Netbooks are being sold like cell phones
If you walked into the right RadioShack store in San Jose this weekend, you could get an Acer Aspire “netbook” computer for free. The catch: You would have to sign a two-year contract for mobile Internet service from AT&T, at $60 a month plus an activation fee. That particular deal was set to end last week. But wireless phone companies are betting that plenty of people will be willing to pay $200 to $300, and commit to spending $1,000 or more over the next two years, for a downsized, lightweight netbook that they can use to surf the Web wherever they go. Whether that’s a good deal depends on what kind of computer you want, and how you want to use it.
Both Verizon and AT&T have begun selling netbooks the same way they sell mobile phones offering a steeply discounted price for the device when bundled with a one- or two-year wireless agreement. Customers pay a monthly wireless charge based on how many megabytes of data they send or receive on their netbooks, much as they pay for minutes of talking on a phone. It’s a strategy that builds on the primary reason why netbook sales have surged since the first models came on the market last year: Consumers see them as a cheap and convenient alternative to full-size laptops, especially when it comes to accessing the Internet or checking e-mail on the go.
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