Updated 14 Feb, 2012, 6:01 pm IST

REVIEWS / SMARTPHONES / NOKIA

Nokia N79

06 Jan, 2009, 3:00 pm IST | Shayne Rana | Smartphones

Media
There's nothing new here either, but that’s not a bad thing. The N79 offers users a wide range of media functions with a loud and clear music player equipped with EQ presets and a customizable 8 band graphic EQ setting, Loudness and Stereo widening. Once again Nokia has included free music as part of the N79 deal, like with a few of their other N-Series and other handsets.

There are also a few free videos included. What I did notice was that the handset took a little while (about 15-20 seconds at times) to open up the video section to view all of the files even after playing a video and returning to that screen. Some of the videos didn’t seem to work either and gave me an error – Invalid Clip – Operation Failed. The handset reads MP3, M4A, AAC+, WMA, 3GP and AMR file formats. The stereo FM radio with RDS has decent pick up in most areas. One minor issue was with the reception of the FM Transmitter. Having tried it in different cars, the reception and audio quality was not as good as I’d hoped.

Users will also be able to edit images and videos with the onboard editor applications. The handset also has plenty of online media options like video streaming from sites like Reuters and YouTube and downloading and listening to Podcasts.

The preloaded N-Gage arena is a place to break free and game your heart out. Sadly though, an activation code is provided for just one game. The choice of games for this particular code are limited to most of the mundane puzzle games and none of the newer action or racing games that you can otherwise download and try. There are no other preloaded Java or .SIS games provided.

Connectivity
Wi-Fi, EDGE/GPRS and 3G connectivity make up the major connectivity options offered with the N79. Other options include Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) and USB 2.0. Nokia’s WLAN Home Media option is part of the application list as well as their Application Update and Software Update applications. Users can also connect to My Nokia and Sync to backup their handsets data via PC suite or online servers like OVI. Images can be uploaded to the net for sharing and a host of other services like Nokia Catalogues (for downloading applications etc.), Nokia’s Search option (for online information as well as data) stored on the handset are also available.

Misc. Features
For the business user, the Mail for Exchange or Nokia Email applications will allow you to set up accounts for checking email quite easily. You can also configure your personal Gmail or other accounts with a few simple automated steps. Standard S60 features like a PDF reader, Quick Office (read only), Active Notes, Calendar and the Zip application are present and accounted for. Nokia’s message reader with text to speech are also included, while Wave Secure for handset and data protection and IndiSMS have been preloaded onto the handset.

The N79 is also GPS enabled with a built in antenna and A-GPS support. Nokia Maps 2.0 is the resident application for the same, with a three month free license after which you’ll have to pay. The time it will take for the handset to pick up a decent signal in any area is relative, but on the whole it was quite average. The stereo speakers are extremely handy for voice guidance.

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Tags: Series 60 , N-Series , 5 megapixel

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