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Nokia N79 and N85 blessed with firmware updates
Often you'll come across a firmware update for your beloved (but buggy) S60 handset that does nothing but fix issues without giving you anything awesome or new to play with, but happily, that turns out not to be the case with 20.175 for the popular N79 and N85. Yes, there are the usual fixes in here, thankfully -- but you've also got the addition of turning controls (as seen on some other devices like the E75) for performing actions simply by turning your phone over and email notifications on the home screen. It's available over the air, so don't bother with that tethered Nokia Software Updater noise.[Via All About Symbian]
Black Nokia N79 would be invisible, awesome in the dark
We'd previously seen all-black N79s make cameos on regional Nokia sites around the world, but now, we've got some in-the-wild shots to gander. In short, it's awesome -- the front is a refreshing, stealthy change from the white we're used to. Like its paler counterpart, this one includes three battery covers that presumably automatically change the phone's theme when attached, but this time around you've got a patterned silver, patterned black, and plain black cover to choose from. From the keypad, this appears to be a Taiwanese localized version of the phone, and we'd definitely stop short of saying this version's going to be available through European or American channels -- but on behalf of the world's spies, ninjas, secret operatives, and anyone else who needs camouflage in the cover of night, we're hoping it does. [Via Daily Mobile]
Nokia N79 Active to come with heart rate monitor, guilt
We knew something was up with these Bluetooth heart rate straps from Polar, and sure enough, Nokia has announced a partnership to get serious fitness monitoring integrated with its products. The first to take advantage will be a special version of the N79, creatively dubbed the N79 Active, which will include 4GB of onboard memory the requisite strap right in the box and sell for about €375 ($494) when it ships "soon" in "select territories." Of course, the new hardware isn't any good without new software, and it just so happens that the N79 Active will include a new version of Nokia's Sports Tracker app for keeping tabs on workouts. We'd heard that other Polar accessories like cadence sensors for biking fanatics were in the works, so this could end up developing into a whole franchise.[Via All About Symbian]
Nokia N79 gets first firmware update, and it's a big one
Four-thousand, five-hundred and eighteen. That gigantic number is the amount of words (if our trusty word counting robot here isn't fibbing) that details the changelog in Nokia's very first N79 update. The handset, which was just launched a few months back and only hit US hands last week, has been updated from version 10.046 to version 11.049, and boy, what an update it is. For very obvious reasons, we can't even begin to scratch the surface on the copious amount of changes included in the new release, but given that practically every possible aspect was addressed, we'd recommend downloading at your earliest convenience. Or you could read up on the changes first, but you'll probably get done around the time the N79's successor arrives on store shelves.[Via Symbian-Guru]
Nokia's N85 and N79 ship Stateside at long last
It feels like a good couple millennia since we first spotted these phones sporting US-friendly 3G, and now Nokia has done the unthinkable and actually released them in the States. As has become custom for Nokia around these parts, the phones aren't carrier branded or subsidized in the least, so you're looking at $550-ish for the N85 and $400-ish for the N79, depending upon the retailer. For some reason the N79 is listed as in-stock at Nokia's own store, while the N85 says "backordered," but over on Amazon.com you can nab the N85 -- with the N79 "temporarily out of stock" for whatever reason. It's a crazy, mixed-up world we live in.[Via Daily Mobile; thanks Daniel]Read - Nokia PRRead - N85 at AmazonRead - N79 at Nokia
Nokia USA taking names for N79 and N85
Whoa, whoa! Calm down just a second there, buddy, we didn't say they're shipping -- they're not -- but keep your chin up, because they're getting close. To prove it, Nokia USA has started taking pre-orders for North American versions of its lovely N79 and N85 superphones. No estimated shipping date is showing up just yet, but we're assured that they "get it first, so you get it first" -- bold words for a direct retailer that frequently gets beaten by third-party distributors with the hot new models. We'll see.[Via Symbian-Guru]
Nokia N79 gets unboxed on video
We've already seen Nokia's N79 up close and personal, but if you're just not ready to commit until you see exactly what your potential purchase will entail, you may want to hit up the Nseries Workshop blog, which has the requisite unboxing video of the device, on video and outdoors, no less. In case you missed it when it got official, the phone is a tri-band GSM number, and packs a generous 5-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash, built-in WiFi, 4GB of microSD storage, swappable back covers (as seen above), and an unfortunately lackluster screen -- at least in our experience. Head on past the break for the complete unboxing.[Thanks, Steve]
North American Nokia N79 gets FCC approval
You know what warms our hearts and brings a tear to our weary eye? Opening up the FCC paperwork for a so-called "Nokia RM-350" and being greeted with two things: one, a picture of an N79 just stone-cold chilling on a table, and two, a long-ass table of supported frequencies -- North American 3G stuff included -- with a bunch of "PASSED" remarks next to them. That's the FCC's way of saying "we likey," and you know what? We likey, too.
