Not to be left out in the cold, Nokia plans on hopping on the Android-powered netbook bandwagon as early as next year, according to Lazard Capital Markets analyst Daniel Amir. Mr. Amir predicts that Nokia will sell the netbook through wireless carriers, which comes as no surprise given Nokia’s business model. Mr. Amir wrote:

“In our conversations with ODMs, we have confirmed that Nokia is planning to enter the netbook market with a Google Android, ARM-based netbook that would be sold at carriers. Considering this market is dominated by the PC players, we believe Nokia could face an uphill battle to succeed in this market.”

At this point in the game, netbooks are generally PC platforms that customers use as a compromise between lugging around a laptop vs. using their smartphone for email and internet browsing. Netbooks, of course, are smaller, less powerful, but highly portable and usually provide long battery life between charges. Although Nokia may be facing an uphill battle, as Mr. Amir points it, the advantages of an Android-powered netbook cannot be overlooked, namely cost (due to using an open OS vs. paying Microsoft licensing fees for Windows) and instant-on access. If a customer just wants a larger screen to browse the internet and send/receive email, the Android netbook is an attractive option.

Source: Gigaom