Nokia joined the netbook crowd with the release Tuesday of its Booklet 3G mini-laptop. The new Windows 7 product is being offered with a data plan from AT&T, and will be in Best Buy stores next month.
The company “recognizes that the most powerful device is the one that doesn’t have you running for the power plug or network point,” said Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. In addition to 3G, the Booklet also has Wi-Fi, an HDMI port for high-definition video out, a front-facing camera, Bluetooth and a SD card reader.
‘A Premium Product’
The netbook will have “an introductory price” of $299.99, with a two-year AT&T data plan that adds a commitment of about $1,400.
Best Buy will offer a free service called Walk Out Working, similar to the one provided for smartphones, in which store personnel help customers activate the Booklet, get a tour of Windows 7, and an introduction to the mini-laptop’s features. Those features include Nokia’s Ovi Suite of software and the Ovi Maps gadget, which are also available on Nokia smartphones.
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, called the Booklet 3G “a premium product with a couple of standout features.” Chief among them is a battery that Nokia said delivers 12 hours of battery life.
Greengart, who said he hasn’t tested the battery life yet, speculated that 12 hours is probably with some of the connectivity in operation, but, if using the 3G connection all the time, it’s “probably more like eight hours.”
Even eight hours is impressive, he said, especially compared to other netbooks that only offer a few hours of battery life. “I have never seen this much claimed battery life in a device this small,” Greengart said.
Like a Product ‘Apple Would Design’
In its appearance, Greengart said, the Booklet 3G “looks like a product…