Nokia Booklet 3G

Nokia Booklet 3G

The Booklet 3G netbook is rugged and solidly built--but some quirks make it a slightly too-pricey portable. Nokia spokespeople are quick to correct you if you slip and call the Booklet 3G a netbook. Well, let's see: It has a tiny, clamshell, laptop-like design. It has meager specs (1GB of RAM, Intel's Z530 1.6-GHz Atom CPU, and a 4200-rpm 120GB hard drive). It has a 10.1-inch screen. Last time I checked, that was pretty much the definition of a netbook. The Booklet 3G just happens to be a reasonably well-constructed model with a focus on being 3G wireless-ready. But are you willing to shell out $599, sans contract (price as of 11/13/09), for Nokia's maiden effort in the netbook market (or $299 subsidized through an AT&T data plan)? As you can probably tell, I'm not exactly enamored with what lies under the Booklet's hood--certainly not at the asking price. Though the PC World Labs haven't yet completed their rounds of WorldBench 6 tests, I did take the Booklet out for a quick, subjective performance spin. From a cold start, it takes 45 seconds to boot into the Windows 7 Starter Edition desktop. Try opening up more than two applications at a time, and brace for the lag.