Nokia adds N79, N85 launch details

After a premature unveiling on Monday, Nokia on Tuesday provided full details for its two latest Nseries smartphones. The N79 still represents the largest upgrade with its five-megapixel camera, 4GB of bundled storage and swappable covers giving it an edge over the earlier N78. It's however now known to first ship in a version without North American support for its HSDPA-based 3G access, limiting the device to EDGE data and GSM calls in Canada or the US. The device is nonetheless still one of Nokia's least expensive smartphones and will ship in October for the N78's 350 Euros ($514) before any carrier discounts.

The N85 in turn is confirmed as an evolutionary update to the N81 that brings a more vivid OLED screen, GPS and a five-megapixel camera but also uses a different take on the two-way slider concept from the N96 to expose a set of hybrid gaming and music controls. The design lets the company shrink its design without eliminating controls. Nokia also stresses the gaming emphasis by preloading the 8GB of microSD storage with 10 N-Gage titles.

A more complex design will lift the price of the N85 to 450 Euros ($661) before discounts when it arrives in October. Like the N79, the N85 supports only GSM calls and EDGE data in the US and lacks 3G access for North America.

N79

N85