Do we really need a Nokia mini-notebook?We never really bought the idea of Nokia calling its Nseries smartphones "multimedia computers". Sure, these devices pack a ton of features, but they offer a scaled-down experience compared to a PC which has a much larger screen and full-size keyboard.
The Booklet 3G will also have an HDMI port for video output, Bluetooth, SD card reader, front-facing camera for video calls and will take less than a minute to boot up cold. Not surprisingly, the Booklet 3G will be tightly integrated with Nokia's Ovi suite of multimedia services including the new Ovi Maps application that jumps right to the mapping software. Smartphones and computers are arguably controversial category labels. Both come with dedicated processors (some even have two; one for running the programs and the other for graphics), operating systems and let the user send emails, watch movies, listen to music and surf the Web. What's worth noting is that Nokia is conscientiously avoiding the term "Netbook" in the press release and instead referring to the Booklet 3G a mini-notebook. So is it doing a Sony here? Regardless, people are inevitably still going to call the Booklet 3G a Netbook. Challenges aheadPerhaps one of the reasons Nokia is avoiding the "Netbook" label is that the Netbook market which is already flooded with low-cost choices.Another reason for the current development is that Nokia's market share has notably shrunk over the last few quarters. A recent Gartner report revealed that the Finnish company's global mobile devices market share slipped from 39.5 percent to 36.8 percent in Q2. Its smartphone market share also dipped to 45 percent from 47.4 percent during the same period. When queried how the Booklet 3G fits into the company's current portfolio of smartphones and Internet Tablets, a Nokia spokesperson said that this is an opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to the PC world. "With Nokia's heritage of mobility, and with many features of what has traditionally been known as a smartphone and a PC converging, the time is right to bring the Nokia Booklet 3G into the market", the Nokia spokesperson added. It's not all gloom and doom, though. Research firm IDC expects the Netbook market to grow to 26 million units this year. In 2008, 12 million units were shipped. The figure is expected to swell to 32 million units in 2010, before culminating to 51 million in 2013. Nokia's challenges are not only with thinning profit margins and lower average selling prices of handsets. It's still unclear what the channel strategy is for the Booklet 3G, but chances are the device will be sold via telco operators and this means users may be getting it at a subsidized price or even free with a data plan. That's a plus point. The latest N97 touchscreen smartphone that runs on the Symbian S60 5th Edition software has also met with much criticism on the lack of consistency in the user interface and an aging platform. This will change with a major UI overhaul in Symbian^4, which is expected to be out late 2010 to early 2011. Tags: Smart Phone, Netbook, spokesperson, Nokia Corp., multimedia |
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Sincere says...
Well I feel that yes they are heading in the right direction...but I wish they would really get their act together with producing the type of handsets they were known for producing in the past "quality folks" the quality in a lot of what they sell now is not the same as it used to be ...and this should really be addressed first...if you look at the big picture most people would have pick them to come up with the I phone of today ....but then again they got beat to the punch by apple... but I wish them the best they may just finally be getting the message now...
Aug 25, 2009 21:35
Well I feel that yes they are heading in the right direction...but I wish they would really get their act together with producing the type of handsets they were known for producing in the past "quality folks" the quality in a lot of what they sell now is not the same as it used to be ...and this should really be addressed first...if you look at the big picture most people would have pick them to come up with the I phone of today ....but then again they got beat to the punch by apple... but I wish them the best they may just finally be getting the message now...
Aug 25, 2009 21:35
RavinRay says...
From what I've read elsewhere speculation is that Nokia will offer this to corporate buyers via plans where employees get a cellphone partnered with the Booklet using that company's network carrier of choice, with a monthly or so regular subscription for the services. But cellphones and carrier plans are sold differently all over the world, so while this model might be valid in the US, whether Nokia can feasibly target the Booklet to individual end-users is another matter. Either way, I wish it luck.
Aug 25, 2009 21:48
From what I've read elsewhere speculation is that Nokia will offer this to corporate buyers via plans where employees get a cellphone partnered with the Booklet using that company's network carrier of choice, with a monthly or so regular subscription for the services. But cellphones and carrier plans are sold differently all over the world, so while this model might be valid in the US, whether Nokia can feasibly target the Booklet to individual end-users is another matter. Either way, I wish it luck.
Aug 25, 2009 21:48
minimach says...
We most probably do not need one. With Nokia so late in the netbook game. They should have come out with a radical new idea. Calling it with a 'different' name 'Booklet' is not! Having GPS and HSDPA is hardly innovative. Knowing Nokia, they will probably overprice this gadget and it will go the way of their N800 and N810, where nobody but the very niche and very rich people will buy it.
Aug 25, 2009 23:15
We most probably do not need one. With Nokia so late in the netbook game. They should have come out with a radical new idea. Calling it with a 'different' name 'Booklet' is not! Having GPS and HSDPA is hardly innovative. Knowing Nokia, they will probably overprice this gadget and it will go the way of their N800 and N810, where nobody but the very niche and very rich people will buy it.
Aug 25, 2009 23:15
vin8tan says...
I'm getting a bit anal here, but why is a net book in a mobile review section ??
Aug 26, 2009 02:36
I'm getting a bit anal here, but why is a net book in a mobile review section ??
Aug 26, 2009 02:36
damiankoh says...
Hi vin8tan, yes, this is primarily a Netbook story (double-published on the Notebooks channel). But the reason this also on the mobile phones channel is because the announcement is a milestone for Nokia which has the largest market share in the mobile devices industry. We aren't just looking at only a Netbook announcement here, but an ecosystem of online services, handsets and the Booklet 3G. That's the reason why the story is on both channels. Moving forward, it'll be interesting to see how all these integrate together in the near future.
Aug 26, 2009 17:28
Hi vin8tan, yes, this is primarily a Netbook story (double-published on the Notebooks channel). But the reason this also on the mobile phones channel is because the announcement is a milestone for Nokia which has the largest market share in the mobile devices industry. We aren't just looking at only a Netbook announcement here, but an ecosystem of online services, handsets and the Booklet 3G. That's the reason why the story is on both channels. Moving forward, it'll be interesting to see how all these integrate together in the near future.
Aug 26, 2009 17:28
Zagatos says...
This is definately the right direction from nokia, alot of nokia users would jump to their netbook.Too bad iam a sony erricson fan and yes iam still waiting for the so called godly phone the satio. Nevertheless i respect nokia and i hope they do well, they deserve it for being so well established in the business
Aug 29, 2009 03:11
This is definately the right direction from nokia, alot of nokia users would jump to their netbook.Too bad iam a sony erricson fan and yes iam still waiting for the so called godly phone the satio. Nevertheless i respect nokia and i hope they do well, they deserve it for being so well established in the business
Aug 29, 2009 03:11
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