Nokia N79, N85 and N96 hands-on
Well, they're here. Nokia's latest and greatest N-series devices just hit the market like a trio of well-aimed bricks -- or at least that's what Nokia's hoping. We got to spend a little bit of hands-on time with prototypes of the new devices, and while we came away slightly impressed, we were nowhere near E-series impressed. Here's our biggest problem with the lineup: the only one worth talking about is the N85. Other than minor screen size disparities, the 16GB built-in memory of the N96 and the fresh candybar form of the N79, these three phones are pretty much exactly identical on specs, and yet the N96 manages to be inexcusably bulky, while the N79 sports an inexcusably terrible screen -- we're hoping that was just the prototype being funky, but we saw two versions with the same problem. The N85 isn't exactly the pinnacle of thinphoneness, but its amazing OLED screen and more refined design make the N96 look like more of a rough draft than a sibling. On the interface side, the phones are much more responsive to S60's new motion and transitions, but Nokia has oddly chosen to disable the Navi Wheel scrolling in all three phones -- a weird move, but we can't say we blame them, we haven't had a single good experience with Navi Wheel since Nokia introduced it. In all, we're not exactly thrilled about Nokia's prospects for winning over the masses with this new series of devices. Sure, Nokia will protest that it's going after the high-end users, but 5 megapixel cameras, GPS and WiFi are no longer the differentiators they once were, and users have begun to expect thinner, sexier devices at prices far below the N96's gargantuan $895 pricetag.%Gallery-30509%
Nokia's N79 and US spec'd N85 now mucho official
We're not going to re-hash the details of Nokia's N79 and N85 yet again. After all, we just went through it less than 24-hours ago. We will tell you that both the N79 (tri-band GSM, 900/2100 UMTS/HSDPA) and N85 (quad-band GSM/EDGE with either 900/1900/2100 or 850/1900/2100 UMTS/HSDPA) will hit Europe in October for €350 and €450, respectively, pre-tax and pre-carrier subsidies. The N85 could also be Stateside sometime soon given those frequencies and prior FCC approval. Oh, and pictures, lots of pretty pictures. %Gallery-30473%Read -- N79 Read -- N85
Nokia launches the N79 and N85
Nokia promised us two new handsets today, and just as we heard last week, it's the N85 and N79. Not a lot of surprises with the N85 since it popped in the FCC database a couple weeks ago and started appearing in the wild: 2.6-inch AMOLED screen, GPS, five megapixel cam, N-Gage compatibility, 8GB of microSDHC storage, WiFi, and a 28-hour music playback battery life. The N79 replaces the N78, similarly bumping the cam to the big five em-pees with a dual-LED flash, GPS, 4GB microSDHC storage, WiFi, swappable back covers, and a 24-hour music playback battery life. Should be out in the UK as of next month, but we're hoping to see these hit our fair shores posthaste. N79 pictured after the break.[Via Electronista]
Nokia promises to spill details on two new handsets next week
Nokia isn't dropping many hints with this one, but it's apparently just let out word that it plans to show off two new handsets next Monday, with an actual launch set to follow a week later. Not one to let an opportunity for speculation go unheeded, The Boy Genius Report says it has a hunch that these may, in fact, be the N79 and N85, which were recently spotted alongside Nokia's XpressMedia 5800 "Tube" handset but very light on details. That certainly seems as safe a bet as any, and we certainly don't have very long to wait to find out for sure.[Via The Boy Genius Report]
Nokia's N79, N85, and XpressMedia 5800 "Tube" exposed?
Random flickr feeds aren't the typical way for hot new Nokias to be discovered out in the environs, but hey, who are we to question a good thing when we see it? Pictures of one totally unknown Nseries have emerged -- alleged to be the N79 -- showing a sublime S60 candybar in a pair of colors. Next, we have more of the just-scooped N85, including some of a white version, so we're definitely feeling more confident by the minute that it's the real deal and not some ridiculously sophisticated fake. Last but certainly not least, we have some shots of the XpressMedia 5800 affectionately known as the "Tube," a device that'll likely come to be Nokia's first to use S60 Touch. This one is Vodafone branded (doesn't really surprise us, we guess) and features a 3.2 megapixel sensor with Carl Zeiss optics, a stylus, and the key to our hearts. How much longer do we have to wait for these, Nokia?[Via Talk About Nseries]
