Nokia will offer a Windows Netbook with smartphone features, the Nokia Booklet 3G. A surprising move, or is Nokia already late to the party?
Nokia today announced plans to offer an ultraportable "netbook" computer. The Nokia Booklet 3G will be a netbook with a 10-inch display and an Intel Atom processor. The small laptop device will offer connectivity and features similar to Nokia's high-end smartphones. The Nokia Booklet 3G will use cellular networks for HSPA connectivity, a wireless 3G service compatible with AT&T''s and T-Mobile's 3G networks here in the U.S. Additionally, the Nokia Booklet 3G will get Wi-Fi for local wireless networking, as well as a Bluetooth radio.
The Nokia Booklet 3G will get A-GPS, as well, a feature common on cell phones but less so on netbooks. With GPS location capabilities, Nokia will offer their Ovi services and products. Ovi Maps, for instance, will provide turn-by-turn navigation and location based searches along the route. In fact, Ovi will play a major part in Nokia's strategy with their netbook line, which is a smart move, and will hopefully help to differentiate the Nokia Booklet 3G from other Windows netbooks.
We were surprised to hear that Nokia was using Windows for their netbook platform, though it's probably a smart strategic move to keep from confusing bargain-shopping netbook customers. Though Nokia is still committed to their Linux Maemo platform, our experience with Nokia's Internet Tablet devices have proven that they are still meant for advanced users. Nokia didn't yet announce which version of Windows will ship with the Nokia Booklet 3G, but the timing of the announcement suggests that it will be among the first commercial devices to ship with the new Windows 7 in late October.
Nokia seems to be pushing the netbook as a multimedia component, more than just an Internet browsing device. To this end, the Nokia Booklet 3G features an HDMI output to connect to a high-def television, and Nokia describes the 10-inch glass display as HD-ready. There's no Blu-Ray player or other HD media option on board other than the SD card reader, but Nokia has already announced plans to offer their Nokia Music Store on the Booklet 3G netbook. Perhaps a movie store is in the cards, as well?
The Nokia Booklet 3G features a front-facing camera for video conferencing. In addition to all of the Ovi apps loaded onto the device, Nokia is also bragging about the device's supposed battery life. With an always-on Internet connection, Nokia claims the Nokia Booklet 3G will see up to 12 hours of battery life. That would put the device near the high end of the market for battery.
Of course, the market may be shrinking. Laptop manufacturers like HP and Acer seem to be more excited about their equally low-cost 12-inch portables, leaving many to question whether the 10-inch and smaller netbook category has the same future it did years ago. Nokia might be late to this party, but we're still happy to see them arrive. Windows 7, which was built with netbooks in mind, should provide a welcome boost to the netbook market.
Netbooks have so far offered little to distinguish themselves from each other. Most netbooks offer little more than Windows XP on cheap hardware. But Nokia offers a bit more. First, the always-on Internet connectivity like the Nokia Booklet 3G uses in its HSPA networking is undoubtedly the future of netbooks. Smartphone makers have the best experience tying this sort of connectivity into their hardware and OS, so we welcome their involvement. Second, we're happy to see smartphone features and service, like A-GPS and the cloud-based Ovi stores and services, appear on netbooks. These should offer some value beyond the typical setup.
Nokia has yet to offer specific details about pricing or availability, but promises more will be forthcoming from their own Nokia World convention in Europe in early September. We're guessing that this device will be sold as a carrier-supported netbook, so initial pricing will be higher than what buyers will actually pay. Whether we see this device on the U.S. network is the real question, though.
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