Not a week goes by without another electronics giant deciding to hop on the overcrowded Netbook bandwagon. Still, it's unusual when a phone manufacturer decides to cross over. Nokia, long
rumored to be getting into 3G mini-laptops or "smartbooks," has
finally announced a very real 10-inch Netbook.
Called the Booklet 3G, it has a clear design relationship with its phone line, while still being an honest-to-goodness laptop (as opposed to some sort of smartphone hybrid). Running an Atom Z530 processor instead of the more common N270, it also has:
- An HDMI port
- Wi-Fi
- 3G (obviously)
- An SD card reader
- A-GPS and maps integration
- A Webcam
- Bluetooth
- And, according to Nokia, a 12-hour battery life
The Booklet 3G also runs Windows--as to whether it's Windows 7, Nokia isn't announcing yet, but that's a pretty safe assumption with Microsoft's OS just around the bend.
The other unique feature worth discussing is the Booklet's integration with Nokia's Ovi tools, including the company's maps, music store, and cloud-based Ovi Suite. Nokia isn't revealing yet how much software it'll be adding to the Windows cocktail, but it would be a great idea to add as much of their mobility-assisting software as possible.
No price or launch date has been announced yet. Nokia plans to reveal a lot more on September 2.
