Nokia's latest candybar cell phone, the N79, brings memories of days gone by with its simplistic design and easy to use numeric keypad. However, it hides a powerful 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, Carl Zeiss optics, and a dual-LED flash, and is powered by Nokia's versatile S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 user interface. We put it to the test to see if Nokia still knows how to make a killer candybar smartphone.Physical Aspects
The Nokia N79 candybar smartphone features the standard numeric keypad, with a small array of S60 navigational buttons. The front of the phone is white plastic (there is a grey version also available) with a clear shiny layer on top, to catch fingerprints. The outer edges are a steel grey color, and there are three different colored backplates included in the box. Each of these Xpress-On backplates features a small chip that allows the phone to automatically change the interface theme to match the installed backplate, for a fun, fashion-oriented experience.
The whole phone is made of high-quality plastic, but squeaks a bit when in use, unfortunately. Though not terribly loud, the sound is noticeable. The keypad can also get rather noisy if you are a quick typist, which can be an issue if you spend a lot of time texting in the library. Aside from that, the phone is built quite solid. The back covers snap firmly into place, and the front keys are all nicely tactile, with no sign of mushiness.
The front face of the Nokia N79 is split evenly between the 2.6" QVGA (240x320 pixel) TFT display and the keypad, which offers a balanced in-hand feel. At the top right-hand corner of the phone, above the display, you'll notice the VGA-resolution secondary camera and ambient light sensor, along with an opening for the speaker. Below the display is where you can find the S60 navigational cluster, centered around the d-pad. The left and right softkeys are raised slightly, as are the dedicated end and send keys, making it slightly difficult to access the S60 menu button and the back button centered between them, on either side of the d-pad. The d-pad on the N79 is slightly difficult to use, since the outer ring is flush with the front of the phone, with only the center button raised slightly. The d-pad also features Nokia's NaviWheel technology, which allows you to move your thumb around it in a circular motion, for navigating through long lists easily. Unfortunately, this NaviWheel is overly sensitive, which forced me to disable it through the phone's settings.
Off to the left, a nondescript silver button opens the Nseries Multimedia menu, which consists of a series of floating panels, each focused on a specific multimedia feature. These panels can be reorganized through a settings menu, and provide easy access to music, Internet, N-Gage, and other phone features.
The numeric keypad on the Nokia N79 is made up of 4 strips that run across the phone, with three numbers on each. Despite the lack of separation between each key, I was able to type quite quickly on this keypad, and was pleased to find that each button offers a very distinct click when you press it. Unfortunately, the keypad backlighting is rather weak, and does not light up every key evenly.
The bottom edge of the Nokia N79 features two small openings - one for a wrist strap, and one for the microphone. The left edge of the phone is similarly sparse, only offering the standard 2mm Nokia charging port, the micro-USB data port, and the microSD card slot. These last two are grouped together, with a single attached door to keep debris out. The top edge of the phone, however, is packed with a spring-assisted slide-lock, the standard 3.5mm audio port (which also supports the included TV-Out cable), and the power button. The right edge of the phone is also packed, with a stereo speaker on either end, and the volume rocker and dedicated two-stage camera button positioned between them.
The Nokia N79's camera lens is located on the top half of the back of the phone, protected by a sliding lens cover. The dual-LED flash is positioned just above the lens, too. As mentioned, the entire backplate of the phone is removed to access the 1200mAh battery, and also the SIM card slot.
Core Functions
The Nokia N79 is loaded with connectivity, including quad-band GSM support (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and dual-band UMTS support (850/1900MHz) for North American HSDPA networks, such as AT&T's. There is also a European version, which switches the 3G frequencies for Europe-friendly 900/2100MHz variants, and WiFi is integrated on both for faster data access, where available. As with most of Nokia's smartphones, reception is very strong, even in areas that are known to have a weak signal. Similarly, call quality is excellent, with callers reporting great sound. The built-in speakerphone is also nice, with voices carrying through clearly and callers reporting great sound on their end, as well.
Nokia offers free desktop synchronization software for both Windows and OS X, enabling simple PIM synchronization, as well as transferring music, pictures, videos, and other files to and from the phone. The N79 can be connected to your computer either via the included USB cable or via Bluetooth. The N79 also supports Nokia's free 'Mail for Exchange' application, which makes it possible to connect to a Microsoft Exchange account for easy synchronization and email access.
