Sounds way too good to be true! I thought a $99 netbook might push the demand up, but a 99-cent netbook really sounds crazy. This week, Sprint is subsidizing Compaq’s 1040DX netbook by offering it for just $0.99 when you sign up for 2 years with them. You could also get the same netbook for $199.99 with 2-year activation with Verizon or AT&T, or without a contract for $389.99.
Customers can get the offer in a local Best Buy store.
Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX netbook
The Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX netbook offers embedded mobile broadband capability, giving you the freedom to connect to high-speed Internet without hotspots.
Product Specifications
It offers:
- 1.60 GHz Intel atom processor N270
- 10.1? Diagonal SD LED anti-glare widescreen display
- 1024 X 576 resolution
- 3-Cell Lithium-ion battery
- 30W AC adapter
- 1GB of RAM
- 160GB hard drive
Click here for more details on the hardware and software specifications.
Click here to find a Best Buy store near you.
Limitations
- Requires monthly access charge at $ 60. Activation and termination fees will apply.
- The month plan only gives you 5GB of usage a month. If usage limit is exceeded, you will be charged a usage fee. (Please check with Carrier for more details.)
If you look at it, by subsidizing the hardware price, Sprint is gaining a two-year service agreement from the customer. The 99-cent offer comes at $60 per month, which means 3G service costs the consumer $720 per year or $1,440 for the life of the contract, and Sprint, over two years, gains approximately thousand dollars from one customer alone. Neat!
Let’s hope we get to see more carriers and more netbook options in the future as well.
Share your comments on what you think.
(Source & Image credits: bestbuy)
2 Comments
Subscription is tooo costly.
This is how all american companies make money. There is no competition like India. People do not get any option but to pay them more and more and prices do not fall with time… they keep on rising with time… this is a drowning economy….