Mobile Phones Blog

Nokia N85 arrives today

October 31st, 2008 by Thomas

Today sees Nokia launch the N85 in the UK – the latest addition to the N-Series and one that follows on from the N81, a spirited attempt to revive Nokia’s N-Gage mobile gaming platform.

The N85 combines design elements from the N96, in that it features the same reflective black plastic curves and the dual-slider format, and the same gaming-on-the-go functionality of the N81. The N85 however benefits from the four media keys which slide out from the top-end of the handset; these double as four action buttons for games, as opposed to the two on the N81; we can see a version of Guitar Hero working quite well on the N85.

The directional menu key adopts the mantle of the D-pad, which, combined with the four buttons mounted at the opposite end of the handset, makes the N85 resemble a miniature Atari Lynx handheld console, which may appeal to the retro sensibilities of hardcore gamers and eighties nostalgists.

Whilst mobile gaming is the main thrust of the N85, Nokia haven’t neglected other multimedia features; a 5 Megapixel camera (now the de rigueur camera resolution for N-Series phones, it seems) comes included, bolstered by a dual LED flash and autofocus.

The music player supports all of the main file formats (MP3, WMA and all the AAC extensions) and comes with a 3.5mm jack plug socket, allowing you to use your own headphones, although Bluetooth stereo support is also available. For a more in-depth hands-on look at the Nokia N85 and it’s various features, head on over to the Dial-a-Phone site.

The launch of the N85 comes just a day after the arrival of the much-talked about T-Mobile G1, which, whilst not specifically designed for mobile gaming, promises much for apps developers; the iPhone has recently seen several games ported to it, most notably the Star Wars title The Force Unleashed.

Rumour has it that Sony are still quietly working away at their much-speculated PSP Phone, and the forthcoming Nintendo DSi, with its twin touchscreens, integrated browser and Wi-Fi support, would be a killer smartphone, had it the ability to make calls and send texts.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 31st, 2008 at 12:03 pm and is filed under Dial A Phone, Nokia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.