$50 computer

With the growing popularity of Netbooks having already defied the pressures of the current economic squeeze, American communications titan AT&T is looking to concentrate the budget appeal of such ultra-portable computers by offering them to consumers through a subsidisation plan.

Most common utilised to sell mobile phone handsets, AT&T’s experimental business angle will see it providing access to a selection of attractive Web-centric Netbook systems for as little as $49.99 USD – just as long as the buyer is prepared to commit to a two-year online service contract through AT&T.

AT&T, which is the exclusive Apple iPhone carrier for the United States, will trial the deal through eight of its official retail outlets across Atlanta and Georgia and a further eight in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, reports The Register.

Considering the growing pressures of the recession on consumer pockets, AT&T’s shift to offer computer hardware as it does with mobile phones may prove a boon given that initial financial outlay will be small. However, the mandatory service contract will, of course, add to the overall impact over the following two years.

The systems being put forth to lure weak-willed or shallow-pocketed buyers are the Acer Aspire One, the LG Xenia and Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 and Mini 12 – the latter of which loiters on the verge of being a fully fledged notebook due to its larger physical sizing and slightly stronger specifications.

Subsidised prices start at $49.99 USD and range up to $249.99 USD, providing a decent platter of hardware options, all of which will come firmly attached to AT&T’s wired/wireless Internet at Home or On The Go service plans (inc. DataConnect, Fast Access DSL and 20,000 AT&T hotspots), both of which carry basic subscription prices of $59.95 USD per month.

If that pricing is still a touch rich for those looking to use their newly acquired Netbook for little more than mobile Web surfing, which is what they’re primarily designed for, then AT&T is also prepared to offer a $39.99 USD monthly plan that restricts data downloads to a paltry 200MBs – a fraction of the usual 5GB ceiling.

Original article from thetechherald.com