Nokia, the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones, plans to start selling its first netbook in the third quarter of 2009. Nokia will not build the netbooks itself, but will order them from Taiwanese contract makers.

According to Commercial Times news-paper, which was quoted by Bloomberg news-agency, in Q3 2009 Nokia will unveil Intel Atom-based netbook as well as Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered smartbook. Quanta will produce the netbook, whereas Compal will manufacture the smartbook for Nokia.

In February '09 Nokia said that it was actively looking forward making mobile computers. This week the company formed strategic alliance with Intel, the world's top maker of microprocessors, in a bid to start making various mobile Internet devices.

PC business is not completely new to Nokia. Back in the eighties, Nokia produced personal computers named MikroMikko, but then sold its computer business to International Computers Limited (ICL) in 1991. ICL eventually became a part of Fujitsu Siemens Computers. Nokia also used to produce PC monitors in the nineties, but also sold the business to ViewSonic in 2000.

Tags: Nokia, Intel, Qualcomm, Snapdragon, Quanta, Compal