Review of GSM/UMTS-smartphone Nokia N79

Sales package:

• Nokia N79
• Two interchangeable covers
• 4 Gb microSD memory card
• Battery (BL-6F)
• Charger (AC-5)
• Wired stereo-headset with a remote (HS-45/AD-54)
• USB data cable CA-101
• User Guide
• Software DVD

Design, Size, Controls

The N79 is styled after most other NSeries-branded devices with very few differences at all, even its back cover is very much in turn with this line-up’s latest trend – it’s glossy and features a fancy pattern. The Nokia N79 can come with a variety of interchangeable back plates, including Light Sea Blue, Espresso Brown, Olive Green, White and Coral Red. Every phone ships with a certain combination of panels, though (for example Light Sea Blue, Espresso Brown and White for the white variant of the N79).

Display

The handset comes equipped with a 2.4-inch QVGA (240x320 pixels) display, capable of showing up to 16M colors, presenting you with quite a bright picture that remains visible in various environments.

Keypad

On top of that, it utilizes the NavyWheel, which is a touch-sensitive pad that allows paging through lists by sweeping your finger around the navigation button. The good thing about it is that they have tweaked this sensor a little bit, so that you will experience fewer misclicks than with the Nokia N78.

Battery

The handset utilizes a 1200 mAh Li-Ion battery (BL-6F), similar to that employed in the Nokia N85. The N79 is rated for 5.5 hours of talk time and 372 hours of standby. Music time - up to 30 hours, video recording time (top resolution and quality settings) - up to 280 minutes, video playback time - up to 320 minutes.

Memory

The device comes equipped with 120 Mb of RAM, after first launch you will get around 62 Mb of free memory at your disposal.

The N78 deals with microSD memory cards (hot-swappable), the phone comes packaged with a 4 Gb unit. There are no restrictions as far as memory card’s size is concerned – our handset easily identified a 8Gb card.

USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi

Camera

The handset comes bundled with a 5 Mpix CMOS camera, similar to that found in the Nokia N85 and some other Nokia-branded phones.

GPS-navigation

The major update to this department is the new version of Nokia Maps.

N-Gage and Gaming Department

The Nokia N79 is the first phone to feature a full-fledged N-Gage client - a tad later its localized editions will become available world-wide. The handset comes boxed with fifteen Try&Buy games, although you can pick one of them and get a full version free of charge using the activation code the N79 ships with.

Price is 350 Euro.