Nokia N79 and N85 announced for October 08 release

My trip to Singapore threw me off of my schedule a bit and I missed the official announcements for the new Nokia N79 and Nokia N85 that were made yesterday, along with the announcement that the N96 would be coming to the U.S. to support our 3G networks (actually AT&T only at the moment) in the 4th quarter of 2008. The N79 looks like the successor to the N73 or even N78 while the N85 updates the N82 and blurs the lines with the very successful N95. Both new devices run S60 Feature Pack 2.

The Nokia N79 has a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash along with Xpress-on smart covers in five colors (Light Sea Blue, Espresso Brown, Olive Green, White and Coral Red) that change the screen theme to match the back cover. Three colors come in the box with each N79. A 4GB microSD card is also included in the box (nice touch here Nokia). The device has all the other wireless features you expect on high end devices today, including HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, FM transmitter and GPS. Retail price is EUR350 with an October 2008 release.

The Nokia N85 also has a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and all the wireless features of a high end device. The major new feature of the N85 is the OLED display that should give you a bright display with battery savings. It has a dual slider form factor like the N95. Gaming is a focus of this device with at least 10 N-Gage title loaded on the device to try out and a voucher for one full game license. An 8GB microSD card is included in the box too. Like the N78 and new N79, the N85 has an integrated FM transmitter so you can play your music through a home or car stereo. Retail price is EUR450 and an October 2008 release is also planned.

I also recommend checking out some of the links and information on the Nokia Conversations site regarding these two new devices.