Nokia plans Android netbook for 2010

June 26, 2009 | Paul Boutin | Comments | |

eee“We have confirmed that Nokia is planning to enter the netbook market,” wrote Lazard Capital Markets analyst Daniel Amir in a research note published Friday morning.

Amir says Nokia’s laptop will be “a Google Android, ARM-based notebook that would be sold at carriers.” That means it’ll be about the same size and shape as the Asus netbook shown above. Nokia’s netbook will be sold as a trade-up for customers who find their smartphone keyboard and screen too small but who want the it-just-works wireless access of a smartphone. If the iPhone is a Mac nano for your pocket, Nokia’s notebook will be sort of an N97 XL.

The trick seems to be that Nokia will get wireless carriers to sell the netbook at phone stores as a turnkey Internet access device that allows buyers to live online wherever they go. It’ll be like buying a Verizon PC cellular card with the PC already attached. Buyers, instead of having to research what parts and plans work with whatever computer they have, will be able to buy an all-in-one solution with confidence.

A recent survey found that 60 percent of netbook users never take the thing out of the house, but don’t make too much of that stat. How many people drive their SUV off the road? For consumers, some functionality needs to be there, even if they never use it.

[Photo from Newegg]

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About the Author, Paul Boutin

Paul (paul@venturebeat.com) covers Apple & the iPhone, social networks & social media, digital music & video, and any crazy Internet story. Paul wrote and edited for Valleywag from 2006-2008, after several years with Wired magazine and Slate. He writes regularly for The New York Times' technology section and sometimes for Wired and The Wall Street Journal. He studied computer science at MIT in the early 1980s, and worked as a software developer and network administrator for 15 years before becoming a professional writer. Follow him on Twitter at @paulboutin, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

  • good points. That sounds awesome!
  • HereAndNow
    It would be cool, to see Nokia get into Android. Android is open source, so they could create whatever "Nokia" user experience they want on it (as HTC has done with the HTC Hero & Lenovo plans with the oPhone). Nokia could even replace Google's services with Ovi services.

    Android would allow Nokia to focus on great devices, apps & services (real revenue), while the OHA members & Android community share the development & support costs of the base platform.
  • Android on netbooks is exciting. Ubuntu has stated that Android apps will at some point work on Ubuntu.