This is one of the smallest netbooks I’ve had the pleasure to carry. It weighs less than three pounds and is about 12 inches long. It is quite thin and the 10-inch, 1280×720 pixel screen is covered in glossy glass. The keyboard us tucked tight against the screen giving you about four inches of palm space on the wrist-rest/trackpad portion versus the same space for all the keys.

The model we tested had a 120GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, and a Intel Atom Z530 Processor running at 1.6 GHz. I has an SD card slot, SIM slot, and supports WiFi and Bluetooth. It includes an HDMI out port and a 1.3 megapixel camera. It is made of lightweight aluminum and has a definite MacBook feel except for the rounded front and top.

It also includes integrated A-GPS and GPS along with Ovi Maps, Nokia’s mapping software. It runs Windows 7 Starter edition. More on that shortly.

So what is this thing?
If your first question about the Booklet 3G is “Where can I buy it?” you may be slightly surprised. The Booklet is selling at Best Buy for $299.99 with two year Data Connect contract which ensures you’ll have 3G Internet in areas, presumably, where AT&T 3G is supported. It costs $599.99 without contract.

What you’re essentially buying here, then, is one of the first carrier subsidized netbooks. The question, here, then is whether to buy one of AT&Ts other mobile offerings for about $300 (*cough* iPhone *cough*) or a laptop with a keyboard and Windows 7. Call me old fashioned, but my money is still on a 3G phone when it comes to anything with a screen and a Mi-Fi dongle when it comes to portable networking. To lock yourself into one laptop for two years, especially one so underpowered, is, unfortunately, folly.

The Booklet scored 2.2 on the Windows Experience Index which puts it in the same classification as that old Dell in the closet or a potato ricer. It got 774 on GeekBench, a fairly lackadaisical score considering the year old MSI Wind scored 837.

The question, then, is whether this thing is a really big cellphone or a small, underpowered laptop. Given that you can’t make calls on it, I’m aiming for the latter. The buy-in required to own it is also a bit onerous.

Bad News: It’s Laggy
The biggest problem I found was lag. Closing a window takes a few seconds while browsing the web is an exercise in frustration. Because the processor can’t render pages fast enough you find yourself waiting quite a bit. YouTube videos took quite a while to load while other Flash load times were interminable. Netbooks were designed for web use and this is one slow web device.

The trackpad buttons are also a bit hard to press, which adds insult to laggy injury.

Good News: It literally lasts for hours
At first couldn’t test the battery on this thing because I didn’t have enough time to sit around and watch it. This laptop literally keeps going and going. It’s rated for 12 hours and I saw about 10 hours in movie playback. That’s great.

So who is it good for?
I feel that the Booklet is an odd chimera by any standard. It’s a netbook by one of the most famous cellphone makers and it’s subsidized like a cellphone but is not worth its unsubsidized price. In a nutshell, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Perhaps there is a market out there for subsidized netbooks. Perhaps a fleet of these things given out to a sales force in lieu of BlackBerrys might make sense. However, I’d be hard-pressed to find a mobile professional who wants to skimp on processor power to get WWAN capabilities.

I think devices like the Booklet are filling a hole in the market that will soon be overtaken by standalone, wireless WWAN-to-WiFi devices or, dare I say it, WiMax dongles. Until then, devices like this will fill that void although I feel that the end user will be underserved with these devices.

However, Nokia has proven it can make and build a nice netback, all things being equal, for the low end of the market. Is it a dream device? No, but it’s a strong showing and if they can get the unsubsidized price down to the subsidized price I’d be willing to recommend it to the general user.

