employment opportunity at a paltry rate of only $12 per hour during the trial. After a 3 month period, if my initiatives don’t markedly improve US sales and service revenue, and significant growth in US marketshare, I would agree to discontinue employment and return half my income. If they DO work, and they WILL, I should be rewarded with an increase in wages to a full salary, and a few folks should, as they say in the UK, GET SACKED!

    I’m dead serious, so anyone looking for an eager employee, contact me at christexaport@sbcglobal.net

  • http://www.symbian-freak.com christexaport

    Is this, too, a Freescale based offering? I like the look, and the keypad does indeed look beautiful, even if the buttons are somewhat short. I like the dual LED for video, too. Ricky, the USB charging would’ve been nice, but keeping the Nokia charger port is still advantageous, as not all USB hosts support bus power, and having a dedicated power port to use in during data transfers to these hosts will be a plus.

    I actually love the button layout and look as well. The prominence of the Menu/Task Switcher button is welcome in comparison to the lame N78. It is the biggest button on the device, and sits close to where the thumb should rest, like the most-used button should.

    HOWEVER, Nokia continues to go from the more functional 8-button layout to 7, deleting the beloved pencil key. This DESPITE its less intuitive text editing solution, and loud outcries from longtime users.

    Nokia has no idea what made their implementation of S60 world dominant. The Menu/Task Switcher and Pencil keys are the ICONS OF SYMBIAN S60! Nokia shouldn’t have removed the Pencil key because it supposedly caused confusion in users. In fact, had they had any sense, Nokia would’ve taken the opportunity to educate new consumers with a major American educational awareness marketing campaign explaining the functions of the Menu/Task Switcher and Pencil keys. I’d have gone even further, and changed the Symbian logo to include the Menu/Task Switcher icon as the “S”, and the Pencil icon as the “I”, and eliminate all confusion about those important functions.

    Assuming users are stupid and should only have access to dumbed-down functions is the iPhone way, not the Nokia way. They must be more proactive in exposing the Symbian S60 platform and show why it dominates the globe, or Android will take its place.

    Nokia has proven itself clueless in growing beyond its already conquered markets. I have been unable to find steady employment for nearly 2 years now, yet someone is being paid to make these silly moves to promote and develop initiatives. I am now offering MY help. As an advanced and avid American Symbian and Nseries user, with intimate knowledge of the US market, and many ideas that would result in better utilization of the US marketing budget, more US revenue for Nokia services, and exposure to users new to smartphones, I gladly offer my services in exchange for a trial employment opportunity at a paltry rate of only $12 per hour during the trial. After a 3 month period, if my initiatives don’t markedly improve US sales and service revenue, and significant growth in US marketshare, I would agree to discontinue employment and return half my income. If they DO work, and they WILL, I should be rewarded with an increase in wages to a full salary, and a few folks should, as they say in the UK, GET SACKED!

    I’m dead serious, so anyone looking for an eager employee, contact me at christexaport@sbcglobal.net

  • Flying Fox

    If only they can merge the softkey portion of the N82 and the numpad portion of the N79 together in a device. But that may mean a smaller screen…

    After watching a couple more videos I realize that the protrusions would be right where your finger(s) would be when you are taking pictures with the phone. How many times have you seen people unfamiliar with your camera holding it while their fingers cover the flash? The protrusions seem to indicate where the fingers and the “squeeze” to be applied so the grip is good.

    The protrusion with the multimedia key seems to help support pressing of that key instead of the finger sliding off the bevel edge. The person in the video did not like the placement of the MM key probably because he was holding it left-handed. I speculate that if you hold it right handed it would not be so odd.

  • Flying Fox

    If only they can merge the softkey portion of the N82 and the numpad portion of the N79 together in a device. But that may mean a smaller screen…

    After watching a couple more videos I realize that the protrusions would be right where your finger(s) would be when you are taking pictures with the phone. How many times have you seen people unfamiliar with your camera holding it while their fingers cover the flash? The protrusions seem to indicate where the fingers and the “squeeze” to be applied so the grip is good.

    The protrusion with the multimedia key seems to help support pressing of that key instead of the finger sliding off the bevel edge. The person in the video did not like the placement of the MM key probably because he was holding it left-handed. I speculate that if you hold it right handed it would not be so odd.

  • http://n96blogs.com/2008/08/nokia-n96-nam-north-american-usa-model-revealed/ Nokia N96 NAM (North America / USA Model) Revealed ; Nokia N85, Nokia N79 Announcements | N96Blogs.Com

    [...] have unvealed both the Nokia N85 and the Nokia N79 . I won’t go into too much detail here about the N79 – it’s unlikely to end up the [...]

  • Viipottaja

    Lol, Chris.. I think they have it figured out. Nokia does more consumer research than probably any other mobile manufacturer. Plus,if you want a job with them you may tone done your language a bit. Its not like they don’t read these blogs too.

  • Viipottaja

    Lol, Chris.. I think they have it figured out. Nokia does more consumer research than probably any other mobile manufacturer. Plus,if you want a job with them you may tone done your language a bit. Its not like they don’t read these blogs too.

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/ The Guru

    @Viipottaja – I know for a fact that several Nokians read Symbian-Guru. ;)

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com The Guru

    @Viipottaja – I know for a fact that several Nokians read Symbian-Guru. ;)

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/welcome/2008/09/nokia-publishes-interactive-demo-for-n79-and-n85-kinda.html Nokia Publishes Interactive Demo For N79 and N85, Kinda

    [...] announced the N79 and N85 only a few weeks ago, and we were mightily impressed. The N79 is a candybar handset with a [...]

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/welcome/2008/11/nokia-usa-taking-pre-orders-for-n79-and-n85.html Nokia USA Taking Pre-Orders For N79 and N85 | Symbian-Guru.com

    [...] technical specs, the Nokia USA site oddly shows that it will be tri-band UMTS (850/1900/2100MHz), which we know is incorrect. I’ve sent an email to a friend at Nokia to double-check this, though, just in [...]

  • IMMANUEL DAVID

    PLEASE GUYS I BEG YOU, PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH RAM DOES THE NOKIA N79 HAS, I COULDNT EVEN FIND THIS IN THE NOKIA OFFICIAL SPECS, I’M FROM INDIA, REPLY TO MY EMAIL ADDRESS> IMMANUELDVD@YAHOO.COM

  • IMMANUEL DAVID

    PLEASE GUYS I BEG YOU, PLEASE TELL ME HOW MUCH RAM DOES THE NOKIA N79 HAS, I COULDNT EVEN FIND THIS IN THE NOKIA OFFICIAL SPECS, I’M FROM INDIA, REPLY TO MY EMAIL ADDRESS> IMMANUELDVD@YAHOO.COM

  • http://www.symbian-guru.com/welcome/2008/12/highlights-from-2008.html Highlights From 2008 | Symbian-Guru.com

    [...] Friday Fun video, the Bananaphone song. We discovered Keytoss. Nokia officially announced the N85, N79, and N96 NAM. The N96 NAM comes 6 months after the Euro announcement, but both the N85 and N79 were [...]

  • Deelash

    Why did Nokia bother with the n78 when the n79 is going to arrive less than a year after the n78? What kind of marketing strategy is that?

  • Deelash

    Why did Nokia bother with the n78 when the n79 is going to arrive less than a year after the n78? What kind of marketing strategy is that?

  • Deelash

    Why did Nokia bother with the n78 when the n79 is going to arrive less than a year after the n78? What kind of marketing strategy is that?

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