Nokia today launched a couple of new N series multimedia phones, including the candy-bar N79 (above right), which the company is holding up as the smallest N series model so far. The Finnish phone maker also launched the N85 (above left), an update of sorts to the popular N82 multimedia phone.
As with other N series phones, the N85 comes with a 5-megapixel lens with Carl Zeiss optics and LED flash, as well as A-GPS to help you find your way around town. It also lets users geo-tag their pictures, an increasingly useful tool in these social networking-mad times.
The N79, which is thinner (but still pretty thick when put next to an HTC Touch Diamond or Samsung Soul), also has much of the same features, including the 5-meg camera and A-GPS.
At the press event today, Nokia showed off the phones, which will be out in October, as social networking tools toted by Net-savvy youngsters. Quick hands-on tests by Techgoondu shows that the same Series 60 responsiveness is there in Nokia’s phones despite all the features. But really, they need to be sexier.
Speaking of which, it was a long day of media launches, as Blackberry also announced the Bold for Singapore, while HTC showed off the Touch Pro, essentially a Touch Diamond with a full Qwerty keyboard (a la TyTn II).
Compared to my Touch Diamond, however, the Touch Pro seemed to offer less lag. The reason, as I found, was that it was using a newer, slightly different ROM for the Touch Pro, which seemed to have fixed the memory leak problem (the demo unit showed memory usage at 30+ per cent, compared to my Touch Diamond’s 60+ per cent). It helps of course that the Touch Pro has more memory (512MB ROM and 288MB RAM) and a faster graphics chip.
How’s the hands on touch and feel? Not a bad keyboard (you can do the Ctrl C and V for copy and paste), but the device is a little too bulky unless you are a TyTn II fan or someone who craves a keyboard. It will be out early next month for S$1,298.
What of HTC’s rumoured HTC Dream Android phone, a video of which has been circulating online of late? HTC reps here were all coy about it, only saying that they are “just as anxious” to get its first Android OS phone on shelves soon. We’ll see how that comes along later this year, with ship dates rumoured online to be as soon as October.
