Nokia launches N-series phones for US and Europe

The new N85 and N79 smartphones for European high-speed mobile networks will be followed by a North American edition of the N96. Each will offer a 5 Mp camera with Zeiss optics, integrated turn-by-turn GPS navigation, and N-Gage gaming.

Nokia today rolled out three high-end multimedia and gaming smartphones: the Nokia N85 and N79, slated for release for European 3.5G mobile networks this October; and a new North American edition of the existing N96, retooled to run on 3G networks in the US and Canada starting in the fourth quarter.

The N-series devices were created by Nokia teams that included gaming engineers in San Francisco, mapping experts in Germany, and music specialists in the UK, according to Aapo Bovellan, director of product development for Nokia's Ovi phone and video sharing service.

"Together we have created this amazing experience, which you get once you open up the N-series device," Bovellan maintained, in a video presentation posted on Nokia's Ovi today. "They're almost like canvases for doing exciting new things, and they're just the starting point of our journey."

All three of Nokia's latest N-series smartphones will come with 5 megapixel cameras with Carl Zeiss optics; integrated Wi-Fi; and a three-month subscription for turn-by-turn GSP navigation with Nokia Maps.

Priced at around £360, the dual-sliding N85 offers a 2.6 OLED screen and an 8 GB memory card.

Nokia's new N79 smartphone, whose North American and European premiere was announced August 26.

Expected to sell for about £280, the candy bar-style N79 is equipped with a 4 GB memory card, along with Xpress-on covers and matching screen themes.

Both European phones will operate on 3.5G HSPDA networks. Each will also come with at least ten N-Gage games each, plus a voucher to activate one full game.

The Nokia N96, first unveiled earlier in 2008 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcehlona, will be released later this year for 3G HSPDA networks in North America, officials said.

Outfitted with a kickstand for easy hands-free viewing, the N96 is designed to store up to 40 GB of video content. The North American phone also offers a 2.8-inch screen, 16 MB of memory and expandable memory card, and integration with Nokia's Ovi.

Priced at about $895 US dollars, the device will come with a voucher for the N-Gage racing game Asphalt 3, plus trial versions of four other N-Gage games.