Nokia's S60 user interface features a robust Contacts application, which stores all manner of contact details, from phone numbers to birthdays, and even allows you to create your own custom fields. Each contact can have multiple email addresses, mailing addresses, or phone numbers. It's also easy to assign each contact their own ringtone, or attach a thumbnail image that shows full screen when they call.
The Nokia N79 allows you to setup one-touch dialing for up to 8 contacts, using the numbers 2-9. Number 1 is reserved for quick access to voicemail. S60 uses a visual setup interface for assigning speed dial, and to call the contact you simply press and hold the appropriate number from the standby screen. One negative is that the N79 does not allow you to search your contacts from the standby screen, so you'll need to open the contacts application before you can begin searching.
In addition to the one-touch dialing system, the Nokia N79 features Nokia's speaker-independent voice-dial system, which allows you to call any contact listed in your phonebook without having to look them up. Simply press and hold the right softkey from the standby screen to activate this feature. The left softkey can also be held for a few seconds to activate the Message Reader, which will read your most recently received SMS out loud. This can be extremely convenient while driving, for instance.
Speaking of messaging, both SMS and MMS are supported, with a single inbox for both. The Nokia N79 does not include an instant messaging client out of the box, though you can download and install a number of different third party solutions. The built-in email client on the Nokia N79 allows you to connect to multiple POP3 or IMAP inboxes, and the handy setup wizard will automatically input the settings for most web-based email services, such as Gmail. Email attachments are supported, and HTML emails can be downloaded, though not automatically.
The Nokia N79 uses the 1200mAh BP-6F battery, which is more than enough power for this compact candybar. With 2 IMAP email accounts being checked throughout the day, a handful of photos, 10-15 SMS, and 2-3 hours of music playback, the N79 can easily last through lunch on the second day before needing to be recharged. Moderate users should easily be able to last 2 days without a charge on the N79, though I would bring a charger along for a weekend trip.
Multimedia / Applications
The Nseries label on the Nokia N79 implies a solid multimedia experience, and this stylish candybar does not disappoint.
Thanks to advances in technology, the Nokia N79's microSD slot is able to support cards up to 16GB in capacity. For music, the Nokia N79 is capable of playing DRM-free MP3s, as well as WMA files that are protected with Microsoft's PlaysForSure DRM, such as Real Rhapsody or Napster ToGo. The music player on the N79 allows you to browse your library by artist, album, or genre, and also supports playlists, which can be created directly on the phone. There is a full-featured graphic equalizer with several genre-based profiles pre-loaded, and the option to create your own.
The Nokia N79 fully supports the Nokia Music Store, which allows users to purchase and download music directly to the phone, either via WiFi or the cellular data network. Unfortunately, I was unable to test this feature, as it is not currently available in the U.S. The N79 also features the Nokia Podcasting application, which allows you to download both audio and video podcasts directly to the phone, again via WiFi or the cellular data connection. The Nokia Internet Radio application is also integrated, enabling access to a full directory of streaming Internet radio stations.
The Nokia N79 features an integrated FM receiver and transmitter, as well. The receiver allows you to tune-in to any FM radio station, though you will need to have a wired headset connected to the phone, to act as the antenna. The FM transmitter allows you to broadcast the phone's audio to any open FM frequency, such as a home or rental car stereo, for instance. The FM transmitter includes a simple interface for choosing a specific frequency, and works great, in my experience.
As mentioned previously, the Nokia N79 also features a standard 3.5mm stereo headphone port, which allows you to use nearly any headphones or external speakers that you choose. For stereo Bluetooth headphone connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP is on board, and works quite well. The phone's built-in stereo speakers are also extremely loud, and produce great sound, though a bit of distortion sets in at the maximum volume level.
The Nokia N79's 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics features a manual lens cover, which not only protects the lens, but also activates the camera. The N79 features Nokia's 'Share Online' application, which provides one-click uploading of your photos to Flickr or Share on Ovi, straight from the camera. The dual-LED flash is sufficient for taking photos in low-light situations, and pulls double-duty as a video light, as well. The camera application is home to a plethora of user-configurable settings, such as ISO level, brightness, contrast, and various photo types. There is also a photo editing feature that can be used to manipulate photos after they've been taken.