GamersGate has a virtual currency I might actually want to earn
Excellent idea: flat outlet pulls out to allow extra plug
USB-powered gloves that keep your fingers warm (but why?)
Finally, Roombas enacting a game of Pac-Man
Star Trek Blu-ray release earns a perfect score at Blu-ray.com
Trillions: a short film on the future of computing

Japanese company announces Dragon Ball headphones
Toyjector: Cute mini projector to be released in Japan
Choken Bako: Cute Japanese piggy bank
Video: Strange Japanese hamburger vending machine
The Electrobite makes it fun and exciting to be handicapped

Cold, miserable winters are about the best time to create some heat with a loved one… or yourself. If you’re picturing a bear skin rug and roaring fire, well, things have come a long way. We’re talking about couples toys and technology to keep things spicy, even in the coldest weather.

Warm Up
Everyone knows that sex is all about foreplay. (Guys, we know this, right?) Rather than going zero to 60 in ten minutes, incorporate some fun winter toys to get you and your partner in the mood.

Massage Oil Heater
Channel your inner 70’s porn star with the Pure Gel Bottle Warmer and avoid a “this is going to be cold” Dr.’s office moment. This baby even warms multiple bottles so you can bust out different flavored lubes or massage oils based on your beau’s preferences.

Philips Warm Sensual Massager
If your date didn’t run screaming when he or she saw the heated oil contraption, it’s fair game to whip out the Philips Warm Sensual Massager for him or her. Even if it seems lame, there’s nothing that gets you in the mood more than a massage. Hands down. What makes this vibrating massager different is the fact that it heats up and is specifically designed for couples use. It even comes with some cheesetastic LED candles for “setting the mood.” Hot.

The Main Event
When you’re ready for the main event, trust these toys to keep your session extra hot.

Durex Play Warming Lube
The winter is the perfect time for some heated lube. Durex Play Warming Lube is designed to heat up with your own body temperature and get hotter with contact to heighten sensation. This lube is something that your lady will primarily feel, but don’t worry guys you will feel it too, like warm apple pie. Thankfully, it’s completely edible and the heat intensifies when you blow on it. Some people may complain that it’s too hot, but I say if you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen!

The Hot Rod Heated Vibrator
No matter how realistic your vibrator may be, the one thing that’s always missing is the sensation of body heat that you get from a partner –Sigh- Thank you Hot Rod Heated Vibrator for providing us with a heated vibrator complete with realistic skin sleeve that makes using it comparable to the real thing. You really never need a date again.

Vibrating Heated Nipple Clamps
For the truly daring, give these Vibrating Heated Nipples Clamps a try. Apparently nipple clamps are designed for men or women to stimulate your nipples, leaving your hands free to do other things. Will the vibration and sensation be enough to keep your headlights beaming and warm?! Give it a try and see.

Cool Down & Clean Up
If the pre-show and main event left you feeling dirty, jump in the shower for some post game clean up. Because what’s better than a warm hot shower on a cold winter day…

Suction Cup Shower Handcuffs
These Suction Cup Shower Handcuffs offer couples that dominatrix moment in the tub or shower. The cuffs are made of sturdy neoprene and Velcro with industrial strength suction cups that can easily adhere to a shower door or wall tiles. What flat surface you attach them to out of the shower is none of our business.

Vibrating Sponge
Because obviously a regular loofa isn’t going to suffice this winter, grab a vibrating sponge to surprise your extra dirty lover. This vibrating sponge looks and feels like a normal sponge, but is sooo much more. Waterproof with a bullet vibrator hidden deep within, the sponge even has a hand strap for maximum control. Soap up and get dirty! This device is also a great if your love making session didn’t quite do it and you need to step away for some much needed alone time.

For more about the latest sex toys and technology, check out 69adget.com

Toyjector: Cute mini projector to be released in Japan
Does anyone in tech pay attention to unemployment numbers? Hard to buy that new gizmo when you don’t have a job, right?
Exclusive video of the Litl Webbook
You are not worthy of the 18-button OpenOfficeMouse (and it has an analog stick)
Siren.gif: Microsoft COFEE law enforcement tool leaks all over the Internet~!

