(Credit:
Nokia)
For this week's installment of the weekly Crave giveaway, we're offering up Nokia's new stylish Netbook, the Booklet 3G, which has just hit stores (thanks, Nokia for providing the unit for Crave readers).
CNET's Dan Ackerman reviewed the Booklet recently, and while he wished it was equipped with the faster version of the Atom processor, he said it was one of the most upscale-looking and well-built Netbooks we've tested and the battery life is great.
He also noted how the AT&T mobile broadband service connects automatically, and the process was "wonderfully transparent, especially compared with the software setup and manual log-ins required by other mobile broadband laptops." (Read the full review here.)
Normally, Nokia's Booklet would cost you about $599 (with a service plan from AT&T, it would cost $299), but you have the chance to get it gratis.
So, how do you try to win this Nokia Booklet 3G? (Note: no wireless service is included.) Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.
- Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again.
- Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
- Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
- The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Nokia Booklet 3G Netbook (without wireless service). Approximate retail value is $599.99.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries can be submitted until Monday, November 23, at noon EST.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 12 PM ET on November 23, 2009. See official rules for details.
Good luck.
On Sale Now: $599.99
View the latest prices for Nokia Booklet 3G (black)
Mobile phone maker Nokia is jumping into the Netbook pool with its recently announced Booklet 3G laptop (as seen in the video). We've just gotten our hands on the final version of the system, and here are our initial impressions.
The Booklet 3G is easily one of the most upscale-looking Netbooks we've seen. It feels solid and well-built in your hands, without being too heavy. The screen hinge in particular feels pleasingly tight, while the slightly too thick keyboard tray has zero flex even when pressing down firmly on the keyboard.
Unlike the gently tapered sides of many other Netbooks, designed to create the illusion of slimness, the Booklet has sharp, angled edges. True to the name, there is a booklike squareness to it. The inside is devoid of quick launch or shortcut keys, and even the power button is relegated to the right side edge, next to a tiny hatch covering SD and SIM card slots.
Unfortunately, the keyboard itself is cramped, with tiny keys that are hard to hit accurately. Considering the strides other Netbooks have made with creating very usable keyboards, it was a letdown. The touch pad is large and easy to use, even though we had to crank up the pointer speed in the Windows 7 options.
The 10.1-inch display has the higher 1,366x768-pixel resolution found on many high-end Netbooks, and a single sheet of glass covers the screen and much of the screen bezel, but there's still a separate outer lip, so it's not quite what we call edge-to-edge.
The AT&T mobile broadband service connected automatically, and the process was wonderfully transparent, especially compared with the software setup and manual log-ins required by other mobile broadband laptops. The option to manually join a local Wi-Fi network is also available. Our review unit lacked the final versions of the Nokia and Ovi networking and connectivity software, but we did fine with Windows 7's built-in versions.
Despite an excellent design and well-integrated mobile broadband, the Booklet 3G hits a rough patch as as an actual Netbook. Using the slower Z530 version of Intel's Atom CPU (instead of the more common N270 or N280 versions) means that performance was generally sluggish, especially with only 1GB of RAM.
Opening windows and navigating around the Windows 7 environment led to some stuttering and slowdown. Even something as simple as running multiple Web browser windows and a Microsoft Office doc at the same time slowed the system in our anecdotal hands-on testing.
With a two-year AT&T contract, the Booklet3G costs $299, and its excellent design and build quality puts it miles ahead of other $299 Netbooks. But keep in mind that you're then tied to a monthly fee--usually around $60--for data. The Booklet is also available sans contract for $599, but that's both largely pointless and way overpriced.
We will conduct our usual battery of benchmark tests and report back with a full review next week.
On Sale Now: $599.99
View the latest prices for Nokia Booklet 3G (black)
We've been waiting a long time for the Google Android Motorola Sholes to clear the Federal Communications Commission, so you can imagine our disappointment when we saw just the GSM version of the handset get certification this week. It's the CDMA model for Verizon that we want, so we'll just have to hold out a little longer. The FCC also gave the nod to Acer's first crop of smartphones and the Nokia Booklet 3G. We know that the latter isn't a smartphone, but we threw it in anyway.
