Nokia Booklet 3G netbook launched

Nokia Booklet 3G, the Nokia netbook is here. Nokia, the world leader in mobile phone market, today announced that it is ready with the Nokia Booklet 3G, its foray into the netbook market. While the overall PC market is flat, the netbook market is growing at a rate of 175%, prompting more device manufacturers to jump into the netbook market.

Nokia Booklet 3G photo

Update: Nokia Booklet 3G priced at US $ 820

For a netbook, the Nokia Booklet 3G seems to have some good features and specifications. The Nokia Booklet 3G comes with an Intel Atom processor (chip), which is made especially for netbook and handheld electronic gadgets. The Nokia Booklet 3G  will be loaded with Windows operating system, possibly the upcoming version of Windows 7 to be releases on October 22.

Nokia will announce the price and specifications of the  Nokia Booklet 3G in early September. For pictures, photos and a video of the Nokia Booklet 3G, see below.

Nokia did not mention detailed specifications about the hard disk size or the RAM of the Nokia Booklet 3G . However, the company said that the Nokia Booklet 3G will have a 10-inch screen and an all-aluminium body. The Nokia Booklet 3G will weigh about 1.25 kilograms. The company said the cheap netbook will have a battery life of 12 hours, which is an excellent tech spec compared to existing netbook manufacturers.

The Nokia Booklet 3G will have integrated location-based services. The company said that the 3G Booklet will come with Assisted GPS. Assisted GPS (A-GPS) differs from GPS: In GPS, the location is -pinpointed using the GPS satellite and the receiver in the gadget, while in A-GPS, the location-sensing makes use of the cellular network. In A-GPS, one need to be connected to the GSM network to pinpoint the location. A-GPS is useful in places where the satellite signal is poor. Also, A-GPS can pinpoint the location faster than GPS. However, A-GPS in Nokia Booklet 3G means you have pay for the extra data usage and have to be within a cellular operator’s network.

Nokia’s mini-laptop also has an HDMI port for high-definition (HD) video output. The Nokia Booklet 3G also has a front facing webcam and integrated Bluetooth and WiFi. There is also a reader for SD memory cards. Nokia has not specified whether the  Nokia Booklet 3G will have an optical drive (CD/DVD drive),  but it doesnt seem to have one. Rival netbook manufacturers like Asus, Acer and Dell also sell netbook without a CD/DVD drive.

Nokia has not forgotten to piggyback its other mobile applications on to the  Booklet 3G netbook laptop. The 3G Booklet comes with the Ovi Suite, a proprietary online store started by Nokia and the Nokia Music Store.

housands of software applications are available on the Nokia Ovi Store and millions of songs are available on the Nokia Music Store. Both online stores were opened by Nokia for users of its high-end mobile handsets, called smartphones. Booklet 3G users can also make use of Nokia Maps for location-based services.

Nokia, the pioneer in mobile handphone devices once had a PC business, which it sold in 1991. Later, Nokia started calling its high-end smartphones by the name ‘mobile computers’. The Nokia Communicator was, for a long time, the undisputed leader of the mobile computer market, till it was challenged by the liked of BlackBerry, iPhone, O2 and HTC. The  Nokia Booklet 3G will be company’s return to the PC/netbook market.

Currently, the netbook market is dominated by Acer and Asus. Netbooks are scaled down laptops, which are lighter, cheaper and powered by cheaper processors and hard disks. These are mainly intended for those who wish to use the computer for basic purposes and applications, as well as for surfing the web. The netbooks usually do not have optical drives.

The popularity of netbooks has led many PC manufacturers to turn their sights to this market. Though large PC makers stayed away from the the netbook market for long, the rising sales and popularity of these laptops have lured them into making them. Currently, almost all leading computer manufacturers like Dell, HP, Samsung and Compaq make netbooks, though profit margins are considerably less in the netbook market. Apple, which makes premium computers is also expected to be weighing the opportunities in the netbook market, though the company is tight-lipped on this.

Interestingly, at the same time that Nokia is entering the netbook/computer arena, computer manufacturer Dell is entering the mobile phone market. Dell is set to launch a scaled-down 2G phone in the Chinese market later this year, which may also be launched in several western markets. The competition in the wireless gadget market is definitely going to heat up this year.