Nokia, which has made some PC-like devices in its day, is finally making…a PC. The company has announced the Booklet 3G, a device that it’s calling a mini-laptop. I’m calling it a netbook, but a pretty fancy one: It’s got an aluminum case, built-in 3G (with swappable SIM card) and GPS, and HDMI output. Nokia claims twelve hours of battery life–even if you apply the usual discount and assume it’ll be more like eight hours in the real world, it would be impressive. It features Nokia’s Ovi services for synchronization with the company’s phones. It weighs 2.75 pounds and is “slightly more than two centimeters thin,” which would make it a bit under .8″. Oh, and the Booklet runs Windows–and Windows 7 at that.

Judging from the photos, the Booklet’s industrial design gives us a good idea of what an Apple netbook might look like if it was a MacBook Pro, only smaller:

Here’s Nokia’s promotional video:

I’m a sucker for the concept of deluxe netbooks, so I’m glad that the Booklet is joining HP’s Mini 5101 at the high end of the market. Nokia hasn’t announced a price, but if all the stuff it’s talking about comes standard, I wouldn’t be shocked if the system cost in the neighborhood of $800 or even a bit more, assuming it’s not subsidized by a wireless carrier. (Which, for netbooks, is a pretty darn exclusive neighborhood.) It also hasn’t said anything about availability yet–and it’s not a given that this beast will be widely available in the U.S., given the company’s relatively low profile in the states. It says it’ll have more to say about the Booklet at its Nokia World conference on September 2nd.

 
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