AT&T to Sell Nokia Netbook for $299 With Contract
Remember that Nokia netbook the company announced a few weeks ago? Well it's coming to AT&T and it's only going to cost you three hundred bucks when coupled with a "leave your soul at the door" two year contract.
When Nokia announced the price of its Booklet 3G, the company put the before-subsidies price at around €575 (at the time that worked out to about $810). Over $800 for a netbook? Scary, scary, scary. Well today Nokia, AT&T and Microsoft announced the official after-subsidies and thankfully, it's not drive-your-blood-pressure through the roof high.
$299 will bag you the Booklet 3G, which boasts a 10-inch HD-ready screen, 3G (duh), Wi-Fi, a hot-swappable SIM card, integrated A-GPS, HDMI out, a 120 GB hard disk, 1 GB RAM, Windows 7, integrated Ovi Suite (for maps, calendar contacts, media etc), a 16-cell battery that promises a 12 hour battery life, Bluetooth, 3 x USB 2.0, an SD card reader, a 10.1-inch LCD (1,280 x 720) and of course, a 1.3MP camera. The whole thing runs on Intel's near-ubiquitous Z530 Atom processor.
Unfortunately, there is a catch and AT&T didn't cut that price in half without expected anything in return. Sign the dotted line and the company will let you take home the netbook for $299 but you won't weasel your way out a 2 year contract with a $60 per month plan. Ouch!
Those of you who want the netbook really badly but can't stomach the contract can look forward to shelling out $599. Failing that you could always just pay the $299, sign up for the contract, and then cancel it a week later. Sure, you'll have to pay the termination fee but as long as that's less than $300, it'll still work out cheaper than the full price.
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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burnley14 Yikes, the total cost of this thing is over $1700! (Provided you don't follow Jane's thrifty advice and cancel the contract)Reply -
I thought they gave away these netbooks for a 2 years plan!Reply
AT&T isn't thinking about customers, it's thinking about it's own money!
Thanks for letting us know, it's one company I'll avoid in the future!
I'd rather pay a $300 netbook, and an AT&T plan of 1, 2, 3, or 6 months, than being stuck on a 2 years plan...
My mind says they're planning on having several lawsuits ready for those who lose their job in the future, and are not able to pay for it anymore...
And what about the price? $60 per month for near to lowband internet?
WTF is that??? -
jecht Personally, I don't see the sense in this. I can't think of any place that I could get cell service, but not some sort of internet connection, and would need to use a computer there. =/Reply -
raptor550 That is so interesting. I bought my netbook for $300 and didn't have to sign any contract. I love their discount, double the price then give you $300 off. Smooth operators.Reply -
JMcEntegart burnley14(Provided you don't follow Jane's thrifty advice and cancel the contract)Reply
Not just a pretty face! -
swunder Why are people complaining about this? Practically everyone is on a 2 year cell phone contract anyway. This thing does not cost 1700, it costs 300. Its not like you weren't going to spend the 60 bucks a month on a cell phone anyway.Reply
Stop giving us discounts cell phone companies!! ahhh!! -
@swunderReply
I am not on contract. And haven't been for years. I don't like contracts (afraid of commitment). I'd rather pay the money up front with the assurance that I'm not stuck in some "relationship" I can't get out of.
OTOH if you can sign up an cancel within 30 days with no penalty, then I'd consider getting one with the contract.