HP netbook $30 with Verizon contract

[haven]

This offer is scheduled to end Monday, 2/15/10 at midnight

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/promo/splash/ewp?v=7

If you sign up for a 2 year contract with Verizon Wireless, you
can purchase an HP Mini 10 netbook for $30. The netbook has
a built-in 3G modem to connect to Verizon's EVDO network.
The modem also can transmit and receive on a GSM/EDGE
network when you change the SIM card. So this laptop is usable
on data networks in foreign countries, too, when you sign up
for Verizon's GlobalAccess service.

The HP Mini 10 netbook is model number 1046NR. This model has
an Intel Atom 270 processor, not the latest Atom 450. A similar
model is still sold on HP's web site for $270.

 

[chrismc]

Wow, the math on this is scary. The minimum data plan available with this is $40 a month. Over the course of the mandatory two-year contract, this will cost you an additional $960, bring the total cost of this very-low-end netbook to just shy of $1000. You could buy a much nicer netbook for ~$400, plus a Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go month-to-month data card (http://www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband) for $100 and only pay for a data plan when you need it. Tethering a netbook to an existing 3G phone would provide an even more cost-effective option. I wonder how many people fall for this because of the low up-front price?

 

[6Pins]

shhhh, don't educate the consumer. Next thing you know, they'll figure out the iphone costs them nearly $3000, not counting apps and music.:wings:

 

[haven]

Good point about tethering a laptop to a smart phone like a Blackberry. That's the cheapest alternative, providing you're already paying for data service on your phone. AT&T said they'd allow tethering to the iPhone, but I don't think you can do it today without jailbreaking the phone.

If you want your computer to have its own internet service, the cost depends on how you plan to use the netbook. If you only connect occasionally, then the pay-as-you-go plan makes sense. If you're using the netbook online more often, the pay-as-you-go plan is more expensive.

For example, the Verizon plan offers 5GB of downloads for $60. It would cost $300 (6 contracts at $50 for 1GB download) for the same level of service on Virgin Mobile.

Virgin Mobile uses Sprint's network. If you live in an area where Sprint has good service, then you're cool. Verizon has much broader coverage, and their installation inside buildings like hotels and airports is better than Sprint, in my experience.