The Nokia N79 has a built-in GPS receiver that can be used for voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation, as well as to geotag your photos with location information. Nokia Maps is pre-loaded onto the N79, and map data can be download on-the-fly, or preloaded onto the microSD card using the Nokia Map Loader application for either Windows or OS X.
Nokia's S60 Web browser is easily one of the best mobile web browsers available today, and fully supports Flash Lite. It also features a mini-map view that makes it easy to navigate a full website on such a small screen. It is able to save form data, so that you don't have to continually fill in your username and passwords on your favorite sites. The browser can also store bookmarks and web feeds, with an RSS reader integrated, as well. The browser is able to render most any website, similar to a desktop web browser, and can also play Flash video content natively (such as YouTube).
Although the Nokia N79 is not specifically a business-oriented smartphone, it does offer several tools for the mobile professional. QuickOffice v4 is pre-installed, so that it is possible to view Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint files directly on your phone. For an additional fee, QuickOffice can also be used to create and edit those documents. A PDF reader, Zip-manager, and calculator are also on board, as well as an advanced file manager.
The Nokia N79 supports Nokia's new N-Gage gaming platform and comes with a handful of games preloaded, with more available to download. The preloaded games are free trials, though a code for a full license of one game of your choice is included in the box. My favorite of the preloaded games was called Bounce. In this game, you play as a red blob, and you must roll your way through various levels and bosses. There are mini-games throughout, as you work your way through the levels. It's a light-hearted, fun game, with great graphics.
User Interface
The Nokia N79 uses Nokia's S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 user interface, with the Symbian operating system. This interface offers some great visual transitions, which make a small, but noticeable improvement as you're navigating through the phone's menus.
The S60 user interface includes a standby screen with three different layouts available. The first, called basic, lets the user assign a different shortcut to each direction on the d-pad. The second is a horizontal icon bar, also known as the Active Standby view, and features a row of 6 user-configurable shortcuts across the top of the screen. Below this is a handful of plug-ins, such as 'Search', the WiFi connection wizard, and the upcoming calendar entries, among others. Lastly, is a vertical icon bar that places a column of 4 shortcuts along the left edge of the display. The first of these shortcuts opens a small submenu, with 6 user-selected application shortcuts. Below this are shortcuts for the calendar, music player, and access to the phone's audio profiles. In all of the standby views, both the left and right softkeys can be configured by the user to access any application or shortcut on the phone.
S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2 features a built-in multitasking ability, which is accessed by long pressing the S60 menu key from any screen. When the S60 menu button is pressed once, it opens the main menu, which can be displayed in several different ways. The default main menu view is the typical 3 x 4 icon grid layout, though users can also choose a list view. The horseshoe and v-shaped menu layouts show the phone's applications and folders in a rotating list of either shape.
The Nokia N79 features a pleasure cruise of personalization options, starting with the aforementioned user-changeable Xpress-On back covers. The phone has a record 8 different themes, which can change the wallpaper, colors, and even the icons of the phone. The N79 is also one of few Nokia smartphones to support Audio Themes, which consist of a themed group of sound effects, for everything from the ringtone to the keypad tones to the sound played when you remove the memory card.
Conclusion
The Nokia N79 is a compact candybar shaped phone with a powerful camera and a host of other great multimedia features. The Xpress-On back covers, with automatically-activated matching interface themes, are a really nice touch for the fashion-oriented, as well. The camera's dual-LED flash works great for still photos, and even better as a video light. The stereo speakers are loud, and the 1200mAh battery is more than enough to power the phone for over 24 hours. I found the numeric keypad to be incredibly comfortable to type on, even with lightning-fast typing.
The build quality is slightly questionable, though. The plastic exterior squeaks slightly with use. The firmware is solid, and S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 offers a handful of nice extras over previous versions. We at MobileBurn.com give the Nokia N79 a "Highly Recommended" rating, since we found ourselves struggling to find anything negative to say about it.
You'll find a gallery of sample photos shot with the Nokia N79's 5 megapixel camera on the following page.
0 comments:
Post a Comment