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        Sprint offers 99-cent netbook

        Jonathan Angel | Date: Jul 6, 2009 | Comments: 1


        Sprint is offering a netbook for just 99 cents to customers who sign up for two years of data service. The "Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX" (left), sold via Best Buy stores, is also claimed to be available to AT&T and Verizon customers for a more typical $200.



        (Click here for a larger view of the Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX)

        Spearheaded by AT&T and Verizon, which announced the first such deals in May, cellular carriers have begun subsidizing 3G-equipped notebooks for customers who sign up for a two year data service contract. With typical selling prices around $200, the packages sound attractive, though publications such as Consumer Reports have warned that the true cost of such a package typically mounts up to as much as $1500 over the period.

        Now, Sprint enters the fray with the "99 cent" Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX, newly advertised by Best Buy stories. Though rebadged, the netbook is a version of HP's previously released Mini 110, newly equipped with an HP un2400 mobile broadband module (right). Based on Qualcomm's Gobi chipset, the un2400 is said to be compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks worldwide, but it would be reasonable to assume that, here, the device has been locked so that it only works on Sprint's CDMA EV-DO (evolution-data optimized) network.

        EV-DO, offered by both Sprint and Verizon, is said to offer downloads of up to 3.1Mbit/sec., faster than many DSL connections, and uploads of up to 1.8Mbit/sec. As noted, Best Buy is offering the Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX to AT&T and Verizon customers too, but, thanks to the less aggressive subsidies offered by those carriers, pricing is approximately $200 in either case.

        Background

        The Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX, a clone of HP's Mini 110, has a 10.1-inch screen with 1024 x 576 pixel resolution and an Intel Atom N270 processor. In the version being sold by Best Buy, it apparently includes 1GB of RAM and, instead of a hard disk drive, a 16GB SSD (solid state disk).

        Bluetooth is not included, but the device does offer 802.11b/g wireless networking, so a user need not be entirely dependent on EV-DO. Other features include a "92 percent of full size" keyboard, three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, audio I/O, and an RJ-45 Ethernet connector.


        Two views of HP's standard Mini 110
        (Click on either to enlarge)


        Specifications listed by HP for the Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX include:
        • Processor -- Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz with Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
        • Memory -- 1GB
        • Expansion -- 5-in-1 SD/MMC card reader
        • Storage -- 16GB SSD
        • Display -- 10.1-inch HP BrightView display, 1024 x 576 resolution
        • Networking -- 10/100 Ethernet
        • Wireless:
          • WAN -- un2400 3G cellular modem, compatible with GSM or CDMA
            LAN -- 802.11b/g
        • USB -- 3 x USB ports
        • Other features:
          • Webcam
          • Microphone
          • Mic/headphone ports
          • "92-percent" keyboard
          • Wireless 3G (optional)
        • Battery -- 3--cell lithium-ion battery
        • Dimensions -- 10.3 x 6.8 x 1 inches
        • Weight -- 2.33 pounds
        Availability

        Best Buy did not specify when the Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX will go on sale, but its product page for the device is available here. Meanwhile, further information appears on the HP website, here.

        For coverage of a previous offer by Verizon involving the HP Mini 1000, see eWEEK.com here. To see a hands-on report on the broadband-equipped HP device by Engadget, see here.

        To read a warning by Consumer Reports about the actual cost of purchasing AT&T's subsidized netbooks, see the publication's website, here.


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