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Nokia Booklet 3G Review: Things I Hate

// December 18th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // toys

Yesterday I shared some of the things that I absolutely love about the Nokia Booklet 3G, but it’s not entirely a win. Today I’ve compiled a list of things that really suck about this sleek laptop, and I hope Nokia is listening. Some of these can be fixed with software, while others will require a whole new piece of hardware (possibly the Booklet 4G?)

1. Windows 7 Starter Edition – why a $700 laptop is crippled with this dumbed-down version of Microsoft’s best OS is beyond me. The convenient snipping tool is missing, I can’t change the background, there are no Aero functions available, and it’s just plain annoying. This thing should at *least* come with Windows 7 Home Premium. Note, the official Nokia Booklet 3G page shows Windows 7 Home Premium to be an option, but I can’t figure out how to get that out of the box.

2. 1GB of RAM – It’s actually kind of funny, most of Nokia’s flagship phones are crippled with piss-poor amounts of RAM, and it appears as though the phone people had lunch with the Booklet team, because this thing crawls with only 1GB of RAM. Now, I realize that every other netbook on the planet only comes with 1GB of RAM, but Nokia built the Booklet 3G so that users cannot swap it out for a 2GB stick – it’s soldered in. It was insanely easy for me to install 2GB of RAM in my Asus 1000HE, and only cost an extra $25.

3. Glossy Display – I really really really hate glossy displays on computers. Sure, it might look nicer, but it’s annoying as all get-out to actually use, and, well, I hate it, that’s why it’s mentioned here.

4. Speakers – as Dotsisx pointed out recently, it seems like Nokia’s loudspeakers are getting softer, and the Booklet 3G is no exception. The speakers on this mini-laptop are really bad – low volume and empty sound quality mean you’ll be using that 3.5mm headphone port pretty much full-time.

Honestly, that’s all I could come up with, is four things that I hate. The Nokia Booklet 3G is really a pretty easy netbook to love, provided you don’t expect to be able to get alot done on it. The slow processor and RAM work together to absolutely kill any chance of productivity that the Booklet 3G ever had – you’ll spend most of the extra battery life just waiting for the computer to respond.

Nokia Booklet 3G Review: Things I Love

// December 17th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // toys

Now that I’ve spent some real time with the Nokia Booklet 3G, I wanted to put together a list of things that I really love about this little productivity tool. This list is in no way meant to be comprehensive, but it does stem from my experiences with the Booklet 3G versus the Fujitsu P1610, Dell Mini 9, and Asus 1000HE, the latter of which I still have and love.

1. Single 3.5mm Audio Port – the Booklet 3G reflects Nokia’s experience with phones, as the single 3.5mm audio port handles both microphone and speaker functions. This is simply awesome, as I can use the same headsets that come with my cell phones for VOIP calls, such as Skype. Contrasted to every other laptop I’ve ever used, where I would need separate earphones and microphone, and I’m sold 100%. It’s just plain convenient, and something I’d like to see in every laptop going forward.

2. Keyboard – the keyboard on a netbook is possibly the most important aspect, and one that few people pay attention to until after they’ve bought the thing. My Fujitsu P1610 had a small keyboard, though I was completely able to touch-type on it. The Dell Mini 9 suffered with a teensy keyboard, specifically the ‘extra’ keys flanking the letters, which is a major reason that I got rid of it. My Asus 1000HE has a fantastic keyboard, which I’m completely able to touch-type on for extended periods of time, an important factor for a blogger. The Nokia Booklet 3G has a similar chiclet-style keyboard, and it’s definitely comfortable enough to touch type for extended periods of time. Most of the ‘extra’ keys, such as ctrl, fn, and others are correctly sized and positioned, as well, which makes it even better. Anyone who complains about the keyboard on the Booklet 3G hasn’t used a netbook before.

3. Casing – the casing on the Booklet 3G is simply phenomenal. The whole computer measures 264mm x 185mm x 19.9mm (10.3in x 7.3in x .8in), which is just insanely awesome for portability. There is a rubber gasket around the display, too, which prevents the keys from touching the display while the computer is closed, a nice touch, indeed.

4. Connectivity – this review unit came with an AT&T SIM card already installed, so I’m fully able to use the Booklet 3G’s sleek connectivity options. The computer automatically switches between 3G and WiFi, which is handy, and alerts you when you’re using the 3G, so as to help you control usage (since all 4 major carriers in the U.S. have a 5GB limit on their laptop connection plans). AT&T’s Connection Manager utility is pre-installed and launches on boot, and I usually had a 3G signal in less than 30 seconds, which is more than acceptable to me.

5. Battery Life – Nokia advertises 12 hours of battery life for the Booklet, and honestly, I haven’t gotten there. With full brightness and Bluetooth/Wifi/3G running, I’ve been getting closer to 8-9 hours of real usage. This is a similar experience to my Asus 1000HE, which promised 9.5 hours, while I get closer to 5-6 hours in real use. That might seem lame, but it still makes the Booklet 3G an all-day computing device, and of course turning the brightness down and managing my connectivity more stringently would likely net that 12 hour battery life, if really necessary. I can turn the brightness down as low as it goes and still read the screen, too, so that’s a possibility.

These are just a few of the things that I really like about the Nokia Booklet 3G, but unfortunately, it’s not all peachy-keen. Tomorrow I’ll list out things that I really hate about this thing, and you probably won’t be surprised, either.

Why The Nokia Booklet 3G Has 1GB Of RAM

// December 7th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // toys

Nokia has taken plenty of heat for the 1GB of RAM in its Booklet 3G, the company’s first netbook (or tiny laptop, whatever you want to call it, it’s a netbook). However, as I’ve done before, I think it’s important to understand the real problem behind this 1GB of RAM, as many sites/people do not seem to correctly present the problem.

