Nokia moved into the mini-laptop market with a full-function machine just two weeks after announcing a strategic partnership with Microsoft.
The laptop, dubbed the Nokia Booklet 3G, weighs in at 1.25 kilograms and is slightly over two centimeters thin. The Windows-based laptop will feature a 10-inch glass HD ready display, front-facing camera for video conferencing and compatibility with both 3G HSPA and Wi-Fi.
Exact specifications, market availability and pricing will be announced at Nokia World on Sept. 2. Other features include integrated A-GPS and the use of the Ovi Suite to sync the laptop to a subscriber’s Nokia smartphone with cloud computing.
The move comes at a critical time for the handset manufacturer. Getting into the laptop market is also a major change of course for Nokia, which has historically stuck to handsets.
Nokia’s global handset market share slipped to 38 percent in its second quarter compared to 40 percent last year. In addition, the average selling price of its handsets has been on a downward course for the past six quarters. Last quarter, its average selling price hit EUR 62, or $88, compared to last year’s figure of EUR 74, or $106.
Nokia’s move into computers is widely viewed as part of its overall strategy to diversify its product offerings. The compact, fully-functional laptop capitalizes on the trend of highly-integrated devices and will likely compete with existing netbook models.
“A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility,” said Kai Oistamo, Nokia’s executive vice president for devices, in a statement. “We are in the business of connecting people and the Nokia Booklet 3G is a natural evolution for us.”
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