Nokia N79 out now in Italy and UK

[Tzer2]

The N79 seems to be now making its way to shops across Europe, as Nokia's official site in Italy lists it as available now, and Expansys UK also has it in stock. You can find out more about the N79 from All About Symbian's extensive hands-on preview article.

Read on in the full article.

[Tzer2]

I think release elsewhere is also imminent, Verkkokauppa has it listed as 2 - 6 days in Finland for example.

[Rauha]

I also saw it on sale at Helsinki-Vantaa airport.

hello,

do you know if ngage is embedded in this one ?

[Tzer2]

Unregistered, yes N-Gage is embedded in the N79.

It's also embedded in the N85 and N96, and in the latest firmware of the N95 and N82.

Will you guys be doing a full review at some stage?

[sapporobaby]

But is that price of 464.90 € real or a place holder?

I better run over to Verkkokauppa and have them remove that until the phone actually arrives in the shop and they can post the REAL price. Oh the humanity.

I think we can assume 464 to be actual price. It would be different if upcoming mid-range phone was priced at 999,99 and someone claimed that it could be used as estimate of final price.

[JuhaN]

Finnish mobile operator Saunalahti has started shipping UNLOCKED Nokia N79 for 420 euros (or 17,50 euros/month) including shipping and finnish VAT 22%. In addition to the phone you have to take their SIM card but the plans are starting from 0 euros/month so that's not a commitment at all...

=)juha

[sapporobaby]

Moro, moro JuhaN,

I think Saunalahti is on to something here. I have a contact at Sonera that says people are dumping Sonera left and right because of the iPhone contract. Finns are not used to paying full price and then not owning the device. From what my friend tells me, Sonera is trying to renegotiate the contract with Apple so that they can start unlocking phones. This remains to be seen.

This phone is well over price nokia are bandits?.

[Tzer2]

This phone is well over price nokia are bandits?.

Overpriced compared to what?

If you're comparing it to older models you've got to remember that phone prices go down over their lifetime, this time next year the N79 will probably be less than 300 euros. The launch price of any device is very high because manufacturers want to milk early adopters.

If you're comparing it to lower spec models, well you get what you pay for.

If you're comparing it to locked models, then you're not comparing properly because locked phones are paid for in installments as part of the phone network's monthly fee. When you add up all the installments phones bought on contract usually cost more than their unlocked equivalents.

Also it's worth bearing in mind 464 euros is the Finnish price with Finland's very high 22% sales tax. Take that away and you get a pre-tax price of about 360 euros.

On the other hand, the one thing it does seem expensive compared to is the upcoming 5800, which is possibly why Nokia delayed its release until after Xmas in most countries.

But is that price of 464.90 € real or a place holder?

It's real. The placeholder price is always 999.90.

However, the real prices change frequently on Verkkokauppa (and other online shops) partly because they run their own special offers and partly because the wholesale prices of phones tend to drop over their lifetimes.

have a contact at Sonera that says people are dumping Sonera left and right because of the iPhone contract. Finns are not used to paying full price and then not owning the device.

The iPhone deal from Sonera is possibly the worst ever from a phone network, the monthly fees are very high, the phone is very expensive for a locked device, and bizarrely they don't offer unlimited internet access either. It really doesn't matter how good the hardware is, the prices are far too high and the benefits are far too low, especially considering you have to sign a 2 year contract.

All other phones in Finland can have unlimited access for about 10 euros a month, even when off-contract, but the iPhone in Finland doesn't offer this despite having a monthly fee of 30 to 80 euros a month.

The 5800 is going to launch SIM-free in a few months for just 350 euros or so, which means on contract it would probably be zero euros. I wouldn't be surprised if we see lots of other cheaper touchscreen smartphones appearing from other manufacturers too. There is no way Sonera's current iPhone deal can compete in this situation, they'll have to renegotiate.

Some phone companies seemed to be a bit too carried away by the hype when they were negotiating these exclusivity deals, and failed to pay attention to what Apple's rivals would offer.

[sapporobaby]

Originally Posted by Tzer2

The iPhone deal from Sonera is possibly the worst ever from a phone network, the monthly fees are very high, the phone is very expensive for a locked device, and bizarrely they don't offer unlimited internet access either. It really doesn't matter how good the hardware is, the prices are far too high and the benefits are far too low, especially considering you have to sign a 2 year contract.

Well, they are seeing a hemorrhage of customers left and right. Want an iPhone, just go to ANY Sonera shop and get one. They are not sold out at all.

All other phones in Finland can have unlimited access for about 10 euros a month, even when off-contract, but the iPhone in Finland doesn't offer this despite having a monthly fee of 30 to 80 euros a month.

Give or take. It is closer to 12 Euros and most people mix and match their plans. Also the data is unlimited. Sonera is not enforcing any policies or data caps.

The 5800 is going to launch SIM-free in a few months for just 350 euros or so, which means on contract it would probably be zero euros. I wouldn't be surprised if we see lots of other cheaper touchscreen smartphones appearing from other manufacturers too. There is no way Sonera's current iPhone deal can compete in this situation, they'll have to renegotiate.

Sonera is in deep shit but the 5800 Express is not bad, but not great. The build quality is fair to partly cloudy and the screen is not as good as the iPhone but when I compared it to the N810, it was about the same. In fact I found no real difference between it and the N810 screens. Compared to the iPhone, I found it night and day, but I am used to using both to I will still probably dump my iPhone for one of the newer N-Series touch screens. I do not plan to jump on the 5800 considering that Nokia will be dropping some decent phones soon.

Some phone companies seemed to be a bit too carried away by the hype when they were negotiating these exclusivity deals, and failed to pay attention to what Apple's rivals would offer.

Go over to www.appleinsider.com, say this and watch the flames erupt.

[sapporobaby]

Just saw on the Verkkokauppa site the phone is for sale: heti (immediately). I might have to go check it out.

Anyone interested in a 6 month old N82?