AT&T offering subsidised netbooks starting at $49.99

AT&T already sells subsidised Acer Aspire One netbooks for an upfront cost of $99 plus a data contract. It has now adding the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 & 12 and a LG Zenia (maybe a rebadged X110?) to its offering across outlets in Atlanta and Philadelphia.

Packages start at an upfront cost of between $49.99 to $249.99 depending on which data contract is purchased. The AT&T Internet at Home and On the Go plans start at $59.95 for a two-year contract. Without the AT&T contract, these mini laptops range in price from $449.99 to $599.99.

The promotion is available at eight AT&T retail locations in the Atlanta area. AT&T is offering similar netbook promotional rates with the purchase of DataConnect plans in eight retail locations in the Philadelphia area. DataConnect includes a 200MB plan for $40 per month which seems quite pricey for a measly 200MB. There is also a 5GB plan for $60 for heavier data users.

Whilst it is obvious that these netbooks are not cheap, with the $60 plan costing $1,440 over the two-year period (excluding the upfront fee). However, if you were planning to take out a contract anyway then it makes sense to pick up a very cheap netbook while you’re at it.