SubsidizedNetbook
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AT&T adds Samsung Go to netbook lineup, dumbs it down with Windows 7 Starter
AT&T just added a pair of Windows 7 Starter netbooks to its stable, and while we've got nothing against the Samsung Go and the Acer Aspire One, we just can't help but feel preloading 7 Starter makes the already-dubious subsidized netbook value proposition even worse. Let's break it down: both the Go and the Aspire One will set you back $199 upfront (well, after mail-in rebate), and then you're on the hook for two-year data contract, which will cost you either $35 a month for a 200MB cap or $60 a month for a 5GB cap. Now, $35 a month for 200MB of data is basically worthless for a netbook -- that's what, a half-day of watching YouTube? -- so assuming you do what most people do and buy the $60 plan, you're out at least $1,639 over two years for last-gen netbook hardware running a gimped OS that doesn't even let you change the desktop wallpaper. Not exactly a screaming deal. We'd say you're much better off finding a netbook with XP on sale and just getting a regular free-on-contract USB data card, which you'll be able to use on multiple machines -- or, if you absolutely must have Windows 7, holding out for the coming flood of Pine Trail netbooks at CES, which we're hoping will come preloaded with 7 Home Premium.
AT&T's subsidized Acer Aspire One, Dell Mini 10 and Lenovo S10 netbooks launching nationwide
Not sure what AT&T's thinking as it takes its subsidized netbook lineup nationwide, but it just announced the Dell Mini 10, the Lenovo S10, and the 10-inch Acer Aspire One will now be sold online and in stores, priced at $200 each with your choice of two-year contract: a totally pathetic $40/mo 200MB plan or a $60/mo 5GB plan. Yeah, that's some stiff kitty for two years of XP on last year's netbook hardware -- especially since you can score the similar Compaq Mini 110 from Sprint for just 99 cents on sale with the same $60/mo 5GB data commitment. Of course, we're still standing by our suggestion that you just grab a MiFi and share the 3G love with as many machines as you can, but if these numbers somehow seem tempting sales should be starting in the next few days.
Sprint first to offer a 99-cent netbook, but is it worth it?
We knew we'd see cheap / free subsidized netbooks eventually, and here we are: Best Buy and Sprint are offering up a Compaq-branded HP Mini 110c for just 99 cents when you sign a two-year data contract. Yeah, it looks good on paper, especially since AT&T and Verizon will ding you $199 for the same machine, but we just don't think it's worth it: at $60 a month for service, you'll be spending $1,440 for two years of pain with that 1.6GHz Atom, 1GB of RAM and three-cell battery. We'd say you're way better off grabbing a 3G USB stick you can use with multiple machines, or, if you're feeling particularly baller, throwing down for a MiFi and kicking it mobile hotspot style -- it'll cost the same $60 a month from Sprint, but you'll be able to get five machines online at once. But that's just us -- any of you particularly hot for this almost-free netbook?[Via jkOnTheRun]
AT&T announces plans to expand netbook sales nationwide
It wasn't exactly hard to see this one coming, but AT&T has now officially announced that it'll soon be making 3G-equipped netbooks available at AT&T stores throughout the US (and on its website), following what the carrier has deemed to be a "successful" trial run in Atlanta and Philadelphia back in April. While complete details are still a bit light, AT&T will apparently be offering most if not all of the same netbooks that were available during that trial period, including various models from Acer, Dell and Lenovo. Unfortunately, AT&T also isn't getting any more specific than "this summer" in terms of a rollout date, and it's not ready to announce any pricing either, although the netbooks sold for as little as $49 in Atlanta and $99 in Philly (where AT&T wasn't able to rely on its residential DSL to further defer the costs).
Verizon HP Mini 1000 to run $199 on a two-year contract at launch
Yep, it looks like Verizon's subsidized HP Mini 1000 will indeed launch on May 17th -- and if these leaked screenshots are any indication, launch pricing will be set at $199 after a $50 rebate two-year contract and $299 after rebate for a one-year commitment. (The prices are marked "at launch ONLY" so we're guessing they'll go up sometime after.) As for specs, it's nothing special, just a 80GB Atom machine with 1GB of RAM and a WWAN card, so really, we'd much rather take the subsidy on a USB 3G stick and spread the mobile broadband love to all our machines than be stuck with an underpowered netbook, but hey -- it's your call. One more pic after the break.
Verizon's HP Mini 1000 due to launch May 17th?
Sure, the hot buzz right now is centered on Verizon and Apple teaming up to release a unicorn-built iPhone tablet that runs on marshmallows and cuddles, but Boy Genius Report says that Big Red's actually-real partnership with HP is about to bear fruit -- the long-rumored subsidized Mini 1000 is apparently due to launch on May 17th. The specific model will be the Mini 1151NR, and if that leaked product-comparison sheet we saw earlier holds water, we're looking at a pretty standard Atom / XP configuration with a 3G modem built in. Pricing hasn't been locked down, but according to BGR, it'll be just as ridiculous as every other subsidized netbook: $299 after rebate with a mandatory two-year data contract. That's more or less $200 off standard MSRP, a discount we're sure you'll pay back twice over the course of the contract. Seriously, we'd much rather fiddle with a USB stick that we can use on multiple machines than spend around a grand on data fees just for a netbook -- what about you?
Verizon's subsidized HP Mini 1000 leaks out
Hey, look at that -- Verizon employee training materials that prominently feature the HP Mini 1000. That's exactly what we predicted after we heard the two companies were talking about offering subsidized 3G laptops last month, and while we won't congratulate ourselves too much, well, we told you so. Sadly, there's no pricing on these slides, but we'll go out on a limb and say it won't blow minds when it's finally released. Hit the read link to check out the rest.
