AT&T declares Cheaper Data Plan for Light Users

AT&T continues the movement of wireless carriers selling subsidized netbooks with the addition of two new Windows 7 netbooks to its lineup. They also are extending a cheaper entry level data package which may appeal to users who don’t need as much data on the go. The new netbooks start at $199 with a 2 year contract and ship with the limited edition of Microsoft Windows 7, known as Starter, which erases some features like desktop personalization, multi-monitor support and Aero affects.

The two newest netbooks to join AT&T’s subsidized stable are the Samsung Go and the Acer Aspire One, both are $199 with a 2 year contract and fitted as follows. The Samsung Go Netbook weighs 2.8 pounds, features and Intel Atom Processor, a 160 GB hard drive, 1GB of memory, high definition audio, a 1.3 megapixel web camera, simple data sharing connectivity tools and an LED backlit display.

The Samsung Go is a rather unique netbook which has a rubberized case and a chiclet style keyboard. This definately different take on a netbook plays into its preference and the midnight blue case stands out from the crowd. The Acer Aspire One weighs 2.2 pounds and is fitted with an Intel Atom processor, a 160 GB hard drive, 1GB of memory, high definition audio support, two built in speakers, three USB 2.0 ports, a video conferencing feature and a integral webcam.

The Acer Aspire One is a very popular netbook and is mostly the subject of sales at retailers, including a bruited $149 price tag at OfficeMax. The Acer Aspire One has long been a netbook extending from AT&T, running $149.99 with a 2 contract, but the new edition will cost $199 likely due in part to Windows 7. In addition to these 2 new netbooks, AT&T has depressed the price of its 200MB a month data plan to$35. This lower price is more reasonable for the low data cap, but still pricey for the casual user. A 5 GB data plan from AT&T still runs$60 and offers much more bandwidth for the price. Even with the new $35 data plan, purchasing a subsidized netbook from AT&T or any other carrier isn’t cheap. The total cost over two years will execute between $1000-$2,000 after you include the cost of the needed data plan. Unless you are on the go a lot and don’t make use of free wifi at hotels and coffeeshops subsidized netbooks don’t make all that much financial sense; especially when you are only saving $100 off of retail prices.

Another thing to consider before buying a netbook is that they are great portable devices but, these specific netbooks, don’t offer great performance when it comes to watching streaming videos like Hulu. Netbooks in general are good for browsing the web, looking at photos and working on office documents, but not much tasks like photo editing or gaming. Before you make a decision to buy a subsidized netbook you should look at the recent retail cost of the netbook from a store other than your wireless carrier.