Calling the economics "terrific," AT&T is already offering subsidized netbooks by both Aspire and Dell, with the goal of locking customers into long-term 3G data contracts. According to a company announcement, the carrier is going to expand their efforts into selling both "mini-laptops" (netbooks to anyone under 70) and more expensive laptops in their stores -- starting in Philadelphia and Atlanta. AT&T is offering visitors to those stores subsidized netbooks/laptops for as low as $50, provided you sign up for their new "Internet at Home and On the Go" plan:

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Mini laptops available in AT&T stores include the Acer Aspire One, Dell Inspiron Mini 9 and Mini 12, and LG Xenia. Promotional prices range from $49.99 to $249.99 with the purchase of an AT&T Internet at Home and On the Go plan, which includes an AT&T DataConnect plan and AT&T Fast Access DSL, starting at $59.95 per month. Without those AT&T services, these mini laptops range in price from $449.99 to $599.99.

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$60 (plus fees and taxes) for both a 1.5Mbps residential DSL line and HSDPA connection isn't awful, though the 200MB monthly cap on the 3G half of the equation limits the bundle's value. Of course customers get access to AT&T's ever growing (20,000+) family of hotspot locations, should you need to access, well, a real file. You also have the option of skipping the DSL bundle offer and buying 5GB/month of HSDPA connectivity for the standard $60 per month.