Nokia 3G Booklet – Worth £650?

While Nokia’s latest creation shares the Intel Atom Z530 processor with most other netbooks, the important difference between this and those is the price. The Booklet is considerably more expensive than most other computers of its size (RRP £650), but are there any good reasons to pay so much?

Well, the construction is pretty good: it’s made from a heavy, sturdy metal, making it more like the Apple Macbook range than a plasticky netbook. Likewise, the screen is high-quality, bright and clear. It also has a long battery life – obviously it’ll vary depending on whether you’re watching videos on it or just doing some typing though. Nonetheless, according to some sources I’ve read, in nonstop 3G browsing and app-running with the screen at 80% brightness, the Booklet’s svelte 16-cell battery can run for a little under 7 hours and 30 minutes.

And there are some clever extras. In addition to the webcam built into the top of the screen, there’s a 3G modem built-in so you can plug in your Sim card and connect directly to the internet. Plus, it includes a GPS sensor, making it useful for satellite navigation (a holder is available to attach it to a car dashboard too).

Strangely, however, the Booklet cannot connect directly to wired networks because there is no socket. So I suppose Nokia assume you will buy a separate adapter, which isn’t helpful after you’ve paid twice the price of a standard netbook for it. Similarly, there is no CD or DVD drive – most notebooks come with an external drive included in the box, but not with this one.

Overall, this notebook is very impressive (great battery life and extra features) but, even for a nice netbook, the Booklet’s price is a bit too high for what you’re really getting: a classy-looking version of the same machine you could buy from Acer, Asus, HP, etc, for half the price.

Stay tuned to DigiLounge for the latest on the Nokia 3G Booklet!

Comments

[Jay]

Nice sleek designs, but I think I will stick to my Mac.