Nokia wants to make one thing clear: it’s serious about the PC industry.
When the Finnish mobile technology giant announced its first netbook, the “Booklet 3G” in late August, skeptics assumed the device was an experiment and would have limited distribution. On Tuesday, Nokia ( NOK – news – people ) sought to prove them wrong by announcing the U.S. retailer (Best Buy ( BBY – news – people )) and carrier (AT&T ( T – news – people )) for the netbook, which will be in Best Buy stores by mid-November. Nokia also said it plans to develop similar devices in the future.
“Our typical approach when we introduce products is to build a portfolio of them,” Mark Louison, Nokia’s president of North America, told Forbes at the company’s New York press conference. “This is a space we absolutely believe in.”
Nokia’s confidence is striking given the crowded netbook market in which traditional PC makers such as Acer, Dell ( DELL – news – people ) and AsusTek dominate. Louison contends that Nokia brings a “fresh perspective” to the industry. Like a smart phone, the Booklet has built-in 3G mobile broadband and global positioning system (GPS) and a long battery life (up to 12 hours). Nokia is also baking some mobile software and services, like its Ovi Maps, into the Booklet.
Read more: http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/13/netbook-best-buy-technology-wireless-nokia.html