HELSINKI -- Months after watching Apple steal its thunder in the 3G market, Nokia is readying to return the favor.

Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said the world's largest cellphone maker plans to enter the laptop market to capitalize on trends toward cellphone and PC convergence.

According to a report last week by Citigroup, Nokia's first computer will launch in the first half of 2010. The PC, either a netbook or a PC tablet, will probably feature an Intel Atom microprocessor and Linux operating system, Citigroup said. The analyst believes Nokia will outsource production to Compal Electronics or Hon Hai (Foxconn).

Netbooks -- low-cost, stripped-down PCs with minimal software and processing power -- are the fastest-growing segment of the PC market, according to several research firms.

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