That $599 non-subsidized price still sounds silly -- and $299 with a 2-year $60 monthly contract seems almost more extreme -- but there's no denying that the
Booklet 3G is a truly premium netbook. It's light, strong and very elegant, with an aluminum chassis, wonderful keyboard and spacious two-finger-scroll touchpad. Unfortunately, those netbook innards deliver about what you'd expect in the performance arena (almost too slow for web browsing), and NY's AT&T
3G coverage certainly doesn't serve the laptop well (as demonstrated on video after the break). There's also the small matter of the screen: it has a pretty weak viewing angle, particularly from above, and overall just seems a little dim. Nokia's software approach isn't too revolutionary, since the Social Hub -- which offers threaded text messaging over 3G -- is the only exclusive app on the computer, and the Ovi Maps-branded GPS software is still in the works. Overall, the appeal is probably going to be strongest with dyed-in-the-wool Nokia fans and people with a bit of extra cash to burn, but this is an obviously elegant product that doesn't do any sort of disservice to its phone heritage.
Update: Nokia just clarified to us that the demo units at this event were actually from the UK, and therefore don't have US 3G -- which would certainly explain some of the speed issues.
posted Oct 13th 2009 12:43PM
299 with a 60$ contract didn't seem too expensive for the iphone, and now its pricey?
The iPhone monthly plan (picking the cheapest minutes and text) is $74.99. Just ignore it drakkor.
That's because Apple is a religion and religious people are willing to pay a lot in order to continue worshiping their only true god Steve Jobs.
Ave Steve
http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/09/steve_lives-2.jpg
That's because the iPhone is also actually A PHONE. This isn't. A larger screen and keyboard yes, but it's also not a phone.
You can put any sim-card in it, and use Ovi Suite for voice calls. It's not a phone, but it has comparable and similar phone features.
Then it would just be a matter of comparing the price of the Nokia Booklet un-subsidized against the iPhone 3GS un-subsidized...
It wasn't expensive when it was $599 either.
@Joshua Ochs:
You're right. It's a freakin laptop. It makes sense that it costs more.
@ highest ranked LaDex:
I know many very happy people who own iPhones. Most of them don't have a clue who Steve Jobs is and could care less about Apple. It sucks that ATT decides the that you must pay for a data plan but what are you gonna do. The cost of the actual iphone is no more, or less, than other phones with similar feature sets. I remember when I lost my treo it was going to cost my like $500 to replace...
My point is that most people who own an iPhone are not mindless Apple/Steve Jobs zealots. Some are and you can find them here, posting on Engadget all the time ;)
@Pvito
Ah yes, but I bet they're not the ones coming on here and saying that 299 on-contract is too expensive for a Laptop, but for a mobile phone is perfectly fine.
At least it isn't $700 un-subsidized like last time. Still pretty pricey. I'll how good the apps and synchronization is before I decide..
Yeah, I'm a waiter, too. I really want to love it.
Just wish it had a nicer (matte) screen and a properly-placed left CTRL key.
Also in the video, the guys says that you can tether data through your cell phone. So if you buy unsubsidized $599, i guess,
you don't even need to sign their $60/month plan.
I am interested in know that with the hot-swappable sim card, can i just plug in the 3g Simcard and use data directly like that?
or is the sim-card slot only for making calls/text messages. In either case, its fine, but 3g data through sim card would make this a killer
deal and very convenient solution. What say?
Or you could get a faster mini 311 and a carrier that is worth it.
Agreed.
SP
I would still prefer the Samsung N310, but I really can't find any reason why to get rid rid of my pimped up MSI Wind.
Not before win7 will come preinstalled on a ion netbook anyway.
At least it looks nice because AT&T's 3G network will ruin everything else when it comes to web browsing and internet access....which is why you bought it.....
It's a sports car body with a smartcar engine.
The gloss is unbelievable :(
Maybe it's Maybelline :D
God, this guy is so full of win every-day!
The netbook is pretty cool. The presenter is pretty lame. He needs more nerdrenaline.
+1 for nerdrenaline
Im more excited about the E72 next to the laptop :D
Me too! Can't believe we need to wait until December for the US version!
well, I guess it warms me to know that AT&T's NYC 3G network doesn't suck ONLY for iPhone users.
And I want this because...?
1) It's faster than other netbooks? Strike!
2) It's more affordable than other netbooks? Strike!
3) So I can pay AT&T $60 a month for two years? Strike!
I think the Nokia Booklet 3G just struck out!
1) HD screen with HDMI-out
2) Integrated GPS
3) Send SMS
4) SIM-card slot -- on the outside
5) Beautiful design
1) Plenty of other netbooks have it.
2) Cheap USB (or internal, if you're adventurous) add-on.
3,4,5) Whoopty-freaking-do.
I hope those SMS message are unlimited and included in the $60 plan. Adding $.20 a message onto a netbook that already costs $1739 over is adding insult to injury. Especially since alot of us already have Phones we can tether with unlimited data plans.
Besides SMS aren't exactly something I want to be doing from a laptop, when I'm sending SMS messages I'm usually packed into a crowd at a concert or waiting in line at a restaurant. I'm not whipping out a laptop at times like that.
