Nokia Eying the Netbook Market

Nokia is a name most associate with the mobile phone market, as the company is specialized in developing mobile communication devices aimed at a wide range of users. With an impressive line of low-end, mainstream and high-end handsets, the company is currently the leader in its respective field. However, it looks like things could change in a not-so-distant future, as the manufacturer is reportedly looking more interested in the changes that take place in the netbook market. A recent news-report cites Nokia's CEO saying that the Finish phone maker is exploring its opportunities in the increasingly popular segment.

 

There have been reports on a possible Nokia netbook since early this year, but so far there haven't been any specific details as to what kind of devices the company is planning to launch and compete with in the netbook market. Just recently, in an article on Economic Times, Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo confirmed previous reports that the company was monitoring the activity in the netbook space.

 

“We are looking at the netbook market to see what kind of opportunity is there,” said Nokia Corp's global CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. “[...]The PC and the mobile will continue to come closer and merge. A lot of opportunity can be seen in this converged area.”

 

Although similar reports have surfaced before, there aren't any specific details on a possible Nokia netbook. However, the Finish company has a few opportunities at its disposal, as it can get to choose whether it will go for a device powered by an ARM processor, already available in its line of mobile phones, or switch to an x86 architecture, with processors from Intel, with which Nokia is already collaborating.

 

Most netbooks on the market are built on an x86 platform and run on Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. These are aimed at users looking for portability, a full Internet experience and support for basic applications.