As I posted yesterday a week ago, I’ve finally gotten a chance to really check out the Nokia Booklet 3G in depth, thanks to the folks on Nokia’s social media team. Below is the unboxing video (recorded by Mrs. Guru), showing the really nice packaging that Nokia used. The only complaint I have against the packaging is that it’s not immediately obvious where the extra stuff is, like the headphones, USB charging cord, cleaning cloth, and other goodies. (They’re somewhat hidden).
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csk8Cr5-XTQ
They say you only get one chance to make a first impression, and Nokia is well aware of this. The Booklet 3G is the most visually impressive netbook I’ve ever seen, with its sleek body and aluminum casing. When you open it up, you immediately see the spacious keyboard and rather large (for a netbook) touchpad, both of which are very comfortable to use.
One thing that really pleased me, too, is the complete lack of bloatware that is preinstalled. The Booklet 3G ships about as close to a vanilla Windows 7 install as I’ve ever seen, with only F-Secure, Ovi Suite, and a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office.
Unfortunately, the Booklet 3G arrived with Windows 7 Starter Edition, which seems to be the standard for netbooks. This trimmed-down version of Windows 7 lacks the pretty Aero effects, locks the background and color scheme down, and apparently also lacks the convenient ‘snipping tool’, for taking quick screen captures. For a $700 netbook, you’d think Nokia could have sprung for Windows 7 Home Premium, at the least.
Without booting it up, the Booklet 3G beats every netbook I’ve owned in terms of look and feel, including the keyboard and touchpad. I’ll delve into the software experience shortly.
Ricky Cadden 