T-Mobile to offer Eee PC with 3G wireless plan

While Intel likes to call the current crop of tiny laptops “netbooks,” to indicate that they’re ideal for use as portable internet terminals, for the most part you need to find a WiFi hotspot or Ethernet cable if you want to actually, you know, connect to the net. But we’re starting to see wireless carriers offer netbooks with 3G modems and data plans. The latest entrant? T-Mobile. At the IFA show in Berlin, the company issued a release saying that it would begin bundling a 3G modem with the Asus Eee PC 901.

There aren’t a ton of details available at the moment. So we don’t know how much the computer or data plan will cost. But while I doubt T-Mobile plans to offer an Eee PC 901 for free with a wireless plan (unless it’s a really expensiv plan), the company could decide to subsidize the price of the laptop and offer customers a deep discount. Or maybe T-Mobile will just offer 3G access for a monthly fee and leave it at that.

[via jkkmobile]


Posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008, 5:37 pm by Brad Linder
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  • DougC3
    Has anybody seen any mention of netbooks with data plans from providers in the USA?

    So for, about all I've seen for netbooks (which you already own) is ExpressCard modems (~ $150 with data plan) and USB dongles (free with rebate and ~$60/month data plan). I suspect that Dell and Lenovo may eventually offer internal 3G (mini-PCIe card) modems with data plans at time of netbook purchase, but it would be nice to be able to buy your mini-PCIe modem separately and choose or change netbooks or providers at will.
  • In Luxemburg Providers are already offering for quite a while data plans with the Eee PC 701. Netbook + 3G USB Key + 5 GB / moth = 25 Euro per month for a 2 year subscription : http://www.luxgsm.lu/index.php?p=1.7.5
  • DougC3
    It would be interesting to know which other countries have providers who have already offered or announced future plans that include a free or subsidized netbook. The providers in the US usually seem slow to catch up on new technology.
  • Bruce
    You can get an Elonex netbook free on a £25/month plan here in the UK.
  • My parents wanted a cell phone.
    If they took one of the 'pay as you go' plan, they'd pay the regular price, 200$, for the phone.
    If they took a one year contract, the phone was 99$ and if they took 3 years, the phone was free.

    We see the netbooks being treated the same way in Lux. UK, and elsewhere
    but I fear the north american market is not mature nor as threathened by outside competitors. You have so many neighbours and various economies. We live on an island with just our cheap labour to the north and south.

    Linux keeps their costs down and even allows the possibility of customization
  • We helped deliver the Elonex webbook. Offered through CarphoneWarehose in the UK and (hopefully) other EU countries shortly. See here for more details:

    http://www.theopensourcerer.com/2008/08/08/ubun...
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