Nokia Corporation (NOK)

[Eric]

Press Comments on Nokia's 3G Booklet Mini-Laptop MID

PC World Commented ...

http://tinyurl.com/lvqw5x

>> ... <snip> .... Nokia could tackle the increasingly popular netbook market by taking advantage of its history as a communications company. Whereas many manufacturers simply take the basic PC experience and make it portable, Nokia could attempt to integrate cell phone and laptop usage habits into one integrated device, thereby enhancing the user experience while on the move.

The integration of Nokia's Ovi services within the Booklet is just one interesting step that the firm has taken in order to differentiate itself from other netbook providers, while also boosting Ovi's profile. The benefits gained from having Ovi built into this new device are plentiful, from cloud storage, synched contacts, mail, media and more. Another smart move by Finnish firm is the Booklet's integrated 3G capabilities, which will allow users to be connected pretty much anywhere, anytime, without a WiFi network.
These various additions on a whole could create a harmonious united link between your cell and netbook, that no other device has been able to offer before. ... snip> ...

... What's interesting is that Nokia choose to announce the new Booklet now, only days before Apple is expected to hold a media event where it may reveal its much discussed rumored tablet. By adding in 3G connectivity it can be assumed that Nokia is racing to seriously compete in the mobile computing market which is about to get all the more interesting, as Apple and Google turn up the heat.... <snip rest> ###

Olga Kharif added in BusinessWeek ...

http://tinyurl.com/n57h7o

>> ... <snip> .... Many netbooks are sold through traditional Nokia customers, carriers, and, thus, represent a natural extension of the company’s business. In Europe, wireless service providers account for more than 25% of all netbooks sold, according to consultant IDC. The carriers typically sell the small, cheap notebooks bundled together with Web connectivity services. Carrier subsidies on netbooks are roughly similar to those for smartphones, which is why, for Nokia, entering this market makes perfect sense. Nokia is entering a market that offers fairly good margins.

That netbooks would offer good margins may seem counterintuitive. After all, traditional PC industry’s margins are razor thin. But consider: In its latest, second quarter, Nokia’s devices and services business’s margins hovered around 4.3%. [Edit: actually they were 12.2%, low by Nokia standsrds but high amongst tier 1 handset manufacturers in Q2] PC maker Hewlett-Packard’s operating margins in personal systems, which encompass PCs and notebooks, reached 4.6% in the quarter ended July 31. So, in actuality, Nokia’s and H-P’s financial metrics are not that different. Meanwhile, netbook margins should be fatter. Here’s one reason: Nokia’s Booklet comes bundled with Nokia’s Ovi services, which will, in the long run, allow Nokia to make additional revenues on mobile e-commerce and extra features. ... <snip rest> ###

ZDNet UK commented ...

http://tinyurl.com/nn59l2

>> ... <snip> .... With so many technologies at its disposal and a long history of making its own rules, Nokia could easily have produced something very different — an ARM processor running one of a variety of Linux options, or an interface mutated from a smartphone. ... <snip> ... None of the above happened. The specification of the Booklet 3G is conservative and ideal for corporate use: solid connectivity, a reasonably sized screen, exceptional battery life, metal casing and Windows make it an attractive proposition. Moreover, it is easy for wireless network operators to bundle and sell, especially on the back of the Windows 7 publicity tiger. In a market where innovation is often an excuse for lack of discipline, this buttoned-down approach is cool and correct. ... <snip> .... If Nokia can produce online services that seamlessly merge the netbook and the corporate network, including getting the carriers to offer properly managed and sensibly costed business options, it will be solving real problems for real people. And that, far more than questions of operating systems and interfaces, is the recipe for capturing, growing and owning a market. ###

Ars Technica comments on the Atom Processor ...

http://tinyurl.com/ljhd3a

>> ... <snip> .... There are no detailed tech specs available for the Booklet yet, and Nokia's official introduction won't come until Nokia World bows in Stuttgart on September 2. But the timing of the announcement and the touted 12 hours of battery life lead us to believe that the Booklet is going to be one of the first Pine Trail netbooks to ship. Pine Trail is Intel's new netbook platform, offering a more tightly integrated version of the popular Atom CPU that puts the memory controller, GPU, and CPU together on the same die. That means just two chips in the Pine Trail platform (instead of three), resulting in lower power draw and manufacturing costs. Pine Trail products aren't supposed to ship until late this year, meaning that Nokia's Booklet may not be available until sometime around the holidays. ... <snip rest> ###

More on Pine Trail here ...



http://tinyurl.com/ryts2h

- Eric -