Nokia already prepping next netbook?

Nokia's Booklet 3G is reportedly in such high demand that the company is already working on an update for 2010.

DigiTimes reports that Nokia's manufacturing partner, Compal, is working overtime to meet demand for the premium netbook. Citing a Chinese-language Economic Daily News report, DigiTimes says Nokia is going to ride the wave and release a new Booklet next year.

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It's odd that demand is so high, because the Booklet 3G won't be released until mid-November, though pre-orders are available now in the United States exclusively through Best Buy. If the reports are correct, there have either been a lot of pre-orders, or Best Buy is expecting huge sales.

I'm skeptical of either scenario, as the Booklet 3G is a riskier product than most netbooks. Priced at $599, it's twice as expensive as its average competitor. The difference is supposed to be a premium aluminum construction, a 16-cell battery for 12 hours on a charge, GPS and access to Nokia's Ovi Store for apps.

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However, the Booklet 3G makes some concessions as well, with a 120 GB hard drive instead of the 160 drive found in most netbooks and an Intel Atom Z530 processor, which is a tad less beefy than Intel's Atom N280. Maybe those are the things Nokia will be working on for the next go-around.

The Booklet 3G can be had for $300 if the buyer gets a two-year 3G service plan with AT&T. At $60 a month, that's a big investment in the long term, but Nokia is probably hoping that frequent travelers will show interest. Perhaps they already have.

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