Not a really big surprise, Sprint is getting into the subsidized Netbook market. As wireless providers have done with (and continue to do) smartphones, they are waving reduced (now nearly free) hardware with a 2 year contract for data services. There obviously is a cost associated with the device but taking the total cost of the data plan and saying that's what you are paying is not a true TCO since you are getting a service that would cost you basically that amount for data to your smartphone or a 3G modem for your own laptop. I think we will continue to see this trend (and even free netbooks) by all the providers as the adoption rates continue to rise, the variety of options expand and data becomes the network of choice for the masses.
YOUR THOUGHTS???
It’s a race to the bottom.
Best Buy and Sprint have teamed up to offer a Compaq-branded HP Mini 110c netbook for only 99 cents when you sign a two-year data contract.
Normally, the system would run you $389 at Best Buy, no contract, and buying a similar model with Verizon (or a comparable one from AT&T) would still set you back $199. (Or, for free, if you sign up for Verizon’s Fios.)
But as you might have guessed, Sprint and Best Buy make their money not from the hardware, but the contract, which at $60 per month would cost you $720 per year, or $1,440 over the life of the contract.
The Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX offers a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of memory and a tiny three-cell battery. It weighs about 2.6 lbs. and is 1.3 in. thick, and it has a built-in camera and microphone, 92 percent-size keyboard, 3 USB ports, a 5-in-1 card reader and Intel GMA 950 graphics.
(Or, you know, you could save yourself the trouble and buy yourself a proper laptop.)
Does this Mini netbook have enough of a miniature price tag to get you to commit?
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