Netbooks have struggled to take off in India, despite the population. It’s estimated that this year will see 300,000 netbooks sold compared to last year’s 40,000, which is an improvement but, based on the population, of around one billion, Liliputing describe this number as being “peanuts”. To change this trend, India will be the next country to bundle netbooks with 3G data plans. Asus and Dell are currently working with wireless carriers to make this possible in India.
Over the course of the contract, the netbook can end up costing more than buying it up front but, you also get the data usage and some consider it a way to pay for netbooks in instalments.
A hack and instructions on how to perform it, show users how to add 3G into their Samsung NC10. The downside to the hack however is that you use the WiFi. The WiFi adapter is switched for a 3G modem instead. The hack is very easy to perform though and WiFi can be replaced with a USB WiFi dongle, giving you the best of both worlds, espcially if you find you use both a lot.
The hardest part is taking the case off and opening it up. Once inside the WiFi adapter can be popped out and replaced with the 3G modem. Additional modification could also be made on the netbook, to allow easy SIM swapping by making a small hole in the bottom and soldering the 3G modem in, as jkkmobile have done to a Dell Mini 9. You can view the steps here.
Rumors of a subsidized 3G-enabled 10-inch Acer Aspire One going on sale through Costco have been floating around weeks ago. Now, we have even more evidence in support of these rumors. By way of leaked internal documents, it has been revealed that Costco employees are currently being trained for an upcoming launch and the reportedly, D-Day will be on May 11th. That is, when the 10-inch netbook will finally be available, not only on Costco’s kiosks, but also on AT&T’s stores. There’s no word yet on a final price, but it shouldn’t be too far from how much the subsidized 3G-enabled 9-inch model is selling these days, which isn’t much, if you don’t count the obligatory 2-year contract.
It was already a good deal when it was first announced a few weeks back, but now the $99 3G-enabled Acer Aspire One only costs $79 from RadioShack. There’s no catch, only the same obligatory 2-year contract under AT&T, but besides that, the $79 AAO is all yours for the taking in case you’re interested. We’re not sure if this means we’ll be seeing free netbooks from the likes of AT&T any time soon in the U.S., but it sure is a nice prospect. Besides, they’ll find it hard to sell old models especially now that the new ones are all over the place, anyway.
A while back we reported on a hack which enabled HSDPA on the Sony Vaio P. The hack only worked on US models of the P and with AT&T and T-Mobile sim cards. Today we can report that, thanks to DC-unlocker and Conics.net, non US models can also be hacked. The hack allows the Globetrotter MO40x modem to be unlocked and display the connected sim as being connected through HSDPA. For the time being, the DC-unlocker hack only works on non US models, as the US Vaio P’s contain a different chipset.
Many phone companies now a days, as an incentive to go for that deal and network offer a free gift as part of, usually a longer contract. The freebies can range from DS Lites, to PS3s and not forgetting netbooks. But what happens when the customer doesn’t pay their phone bill? Usually the customer gets a high priced goody which they can still use, even if their phone use is limited. This seems set to change though with the introduction of the “kill pill”. The kill pill can send a signal out to the netbook’s modem, to shut the netbook down, effectively making the netbook useless according to Ericsson.
US carrier AT&T as well as other 3G network carriers elsewhere will have this module installed. Associated Press however, think that carriers will be reluctant to use this technology, but the technology is there for it to happen.
Are you one of the many Americans waiting for the official arrival of UMID’s M1 MID in local stores? Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is, the M1 definitely is coming to the U.S. in the future. The bad news is, it’s not going to happen right away. This is according to information gathered by Pocketables, who say UMID’s plans for a U.S. release for the M1 MID are still underway, however, a version of the said device that’s compatible with U.S. 3G networks still isn’t ready yet. It could come in the next few months, or it could come next year. Bottom line is, you’re gonna have to wait awhile if you’re in the U.S. and want to get yourself a UMID M1. And that’s the truth.
LG has just announced a new version of its follow up to the LG X110 in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress 2009. This new netbook is actually the LG X120, now equipped with wireless 3G connectivity. Also pre-installed on the LG X120 is something LG calls a Smart-on interface, which supposedly works the same way as an instant-boot OS. This should give users a way to access frequently used applications like the music player, photo viewer, and Internet suite. The LG X120 will be available in Europe starting in March with 3-cell and 6-cell battery configurations.
Dell recently held a press conference in France in which it officially launched a 3G version of the Dell Mini 10. The photo you see above was taken by the guys from over at Netbook3G, and other photos comparing it to the Asus Eee PC 901 Go are also available on their site. The absence of a button on that trackpad is very evident, though it doesn’t look like it’s going to be much of a problem. If you a refresher as to the Dell Mini 10’s specs:
Atom Z530 CPU
1GB RAM
Multi-touch Trackpad
160GB HDD (No SSD models currently)
10” 1024×576 Display (HD screen will also be available 1366 x 768 I think)
Wi-Fi N, Webcam, 3G Broadband, GPS, TV Tuner
Windows XP Home
3-Cell or 6-Cell Battery
More photos and details are available at the Netbook3G site, linked below.
Netbooks are great piece of ware for the simple reason that they ought to be portable and can carry them anywhere. So, it is expected that with your netbooks in tow whereever you go, it is a must that you can easily connect online either through wireless network or 3G. Amazingly not all netbooks were released with the 3G option built-in. Some netbooks, like the HP Mini 1000 has the 3G features as an additional option which uses need to pay some good amount of money to have what should have been a default functionality.
Looking at the HP Mini 1000 which was released not so long ago, JKOntherun is reporting that HP is adding the 3G feature to their new netbook as an added option. The catch? Having the 3G feature on your newly bought HP Mini 1000 will cost you $199. This is in addition to the current price tag of the netbook – $399.
If that sounds good to you, and if you’ve been wanting to have the “always on” feature on your netbook, then we will not advised you to stay away form the deal. But if you decide to get the add-on feature, you’ll have a choice between Verizon’s EV-DO or AT&’s HSDPA options. There is actually a 3rd configuration option but it is not clear yet as which carrier is giving it.
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