The touch... the feeeeeel... the fabriccc of my lifeeee.... the touch... the feel... it's cotton.. the fabric of my lifeeeee..... yeee-haa
That was random at the end but (1) She is pretty (2) She sings good (3) I also like cotton
Wait, was I the only one that saw the blond country singer?????
Titeko, I'm really happy for you, but Taylor Swift is one of the best blonde country singers of all time!
Is that Molly Woods voice towards the end? You can kind of hear someone in the background?
The one thing I like about this Nokia Netbook is the battery life of 12 hours.
But to pay $299US and then $60 a month to AT&T is just too expensive.
I would price this Netbook at $450US, because its got the longest lasting battery of
any Netbook.
Or than that its just a Netbook like any other.
Did I just spend like 3 minutes watching the booklet struggle and NOT connect to internet? lmao.
Oh dear. Not the most flattering hands on if I may say so my se;f
I guess, you didn't read the article's update where is says the Booklet in the video was UK version, hence
the problem with US 3g.
So $299 + ($60 x 24 ) = $1739 plus (average tax of 8% + all kind of Cell/local tax) = $2000 for a Netbook. And in addition, ATT will probably block VoIP, cap download speed, bad coverage, and bad customer service.
Hmm, the $1099 Macbook Pro with Wifi does not sound bad at all.
It's not 2000$ for a netbook, it's 599$ for a netbook. It's 2000$ for a netbook and a 2 year contract with AT&T. Nobody's making you pay 2000$, assuming you just want the hardware.
599$ *is* a bit much for a netbook, but considering the battery life, the features (GPS, 3G), the build quality, and lastly, the product placement itself (it's targeted towards "mobile professionals", much like the E72), it's hardly unjustified. It's simply not competing with the other, "normal" netbooks.
how about a video that actually shows something about th device (flash performance etc) instead of 3 minutes of...umm...whatever that was.
Because it's going to be the same as every other netbook for the last two years. The only thing worthwhile about it is the 3G connectivity, so the video showed that. And it crapped out.
One word: GARBAGE
two words:
dirty troll
whats with the fat screen bevel? why does the screen stop so far from the bottom? that's cheap..
I have to say this is the sexiest netbook I have seen as far as looks go.
Now if they only had it on verizon...
- Amir Rosenthal
I am always kind of curious about all the AT&T bashing. I get great coverage, no dropped calls on my Bold and consistent 1.5 Mbps download speeds on my air card.
Do you guys ever test outside of New York? There is a pretty big country outside of Manhattan after all.
I wonder if my sim card from my iPhone would work on a device like this...
This thing is putting out some serious EMI!
WOW! engadget is really fast to blame everything on at&t and complain that a laptop is too expensive unsubsidized. The iphone is 599 for a 32GB plus your data/minutes/text makes no sense.
Nice: 12hr battery without weight/size compromise, internal 3G with the battery to make use of it, Windows 7, HD accelerated graphics and a 1280*720 screen (will be a nice hires video player, and again the battery life makes it practical).
Not nice: it's gma500 rather than Ion, so no flash acceleration anytime soon, which would allow youtube/bbc HD. Worst of all, 1gb max ram?? Urrrgh. Win7 can just about work with that, but with an Atom, a 4200rpm drive and shared graphics memory it's going to struggle.
$600 would be OK, but it seems a little too compromised by the ram limit. If they're going to premium price it, stick a dualcore Atom, Ion and 4gb in there.
My 10-year-old Vaio n505sn is prettier and with XP and a 3g pc-card is probably just as good.
I just see no reason to buy this, wouldn't most people just teather the Nokia phone to a regular notebook/pc/netbook?
It brings nothing new to the table at all, and just includes some software which im sure could be downloaded on any netbook>?
Try to download an external SIM card slot, GPS and a 12hrs battery then.
I hate European keyboards.... That "enter" key makes me sick (let's make the "enter" key more difficult to reach and occupy 2 key spaces)!!! and what about that backslash right by the "Z" key (let's confuse the users by putting TWO backslashes on the keyboard, and move the very useful "SHIFT" key farther from the typist)... Who needs the shift key anyway, when you can put a CAPS LOCK on at all times!!! WTF is up that? Keyboard is just about THE MOST important laptop feature. Nokia FAIL for me. I don't have anything against the keyboard (OK I do), but when you bring it to US, make sure to notice these international differences.
Only the enter key is in the same place as in the US, there is only one backslash and the shift keys are in the same place. What?
So AT&T expects you not to tether your existing 3G connection, and instead to pay nearly two thousand dollars extra over the life of a contract for a janky little netbook with horrible Intel integrated graphics? Because this way you can have an extra GPS (and if you're like most engadget readers, probably your third one)?
Hellooooo, T-Mo $50 all-you-can-eat plan and HP 311.
Please can you explain the difference between US and UK 3G?
If I purchase this netbook in the UK and then move to the US will I not be able to access the US 3G networks and vice versa?
Does this incompatibility also apply to other mobile devices such as Blackberrys and iPhones?
Worse demo evaaaaaaaa!