According to the article on laptopmag.com (here), AT&T is offering an Asus Netbook for $99 with a 2-year data plan (~$60). I am sure you have already done the math and said - wow what a great deal!! Thanks AT&T!! But if you dig deeper, I believe the underlying positive is that the adoption rate for Netbooks is accelerating. Sure, there are some issues to be addressed (primarily battery life and video performance) but the pricing, functionality and accessability is a getting the attention of more than just the enthusiast.
But before I veer to far off topic, what are your thoughts on the data plan disconnect? You have this great portable tool and granted there are hotspots available but sometimes you're just not in range. What to do? When will the may ballyhooed Wi-Max step up? Or when will the mobile carriers offer affordable data plans (the agrument can be made that $60/month isn't TOO bad if you are able to access it almost anywhere - which is true - IF - you don't need voice service (with email) Otherwise - tack on an additional $70+ for voice and data on your phone) That all adds up to a $120-$130+ monthly and that is tough to stomach for anyone - especially if you were frugal enough to save on the hardware to begin with...
Currently, I have been a couple of rounds with Sprint trying to figure out how I can leverage a phone data plan on my Netbook but the answer is - the PAM (Phone As Modem) or tethered solution is not available for most voice/data plans. In order to get the connectivity on your Netbook... it is - BRACE YOURSELF - $60/month - WOW! shocking I know (ever heard of price fixing or collusion???)
What are your thoughts, experiences and most importantly SOLUTIONS?
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