The catch? Customers must also subscribe to a minimum $60-per-month 3G high-speed wireless data service plan from AT&T Wireless for two years, according to a Radio Shack press release that confirmed information appearing in newspaper ads from last Sunday.

Offering cell phone handsets to consumers to induce them to sign up for multiyear service plans has long been a common practice in the wireless business. Radio Shack's deal with AT&T and Acer Inc. appears to be a first for netbooks in the U.S.

Outside the U.S., netbooks from Acer and Asustek Computer Inc. have already been bundled with 3G service.

For instance, in Germany, T-Mobile is offering the same Acer Aspire One notebook for just €1 ($1.33 U.S.) to customers who sign up for a similar 3G wireless service plan.

Based entirely on sales of the Aspire One, Acer overtook Asus for the first time in the fast-growing netbook market last quarter, claiming 38.3% share vs. Asus' 30.3%.

Similar to the iPhone 3G released this summer, the 2.4-lb. Aspire One comes with both built-in 3G wireless capability, which has similar coverage to cell phone voice service, as well as faster-but-shorter-range 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. It also has a full keyboard, 9-in. LCD screen, 160GB hard drive, 1GB RAM, 1.6-GHz Intel Atom CPU and Windows XP Home. Other models come with Vista or Linux.

A Computerworld review earlier this spring found AT&T's 3G data network to be faster than Sprint's or Verizon's, averaging download speeds of 755Kbit/sec. and upload speeds of 484Kbit/sec.

The $60 per month plan includes 5GB of transmitted data. Extra data is charged at $0.0005 per kilobyte, according to the AT&T Web site.

The total cost for the netbook and two years of service is $1,540, not including taxes and fees.

Without the AT&T plan, Radio Shack is offering this 3G-enabled Aspire One for $499. Non-3G-enabled models are going for under $400 through other Web retailers.

Read more about mobile and wireless in Computerworld's Mobile and Wireless Knowledge Center.

Comment Recommend Digg Twitter ShareThis

Email Print Send Feedback Reprints

Jump to comments

radio shack

Additional Resources

Microsoft

DirectAccess and UAG: Better Together

Here are some of the key reasons why you would want to run Unified Access Gateway with DirectAccess.

Microsoft

Case Study: Energy Firm Tightens Protection, Simplifies IT Work

Review how one energy firm tightened protection and simplified IT work using business-ready security solutions.

Sybase

NEXT-GENERATION MOBILITY PLATFORMS

In this white paper, IDC analyzes the role of next-generation mobile enterprise platforms as organizations seek a more strategic deployment of mobile solutions.

Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.

What People Are Saying

14 comments | Add new

See all comments (14) | Add new

White Papers & Webcasts

How to Calculate ROI & TCO of Enterprise BlackBerry and iPhone Uses
Download Now

Accelerating Your Mobile Workers: Controlling the Uncontrollable
Today's workforce is truly mobile. Unlike the managed environment of the office LAN, remote users face many challenges to being productive while out...

eGuide: Enterprise Security
Smart Security Strategies for 2010. Read now!

Managing Laptops Outside the Office
Learn how you can reduce costs by tracking mobile computers no matter where they are located.

How to Improve Remote User Satisfaction and Maximize ROI by Using SSL VPNs
Download this white paper today!

Mobile U Webinar
Watch Now!

The New Mobile Order
Download Now

4G Ahead Video Program
Uncover the features and benefits of the two leading 4G technologies for enterprises considering future deployment.

WAN Application Delivery for Executives
Learn how to simplify server and application administration without creating performance problems for distributed users.

Horror stories: Managing IT Across Multiple Locations
How one extra sharp IT manager eliminates daily agony, hassle and repetition.

All White Papers | All Webcasts