Nokia calls it a fusion of technology and style. I call it rubbish - for me N79 is the ugliest Nokia I've seen in ages, and definitely, the ugliest NSeries phone. If anything could change my mind, that would have to be a hands-on, on my hands, as I've seen live pictures, press pictures, and I'm not happy.

In terms of features, it's an improved version of the Nokia N78, and the only thing that really improved is the camera, Nokia added a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens. The reason Nokia recalls style is that they allow you to switch Xpress-on covers with the following colours: light sea blue, espresso brown, olive green, white and coral red. Three of those come in the box. The specifications aren't bad at all, there's GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack, sliding lock, HSDPA, an included 4GB microSD memory card, FM Transmitter, a Friendster widget, and 10 NGage games, with one free licence. The N79 will retail at 350€ w.s.o.t.

A "style" highlight is that the phone can change themes by auto-detecting what cover you attach to it...pretty cool. There is an accelerometer as well as a navi-wheel for improved navigation.

To tell you the truth, the only reason why I see Nokia launching such a phone is to get rid of the stock. The manufacturer has noticed that they need to start releasing phones that can stand up against the upcoming 8 megapixel camera-phones and touchscreen-phones from their competitors, so they thought it was a good idea to just dump lots of phones into the market, for the user to have some choice in NSeries, and not just go for the other brands. What happens is that the consumer will get confused. Now I don't do any market research unlike the Nokia boffins, but I've been around long enough to notice that. Let's say a person wants a Nokia N78, and he suddenly sees a Nokia N79, and he thinks to himself: "I will wait and buy it as it's better". Now you can see that this is bad timing as well. Nokia has just released the N78 to the retail market, and suddenly it opens the doors to the N79, which is a higher-end phone which will cost less, and make the consumer wait for it, which will translate in a loss of revenue for the N78. If Nokia wanted to put the N79 into the market, they should do it either at the same time, or 3 months later, and here is the news: The N79 is coming three months after the N78, but the consumer doesn't know that, and thinks it will be worth the wait, and once again I say, Nokia will lose money.

If you disagree with anything, please do comment and share your views with me. If you do agree, please also state your points. It's interesting to analyse Nokia's current strategy.

Press release and pictures after the jump. Also do check out the promotion video, and the demo video. Jason Goh from Symbian Smashpop has been at the launch event, and had a hands-on moment with the device, check the video out.

Nokia today unveiled the Nokia N79, the latest addition to the Nokia Nseries range that combines intelligent and customizable design with a fully-loaded multimedia computer. Behind its sleek exterior, the Nokia N79 is a technology powerhouse. It offers a full range of multimedia experiences including integrated navigation, music with FM transmitter, high-speed connectivity, superior web browsing, at least 10 pre-loaded N-Gage games and an advanced 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. The Nokia N79 is expected to begin shipping in October 2008, with an estimated retail price of EUR 350, before taxes and subsidies.

"The Nokia N79 packs cutting-edge technology into a compact design - a characteristic of the iconic Nseries - that allows people to discover, create and share their passions with others," said Juha Kokkonen, Director, Nokia Nseries. "It has been designed for those who want a device that is as appealing as it is powerful and comes with interchangeable covers that have automatically matching screen themes. This balance of performance and style means that it is a powerful and defining step forward from the popular and very successful Nokia N72 and Nokia N73."

Perfect for the style conscious, the Nokia N79 comes with Xpress-on smart covers that are available in five cool colors: Light Sea Blue, Espresso Brown, Olive Green, White and Coral Red. A combination of three of these comes with each Nokia N79.

The convergence of photos, music and navigation in the Nokia N79 combines with high-speed 3.5G HSDPA and Wi-Fi to make it quick and easy to share experiences on websites, blogs or online communities.

Experience new discoveries
The innovative technology packed into this colorful offering means that accessing a rich pool of services to further enhance individual experiences is seamless. Log on to online communities like Friendster, Flickr or YouTube or click through to Nokia services such as the Nokia Music Store, N-Gage, Nokia Maps and Share on Ovi, an online service that enables consumers to share personal pictures and videos from their mobile devices.

The 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash and video light captures sharp, clear images and video that can be edited immediately, without the need for a PC. Images can also be geotagged to specific locations. What's more, the Nokia N79 comes packaged with a 4 GB microSD memory card that makes it possible to store around 3,000 songs, approximately 2,500 pictures and up to four hours of DVD-quality video clips that can be organized by albums or tags and uploaded directly to Share on Ovi or third party services. The addition of a sliding lens cover helps protect the top-quality lens when not in use.

Nokia Maps makes it easy to explore and navigate new surroundings by accessing more than 15 million points of interest (POI). In-built A-GPS providing turn-by-turn navigation - for walking or driving - comes with a three month integrated license on the Nokia N79.

A Friendster widget will also be made available for the Nokia N79 via the WidSets service. This will allow people to browse Friendster friends' profiles, view and post shoutouts, upload pictures taken with their handset, and browse their own and friends' photo albums. All this enables more effective communication with friends while away from a computer using the Nokia N79. New users can even register for Friendster directly on their device via a link to Friendster's mobile site (m.friendster.com), create an account, and instantly begin participating in the Friendster global community.

To ensure each device is as distinctive as its user, customizable features are available at the Nokia Download! store, a one stop personalization shop, already embedded in Nokia Nseries devices. It lets consumers create a unique experience for themselves by offering easy access to a multitude of popular ringtones, branded entertainment content, the latest in mobile gaming and dynamic applications for personalizing mobile devices to the user's own preferences.