First off, let’s get one thing clear: all netbooks ship with 1GB of RAM. You simply cannot order one with more than 1GB of RAM pre-installed, even from Dell, who normally lets users custom build their computers. As I understand it, this is a limitation set in place by Intel on its Atom processors, which pretty much all netbooks use. Go ahead, check on Amazon.com. (Apparently, this is set to change soon, but it hasn’t yet). Update: According to this, it’s not something Intel limits, but rather Microsoft for netbooks that have Windows pre-installed.

So then, what’s the problem? The problem is in the hardware design of the Nokia Booklet 3G. Using the solid aluminum casing, Nokia neglected to build in a way for users to easily upgrade the RAM themselves. I also confirmed with Nokia that the Booklet 3G’s RAM isn’t user-accessible, and even if it was, it’s soldered in, so you couldn’t remove it anyways. This, my friends, is the real problem.

Other netbook manufacturers get around the 1GB limit by making it super-easy for users to upgrade the RAM. Take, for example, my Asus 1000HE. On the bottom of this netbook is a small hatch. If you remove the screws, you’ll find you have direct access to the 1000HE’s RAM, which you can easily remove and replace with a 2GB card. In fact, when I ordered mine, Amazon recommended the 2GB stick, which cost an additional $25, and took 2 minutes to install. Here’s a video showing how easy it is:

So, first, it wasn’t Nokia being cheap or stupid when they put only 1GB of RAM in the Booklet 3G – that’s just part of netbooks, for the time being. However, it was completely Nokia’s doing that there isn’t an easy way for the user to replace the current 1GB stick of RAM with a much better 2GB stick, and this is something that future Booklets will hopefully not be affected with.

The Nokia Booklet 3G Is A Fingerprint Magnet

// December 6th, 2009 // No Comments » // annoying, toys

You can see in the photo, this was after less than 24 hours with the Nokia Booklet 3G. Keep in mind, though, that only the top cover is shiny-fingerprinty. The rest of the computer, including the keyboard and wrist-rest inside are all matte finish, and thus do not accumulate fingerprints as quickly. Unfortunately, the top cover is the first part of the laptop you see, and, well, there it is.

When I was at Nokia World 2009 and chatting with one of the guys in charge of the Nokia Booklet 3G project, I asked about the possibility of custom skins, similar to the one that I have for my Asus 1000HE. He was intrigued by the idea, which leads me to believe that, sometime in the future, we’ll see some available for the Nokia Booklet 3G.

I’m curious as to why laptop manufacturers insist on using these high-gloss finishes in the first place, though. Over the weekend, Mrs. Guru’s laptop died and we had to buy her a new one. She finally settled on a new Dell 14″ Inspiron, and alas, there’s that high-gloss top cover again. Is there some inherent benefit in this finish that I’m simply missing?

Why Isn’t The Nokia Booklet 3G Ovi-fied?

// December 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // toys

I just got hold of a Nokia Booklet 3G, straight from my friends at Nokia’s press office. I haven’t spent much time with this little laptop, but I’ve already noticed a major missed opportunity for Nokia’s Ovi services – they’re not here.

When you pull the Nokia Booklet 3G out of the box and boot it up, you’re greeted by the typical Nokia loading animation, and then the normal Windows 7 loading process. I was pleased to see that Nokia’s Ovi Suite was preinstalled on the little machine, and I easily found the Nokia Booklet 3G Software Update tool, which loaded the Nokia Social Hub on the Booklet easily. Sounds good, right?

But what about Ovi Files? Why isn’t that pre-loaded on the Booklet – especially when many other netbooks come with cloud storage options. Ovi Files just went free, and with a few improvements, would be an awesome addition to the Booklet 3G’s overall experience, specifically when used in conjunction with one of Nokia’s phones.

Also, that Nokia Social Hub I talked about earlier? It lets you connect to a few social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr. What’s missing from that list? Ovi Share. Why isn’t Ovi Share included in this application that Nokia developed by themselves?

What about Ovi Contacts? It would take all of nothing to put together a desktop Jabber client (or just brand one of the dozens that already exist) and pre-load it with Ovi settings. While most users might not use it, having it right there on the desktop would increase the possibility that some would.

What about Ovi Maps? There’s no shortcut setup on the desktop, nor is there any obvious way to get there, or an indication that I can use the built-in GPS receiver on this Booklet 3G for maps. Shouldn’t there be something alerting me to this fantastic new feature that’s not currently found in *any* other netbook on the market? (Update: there is a Windows Gadget that shows your current location and offers a quick shortcut to Ovi Maps online, but it wasn’t enabled out of the box).

Also, there’s no Nokia inside – this Booklet 3G arrived with Windows 7 Starter Edition, which doesn’t let you change the background wallpaper. No problem, shouldn’t it be some fancy Ovi image, or the Nokia logo or something, instead of the Windows logo? What about the icons? Where’s the Ovi icons that would further serve to brand this as a Nokia netbook, to set it apart from other netbooks on the market? The user account has a random butterfly as the icon – why not the Ovi logo, or something else to continue the branding?

I’m a big fan of Nokia’s products, and I try to use most of their services, if for no other reason than to try to see if they’ve gotten it together yet. Unfortunately, the Ovi services still feel very much like a patchwork quilt, loosely held together with a few strings here and there. Even Nokia’s latest devices don’t support all of their Ovi services, and devices that do often require the user to know about the various services and install them one by one.

If Nokia is going to make progress with their Ovi services, they’re going to have to put them in front of consumers every chance they get, and that’s something they’re simply not doing right now.