Wherein we discuss Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
The Beatles remastered catalogue will be released on an apple-shaped USB drive
The Electrobite makes it fun and exciting to be handicapped
In an age of free and abundant wi-fi, Starbucks takes a stand
My new watch podcast

The perfect room: a bed, TV, and an Xbox 360
New spongy material instantly hardens on exposure to magnetism
Choken Bako: Cute Japanese piggy bank
What, exactly, is the Twitter Peek?
Indie game “Trauma” uses Photosynth (?) as control method

Video: Strange Japanese hamburger vending machine
New system used to protect airplanes from lasers, soon to work against sharks with freakin’ lasers, too
Ties made from old cassette tapes sort of feature audible playback
This 648-megapixel image of the Milky Way will melt your brain
DIY: build a medium format film camera from scratch
The Halloween Costume Contest Vote-Off Begins!

I wanted to make one of these for a long time. The problem was that there were no reasonable tutorials or guides on how to proceed. Additionally I am not a programmer by a long shot so the software was also a problem. This was actually the biggest problem, there was no type of software available at all.

So read that again and think long and hard if you want to trust this man to teach you how to build an autonomous weapon that will shoot at anything that movies. Are you thinking? Don’t lie. The gun will be able to tell. And it will follow you and shoot you.

So this dude has been wanting to make one of these for a long time. He used a computer, a camera, servos, and a gun with laser sight to create something you’d pick up in Half-Life 2 and put down in a spot where those dudes with the radios come out.

It doesn’t actually look like he mounted a gun to his little system, but, as with all fun-time anarchists, it’s easiest to remove the last important step and let the mad man or fool add in the final important part. Luckily, this kit looks a too weak to hold up a Derringer let alone a chain gun.

via BoingBoing

Here are some stories you might have missed this week on CrunchGear.

All about the Motorola Droid
Helmet radar: coming to a supersoldier near you
Spooky Tesla Radio in a jar
$6500 “Labyrinth Aquarium”: awesome, difficult to clean
I’m going to be a 20-foot-long ANIMATRONIC GOMORA for Halloween

It’s time to put on the Swami hat and predict just what we have in store for 2010 and beyond. Considering all of the movement in the gadget world in the past few months, I’m fairly sure most of this going to be accurate. Given the current status of some of these technologies, it’s hard to prognosticate very far out but there are a few things that have become apparent over the past year, especially the rise of Android and our expectations for the iPad.

Without further ado… the envelope please:

Apple TV -> 27-inch iMac -> Wall Mount for 27-inch iMac

It’s sad but true: Apple doesn’t care about Apple TV. All the real brain power is going to the desktop and laptop and probably onto the iPad. They’ve made it clear with the 27-inch iMac that they can make a high-resolution screen and powerful computer inside of a case the thickness of a college textbook. Who needs a TV, let alone an Apple TV?

The obvious conclusion here is that the 27-inch iMac becomes a real Apple TV. The Mac Mini already makes a great multi-media system and a quick update to FrontRow, now considered abandonware, may make it a great 10-foot interface.

iPhone 3GS -> iPhone 3GS++ -> The Return of His Noodly Majesty


I don’t even know what to say about this. All I can say is the iPhone 3GS++ had better be amazing and encourage the second coming of the FSM or else I may go Android.

Touchscreen Laptops/Desktops -> No Touchscreen Apps -> Nothing

Touchscreen devices are a way to show off Windows 7’s multi-touch capabilities but I haven’t had much luck using them or luck finding apps to run on them. Obviously folks like Sony and HP have been making bespoke media and recipe box applications but, as we all know, the world doesn’t run on dreams and rainbows. Tablets have a better chance of taking off than partially stationary devices like desktops and, to an extent, non-convertible laptops.

2D TV content -> Avatar -> 3D TV Content

You may not know it or want to accept it, but 3D TV is coming. After James Cameron’s Avatar in 3D hits the big screen and then the small screen, everything will be coming up 3D.

