Nokia Brings N78 Media Phone to U.S.

Nokia is bringing its N78 multimedia phone to the United States...and, once again, the company has chosen to do so without a carrier partner.

Finland’s Nokia is sticking with its recent tactic of bringing its Nseries devices to the United States without benefit of a partnership with a U.S. mobile phone operator. The latest mutimedia hanset to make the jump is the N78, sporting a 3.2 megapixel camera, integrated GPS, and (of course) tie-ins to Nokia Maps (three months free!) and Nokia’s Ovi Internet-based social and sharing services.

“Offering the robust feature set expected from an Nseries device, the integration of these features with Nokia’s new suite of Ovi services is what makes the Nokia N78 a perfect companion for a connected and mobile lifestyle,” said Nokia’s Go-to-Market VP William Plummer, in a statement.

The N78 features high-speed HSDPA connectivity that can be used on 850/1900 MHz networks, along with an integrated FM transmitter that lets user pump music to (say) an in-vehicle audio system. The N78 can use its integrated GPS to geo-tag photos, which can (of course) then be uploaded directly to Ovi or other selected image sharing services. The N78 offers a 2.4-inch display, up to 70 MB of user memory (expandable storage via microSD cards), and features a Carl Zeiss Tessar lens. The N78 also supports widgets and applications available through the unit’s download client or Nokia’s MOSH platform.

The N78 is available now in Nokia’s Chicago and New York stores (as well as online retailers and selected brick-and-mortar sellers) for a suggested price of $560. Of course, customers will still need to make some sort of service arrangement with a compatible mobile provider—or be content with an awfully shiny paperweight.