Hoping to capitalize off its standing as a mobile company, Nokia is showing up late to the netbook party with the Booklet 3G.
The company has avoided the word "netbook" in its press release, but the proverb about looking, swimming and quacking like a duck applies here. It runs on an Intel Atom Z530 processor, has a 10-inch glass display and runs on Windows, though Nokia hasn't specified which version, CNet reports. Other features, aside from the obvious 3G connectivity, include an HDMI port, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AGPS, an SD card slot, a Webcam and a claim of 12 hours for battery life.
This is all pretty standard fare, so we don't really know to what extent the Booklet 3G will distinguish itself from an already crowded field. Nokia says the netbook will integrate with the company's Ovi Store for apps, and offered a few examples: A GPS widget can pinpoint your location, and Ovi Suite will allow easy syncing between a smartphone, the netbook and the cloud. I'm not sure these features will radically change the user experience; it depends on how useful these applications and widgets are compared to what you'd normally use on a PC.
More than anything else, Nokia is hyping connectivity, but its success there depends on external factors. In the U.S. at least, mobile broadband is simply too expensive for most people to use. Plans generally start at $40 per month for minimal bandwidth, which is really a terrible value for anyone who isn't constantly on the road.
Nokia hasn't announced any partnerships with carriers, but it certainly wouldn't be the first to do so. AT&T and Verizon both subsidize netbook purchases, but the resulting two-year data plans can ultimately cost $1,000 or more. For most people, that's not worth the initial savings.
We'll hear more from Nokia on September 2, when the company announces pricing, availability and full specs for the Booklet 3G at Nokia World.