You’ll have to wear sad, sad glasses but many Blu-Ray disks will soon ship with 3D content on the disk and require you to wear those sad,sad glasses. Add in 3D content for gamers and you’ve got a movement. We’ll have to quietly accept this until we have true holographic systems.

I personally think this will ruin the process of watching movies and playing games with friends and family as everyone without glasses is left out.

iPod Touch -> iPad -> Countless imitators

The iPod Touch and iPhone will obviously evolve into something like a Tablet? But then what? Manufacturers have been trying to sell tablets for years and Apple will show them how its done. Once the iPad drops, expect countless-iPad-alikes until someone hits the low price and high feature sweet spot that Apple tends to ignore.

A few weak Android phones -> Droid -> Lots of Great Android Phones, Death of Symbian and WinMo

While I’m not as high on the Droid as others at CG/TC/MC, I’m actually quite interested in what Droid means for Android. The phone is strikingly well-made, the OS is solid and clean, and the keyboard is usable. This means that Android is ready for prime time and that Symbian and Windows Mobile had better watch out.

Review: Sanyo Xacti CG10 compact HD camcorder
Advertisers get creative at Waterloo Station, create craziness with projectors
Heated slipper looks downright dangerous
Spooky Tesla Radio in a jar
Dear Valve, where is Episode 3?

Robots taking over role of backseat driver
Boardy is a USB stick made out of recycled paper
Behold, the ultimate keg/arcade machine mashup
Egg chairs are back. Now with Surround Sound!
The.best.Iron.Man.costume.ever

Jeezum crow! This guy has made a fully functional (kind of) Proton Pack from Ghostbusters including a trap, ecto goggles, and some coveralls. He added a few lights controlled by an Arduino board.

The best part? He added lasers to the blasters. Now he just needs to remember not to cross the beams and that your halloween party can be a promotional expense so you should invite clients instead of friends.

The instructions are, obviously, at Instructables.

Unboxing: The Verizon Droid by Motorola
$6500 “Labyrinth Aquarium”: awesome, difficult to clean
The Bearable Lightness of Droid: How the iPhone aesthetic has finally hit the majors
Shirt features playable guitar, flames
Digital Contents Expo Tokyo: Giant squid robot Ikabo (video)
MyCE Sees Room For Another Social Network For Consumer Electronics Fans

I’m going to be a 20-foot-long ANIMATRONIC GOMORA for Halloween
Review: Astro Boy
Pet dinosaurs for everyone! Pleo is back!
Japan gets ultra-cute Hello Kitty music player with sparkling Swarovski crystals
Star Trek onesies for young nerdlings

Here’s a look at what happened on CrunchGear this week:

The real life Burger King Windows 7 Whopper is a disgusting joke to humanity
Quick Look: 13.3-inch Acer Timeline
Orchestral movements by LCD light
The $259, dual-screen Barnes & Noble Nook reader gets official
Wait, wait, don’t tell me. NPR has its own radio.

Video of the Honda U3-X auto-unicycle
Windows startup and shutdown sounds through the ages
Never lose your remote control again with this simple, cheap DIY solution
The Windows 7 Burger King Whopper is gross
More information about Moleskines than you require

Look at these early Windows start-up sounds. They look primitive now but imagine being a young man in the late 1980s and your parents have just brought you home a new Packard Bell x86 machine. Back in those days sound cards were premium items and to hear an operating system sing to you when you start it up was a really big deal. The vast majority of computer users during that time would have never heard most of these sounds.

The Windows 7 version isn’t nearly as impressive, as evidence below, but I think we’ve replace sexy sounds with sexy videos in this visual age.

Weird Accessory #8791: Kawaii Bear iPod Charger
German man sells turnkey condom manufacturing factories
LED color lighting kit FINALLY available for your Festivus pole
Review: Stylophone Beatbox
First Annual CrunchGear Halloween Costume Contest! Win an XBox!