AT&T sells netbooks with service
Acer netbook
If you sign up for an AT&T high speed Internet plan in the near future, you can get a $50 computer with the deal. The company is offering the $50 netbooks with its $60-per-month plan. You could also get a $99 computer if you sign up for the $40-per-month plan.
So, AT&T is selling computers at the same price it sells cell phones.
Differences in service
The $50 computer comes with a wireless plan that lets you use wireless Internet at home and on the road. The $40 plan restricts data downloads to only 200 MB per month. Both plans require a two-year commitment in order to get the laptop.
Netbook economics
Small, inexpensive, no-frills computers have become wildly popular. Even without an AT&T plan, you can pick up a netbook for less than $350. You could pick one up with a small payday loan.
Sure, the little netbooks have limited space and processing ability, but they make technology available to people who could not have afforded it before.
Popularity? No contest
Netbooks have been selling like hotcakes for months. Amazon.com reports that 9 out of 10 computers sold through its site now are netbooks for $400 or less. The main function of any netbook is to connect to the Internet. Nowadays, it seems like that’s all you need.
Triple threat
Yes, it seems netbooks cater to the current concerns among Americans. Netbooks are web-centric, ultra-portable and inexpensive. No, they’re not for people whose computer needs require tons of storage space and lightning-quick processing. But for people who just want to check e-mail, pay bills and maybe check out LOL Cats every once in a while, they’re ideal. Some of them are even so small they will fit in a purse.
Test run
AT&T currently is trying out the offer at 16 U.S. retail stores. The idea is that it will work much like signing up for a cell phone plan. Sign a two-year contract for the service and get the hardware to go with it for $50 — or more if you want a fancier one. This could quickly become a common practice, as other providers, such as Verizon, already have plans to make similar offers.
If it weren’t for the mandatory $60 a month contract, I’d sign up. (That and I already have a laptop.) Netbooks are great for students, especially if they’re going to spend a lot of time on campus, since you can put Word on there, and use a thumb drive to store documents.