Guys, this is not a smartphone - Nokia smartphones will run S60 and Maemo 5 starting with the N900. The N900 will be the first of many Maemo 5 devices which represents a massive investment from Nokia and also happens to be awesomely cool

Nokia's netbook launch comes from a belief that they can make money from this business with the added benefit that they can increase the penetration of their mobile phone services (Ovi Maps, Mail, Files, Music Store, Apps, Sync, etc.)

To quote Nokia: "we are in the business of connecting people"

OK, but if you were Nokia how would you maximise your chances of success in the already crowded and competitive netbook market?

The key is product differentiation, which at first sounds pretty tricky - I mean it's just another intel atom / windows netbook right?

Well here's what they've come up with:

1. Connecting People - Best in class built in 3G/HSPA radios + A-GPS, with hot-swappable SIM card, advanced power management and full software support.

2. Battery life - Best in class battery life - up to 12 hours. Nokia knows a thing or 2 about battery technology and power management.

3. Design & Feature Set - Nokia "industrial design", solid aluminium construction, HD glass screen, HDMI out. Increased "desirability" helps to increase margins.

4. Distribution - Mobile operators are inclreasingly selling subsidised netbooks together with data plans. In Europe 25% of all netbooks are bought from operators. Nokia already has these distribution relationships and the channels are wide open.

The OS has to be Windows in order to compete. Windows has over 80% of the netbook market and rising. The choice of Windows 7 "Netbook Edition" will add some gloss to the launch period as other products still run XP or Vista badly.

I think that they have a real chance of carving out a solid and profitable niche based on their product differentiation and competitive strengths.