How much would you spend on a Netbook? The going rate for an 8.9 inch Acer Aspire One Netbook is about $339. So, on the outset, it looks like the new partnership with AT&T is a great deal. AT&T is offering a subsidized Aspire One for a mere $79.00. All you have to do is maintain a two year data contract.

So, is this a good deal? Well, if you were looking for an Acer Aspire with 3G wireless data access anyways, then yes; it is a good deal. Keep in mind, your data is capped at 5GB, and you will pay out the nose for overages. The 5GB plan will run $60 per month for 24 months - a grand total of $1440. So, that means you are paying a little over $1500 for a 1.6Mhz Netbook with 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. I don't know if it is such a great deal.

Subsidies make sense on a cell phone because you were probably going to buy one anyway. Data on a cell phone, while expensive, is at least unlimited. My iPhone can do almost everything the Acer Notebook can do. I can't imagine needing both. But like I said, if you were shopping for the Aspire with 3G anyways, then go for it. If not, run away.

via Engadget