Nokia Rolls Out Pair Of N Series SmartphonesNokia Rolls Out Pair Of N Series Smartphones

Nokia announced a pair of smartphones running over a Symbian operating system that it said balance a mobile professional's business needs with robust multimedia functionality.

The Nokia N85 has a sliding form factor and sports a 2.6-inch OLED screen that can display up to 16 million colors. This should provide users with a rich, vibrant canvas to surf the Web, watch videos, or play video games.

Users of the N85 will be able to check e-mail and browse the Internet through the built-in Wi-Fi or through the HSDPA 3G capabilities. The 3G connection can be used with the built-in GPS to provide turn-by-turn guidance, as well as location-based searches.

Additionally, Nokia is emphasizing the video, music, and gaming abilities of its latest handset. The smartphone, based on the Symbian OS, can play multiple codecs, has a built-in FM tuner, and will come preloaded with 10 games from the company's N-Game platform. Users will be able to store videos and music on an included 8-GB MicroSD slot.

The N85 also has a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a dual-LED flash. The smartphone measures in at 4.1 by 1.9 by 0.6 inches and weighs about 4.5 ounces. The N85 will cost about $666 before taxes or subsidies, and it is expected to ship in October.

The N79 handset will have similar features to the N85, but the company hopes to draw style-conscious customers with it. The handset has a candy bar form factor and is compatible with the company's swappable Xpress cover plates in multiple colors and styles.

The N79 also has integrated Wi-Fi, 3G network capabilities, and built-in GPS. The handset also will have a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a dual-LED flash. Users can geotag photos as well as upload them to online sharing sites like Flickr.

Nokia's N79 will have multimedia functionality with 24-hour music playback battery life, and Nokia will include a 4-GB MicroSD card for users to store their media. The N79 measures in at 4.3 by 1.9 by 0.5 inches and weighs about 3.4 ounces. It will cost about $518, and the company expects to begin shipping it in October.

The Nokia N85 and N79 mobile phones are based on S60 and Symbian OS v9.3, the latest shipped version of Symbian OS. With version 9.3, Symbian optimized the OS for convergence with current multimedia applications as well as making enhancements to its security.