Nokia has announced its first netbook computer — the Nokia Booklet 3G — to satisfy demand by operators for a lightweight, mobile computing platform that can complement smartphone handsets. 
Rumors surfaced about the company’s plans to launch a netbook last month as Finnish trademarks for the Booklet reference were made public.
While full specifications, availability and pricing will not be unveiled until next week, the first Booklet announcement emphasizes a few features that differentiate it from run-of-the-mill netbooks: full work-day battery life without recharging, a 2-centimeter slim profile, integrated A-GPS navigation, and an embedded 3G/HSPA modem.
“Nokia is leaving its handset comfort zone and entering the netbook fray. The market is hectic but there are no unassailable vendors,” says ABI Research senior analyst Jeff Orr. “With no fewer than 25 device competitors and mobile network operators experimenting with netbook subsidies, now is the ideal window of opportunity for Nokia to test the waters.”
