Nokia Booklet 3G hands-on (with video!)

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.

Nokia Booklet 3G hands-on

[bjs Posted Oct 13th 2009 2:55PM]

My 10-year-old Vaio n505sn is prettier and with XP and a 3g pc-card is probably just as good.

[Hydra Posted Oct 13th 2009 3:52PM]

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>?

[Verythrax Posted Oct 13th 2009 4:33PM]

Try to download an external SIM card slot, GPS and a 12hrs battery then.

[pretol Posted Oct 13th 2009 5:08PM]

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.

[simbr Posted Oct 13th 2009 7:31PM]

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?

[mullingitover Posted Oct 13th 2009 5:29PM]

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.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 14th 2009 3:07AM]

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?

[Rjbuddyboi Posted Oct 14th 2009 1:17PM]

Worse demo evaaaaaaaa!