I had heard about broadband providers potentially offering Eee pcs free to subscribers, but this article looks a bit deeper.
What is frightening is that I was planning (in the loosest sense ;-)) to move more into Web development, and one of my big marketing ideas was to give away a (Eee) pc with each decent sized project. Looks like that wasn’t as original as I thought.
What do you think, will these sub notebooks become the freebie that gets dropped on you for every service you subscribe to? A bit like those crappy ISDN modems that I have stacked in my ‘should have been binned ages ago’ basket.
I suppose that exactly what happens with mobile phones, its a few hundred quid bit of kit that gets given away with a 12/18 month contract. The only issue is whether there are services as lucrative as mobiles that are applicable to sub notebooks (Rob objection to laptot noted and accepted). That are better than sitting in Starbucks drinking their coffee and using their broadband.
I’d be very interested in a dual sim service where I get one for a handset and one for a sub nb. All for a single sensible monthly fee.
I resent paying 2 monthly rents when we don’t even have mobile reception at my house. (I’d be very very interested in a sensibly priced mobile phone that can use my landline or internet connection when in range of my home router. BT claim to have one but it didn’t meet the sensible price requirement last time I looked.)
Would you be interested in combining your mobile phone and pc connections/contracts for mobile internet surfing? and would you need a ‘free’ Eee class bung to make up your mind?
cheers
Simon
Smurf on Spreadsheets 
Sunday, 8th June, 2008 at 4:11 pm |
Simon:
It sounds like Northern England is like nearly all of Canada where the acronym “3G” isn’t heard. When I travel to Florida for vacation or Seattle I simply rent (for about $100 per week) a “3G” aircard and I get high-speed broadband internet acees EVERYWHERE (even at my wife’s Aunt Florence’s house on a barrier-island on the West Coast of Florida).
You personally saw me use that technology at a presentation in Redmond once by the way.
If you live down there, the cost is negligible (or at least totally justifiable) per year – comparable to a land-based Internet connection. But in Canada – which always used to pride itself at being advanced technologically, we don’t have “3G” – the government has done nothing to encourage it. Oh sure, I can sign up for a “Wireless” broadband where I need a toaster-sized box plugged in to a wall for a premium price – but the “3G” device I use in the States isn’t a lot bigger than a 4Gig Thum-drive – and cheap.
It really pisses me off (which for me takes a lot to do :-))
Dick
Sunday, 8th June, 2008 at 5:52 pm |
Dick
We have 3G but I think its only in town centres, out in the sticks we have gprs, which is slower and the price of both is ridiculous.
Be prepared for a shock when you come over. Internet connections in hotels are expensive and limited. They still advertise ‘internet connection’, few offer ‘internet connection included’.
Sunday, 8th June, 2008 at 8:27 pm |
Thanx – I had checked that. According to the resort we are going to in Scotland Internet is available for 10 £ per day (which sounds a bit much). But I can justify it for the the few times I’ll need it. Hope there aren’t any “gotchas” though in the small print ….
Dick
Monday, 9th June, 2008 at 10:12 am |
Hi Simon, I’ve got a Vodafone 3G USB modem. Do you get 3G? Of course not, only 2G with circa 56kbps speeds (if the wind is blowing in the right direction).
When I went to enquire, I was informed that Vodafone only guarantees 3G speeds outside (not indoors) in specified regions. You gotta read the fine print.
Monday, 9th June, 2008 at 1:14 pm |
56k? that sounds a bit crap. I looked at those modems, but VOIP was explicitly banned which seemed numb.
All UK broadband figures are completely made up, I don’t think there is a grain of truth in any suppliers claimed throughputs. It probably says exactly that in the fine print:
‘claimed performance is utter bollocks…’
‘by signing you agree to these terms…’
Monday, 9th June, 2008 at 4:58 pm |
I don’t know how true it is but Waitrose broadband claim to tell you the speed your ADSL will support. I think from figures provided by BT Wholesale. You have to start the sign up process, which you can then abandon, to do it.
Auntie has also just done an unscientific test on users responses. Results are at http://www.bbc.co.uk/technology