Because the FCC has to certify every phone sold in the United States, not to mention test its SAR rating, the agency's online database offers a lot of sneak peeks to those who dig. And to save you the trouble, Crave has combed through the database for you. Here are a selection of filings from the past week on new and upcoming cell phones. Click through to read the full report.
Acer E100
Acer E101
HTC PB81100
LG G420G
LG GM750h
LG GW620
Motorola Sholes
Nokia Booklet 3G
NTT DoCoMo P-01B
RIM BlackBerry RCP51UW
Samsung GT-M8910U
Samsung GT-S5233T
Samsung GT-S5560
Samsung SCH-i920
Samsung SGH-A886
Sharp 941SH
Sharp SH-01B
Sharp SH-02B
We've been hearing about the Nokia Booklet for the past couple of months now (August, September). But the Scandinavian manufacturer that's known for its cell phones has finally filled in the blanks and given us the U.S. details on what the Booklet 3G is all about.
While we had previously heard that Nokia's Windows 7 Netbook would cost as much as $600, it turns out that subsidizing will help out significantly. The Windows 7 Netbook is set to arrive on October 22 for $299 with a two-year AT&T wireless contract, which will run $60 a month. Also, the Booklet 3G will be available exclusively at Best Buy through the holidays. The Booklet 3G's unsubsidized price will indeed be $599, which is crazy high.
So...you walk into Best Buy and see a Nokia Booklet 3G for $299 and a 32GB iPhone 3GS for $299, both with two-year service agreements. Which would you buy?
Specs and more details after the break. ... Read more
STUTTGART, Germany--It looks like a notebook, and its unibody aluminum chassis is surprisingly sleek in a MacBook kind of way. But Nokia's Booklet 3G, announced last week, also is something of a hybrid.
Its guts are standard Netbook with a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor, 10.1-inch 1,280x720 screen, 1GB RAM, and 120GB HDD. Beyond that, Nokia maxes out with a glut of features that include a Webcam, HDMI-out, three USB ports, SD card slot, 3G, Wi-Fi, GPRS/EDGE ready, Bluetooth, A-GPS support, and yes, even Windows 7. Let's hope performance and battery life aren't overly taxed, despite the claimed 12-hour uptime.
With all the frills onboard, the Booklet 3G is definitely not cheap, at 575 euros (about $817). Though with operator subsidies tied to a mobile plan and the Ovi Store integrated, the Booklet 3G may turn out to be quite competitive after all. We'll have to wait and see when this launches in the fourth quarter. In the meantime, watch the video we took at Nokia World for a close-up of the device.
(Source: Crave Asia)
The Nokia Booklet 3G is a full-fledged Windows Netbook.
(Credit: Nokia)Not a week goes by without another electronics giant deciding to hop on the overcrowded Netbook bandwagon. Still, it's unusual when a phone manufacturer decides to cross over. Nokia, long rumored to be getting into 3G mini-laptops or "smartbooks," has finally announced a very real 10-inch Netbook.
Called the Booklet 3G, it has a clear design relationship with its phone line, while still being an honest-to-goodness laptop (as opposed to some sort of smartphone hybrid). Running an Atom Z530 processor instead of the more common N270, it also has:
- An HDMI port
- Wi-Fi
- 3G (obviously)
- An SD card reader
- A-GPS and maps integration
- A Webcam
- Bluetooth
- And, according to Nokia, a 12-hour battery life
The Booklet 3G also runs Windows--as to whether it's Windows 7, Nokia isn't announcing yet, but that's a pretty safe assumption with Microsoft's OS just around the bend.
The other unique feature worth discussing is the Booklet's integration with Nokia's Ovi tools, including the company's maps, music store, and cloud-based Ovi Suite. Nokia isn't revealing yet how much software it'll be adding to the Windows cocktail, but it would be a great idea to add as much of their mobility-assisting software as possible.
No price or launch date has been announced yet. Nokia plans to reveal a lot more on September 2.
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