 | | . Terrible pricing as always | |
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 | | | A trap It's a trap to tie your computer to a carrier. Just pay the extra $100 for a netbook and add a card for any carrier or tether to phone.
I have an Acer netbook and just tether to my Treo for the regular $15/month Sprint data account using PDANet. And they don't seem to be enforcing the 5GB limit. | |
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| | I don't get it. Why would anyone buy a netbook for ~200$ and pay 40-60$ a month for 2 years? And to top it off, have a data cap. | |
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| Reviews:
 ·Verizon FiOS
| Re: I don't get it. So Verizon can make $1159, plus over-limit use, and $50 from those that don't send the rebate in!
Heck, I got a DellMini9, put OS X on it (hackintosh) and use the free wifi access points.
Verizon wouldn't do anything unless it made them a profit (but don't tell the FTC or PUC they make a profit...)
Verizon=Underpants Gnomes!
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Weeeeeeee! | |
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|  GbcueAlmost P.E.Premium
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA
kudos:8
·AT&T U-Verse
| said by powerspec88:Why would anyone buy a netbook for ~200$ and pay 40-60$ a month for 2 years? And to top it off, have a data cap. Same goes for *any* phone. You can either buy it with a subsidy or buy them without. Take for instance iPhone, costs $599.99/$699.99 to purchase w/o contract. Offer it up for $199.99 with a 2 year contract. | |
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| |  BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN
1 edit | Re: I don't get it. said by Gbcue:said by powerspec88:Why would anyone buy a netbook for ~200$ and pay 40-60$ a month for 2 years? And to top it off, have a data cap. Same goes for *any* phone. You can either buy it with a subsidy or buy them without. Take for instance iPhone, costs $599.99/$699.99 to purchase w/o contract. Offer it up for $199.99 with a 2 year contract. the difference is one assumes you will want to use the internet on the computer and 5 GB per month and $51 per GB overage doesn't cut it. Whether I buy a phone or get the subsidy my calls cost the same. Using internet through cable or DSL is significantly cheaper.
Let's see pay $700 laptop without a contract pay about $50 a month for 10 Mbps internet from Charter and have a 100 GB cap. OR pay $200 for it pay $60 for a measly 5 GB cap and $51 per GB overage. $10 saving a month for 2 years is $240. So the real difference is $260 and to me having 95 extra GB per month and 10X the speed and no insane overage charge is worth the extra $11 per month. | |
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| | |  ScottJr
join:2001-10-10
Charles Town, WV
 ·ooma
 ·Comcast
| Re: I don't get it. AND this is not a $700 laptop. It is a netbook that really is only worth about $250. This is the other thing AT&T is banking on. How many people will think they are getting a full blown laptop for $200 (after rebate) and think they are walking away with a great deal? Then they get it and it is not so functional. I know folks on this site get it, but there are going to be a lot of suckers.
Buyer beware! | |
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| | the math just does not add up on this deal Why would anyone in their right mind go for this deal? It's not like they are giving the netbook away free. They are still charging $200 for the notebook and then $60 (actually with taxes and fees it is more like $73 in my state) a month for only a small amount of bandwidth. So in my state that would be $1752 for the bandwidth plus $200 for the netbook. So basically $1952 for a nebook worth $400.
And to make it worse, you can only you that expensive $60/month bandwidth on that machine. So if you are like me an also have a full sized laptop, then let's double that bill.
No way....I will stick with tacking the sim card out of my iphone and putting it a wireless usb adapter from AT&T. That way I am only paying for mobile internet access for one device, not three.
Oh wait...you can't do that on Verizon as they don't use sim cards. So it is AT&T for me. | |
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| | | Re: the math just does not add up on this deal That's an excellent point to remember. You can only use the service on this device. | |
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|  alanxenosH. Sapien
join:2008-09-26
Winnetka, IL
 ·T-Mobile US
·Sprint Broadband..
·Verizon Wireless..
·Verizon Broadban..
| No, you can't. HOWEVER, you can use the Bluetooth2EDR in most laptops to connect to your phone to your laptop, then select Dial Up Networking, and set your phone up as a modem. (Requirements: Access Numbers, Dial Up ISP (Worldnet, MCI, etc.) OR SBC/Yahoo! Dial Backup for DSL, A phone that supports Bluetooth 2/2EDR as well as a laptop that supports Bt2/2EDR. You are connected @ 14.4 kbps by default, however with a little tweaking, you can get 57 kbps out of Bluetooth 0.5/1, 64 out of Bluetooth 2, and 112 out of Bluetooth 2EDR. Glad to be of ASSistance.
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"When it comes to technology, if you are not part of the steamroller, you are part of the road." -Anon.
Find me @: »www.tinyurl.com/alanxweb | |
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| | Costs too much Monthly charges are so high, that this current offer will eventually fall flat on its face.
Give it 6 months or so, and Verizon will either lower the fees, or get rid of the plan. | |
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| | | Re: Who owns what? said by Mr Matt: Who owns the data stored on the hard drive in the Netbook? What happen if you stop paying for broadband service? Will the ISP hold your data hostage like some Russian extortionist? That is what I would be concerned with with renting a subsidized Netbook. I don't think this example works as well. It is no different than a subsidized cell phone. Verizon would not own your contact list. And since you physically would have the laptop, you could just reinstall Windows or Linux. But they probably would send the collection people after you for the funds for the contract. | |
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glinc
join:2009-04-07
New York, NY | hehe it'll be interesting to see if you can buy insurance for $5/month and how will the warranty work on these netbooks =P | |
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| | | Re: hehe Insurance is usually not offered for smartphones, I guess the same will apply for these netbooks. | |
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| | | | Re: hehe said by fenix_jn:Insurance is usually not offered for smartphones, I guess the same will apply for these netbooks. What hole do you live in? Sprint has always offered insurance for SmartPhones and I'm sure Verizon does as well. | |
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| | | slckusrPremium
join:2003-03-17
Maumee, OH
kudos:1
1 edit | Re: hehe no insurance on this.
both carriers insure smart/pda phones. (like 7$). | |
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| | | Reviews:
·Comcast
| Verizon Wireless offers insurance (by default) for every device (be it phone, BlackBerry, or other smartphone; in fact, you have to opt-out to NOT get it) they contract. The only exceptions are for prepaid/PAYG.
No; I'm not talking about *New Every Two* (that is completely separate, and is still offered). | |
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 wifi4milezBig Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY | Pricing is very bad... I have mentioned multiple times that these subsidized netbooks are a good deal for people that are already on the market for a new computer AND a data card, however this deal stinks. $250 for the netbook ($50 mail in rebate that comes 5 months later doesnt count) is awful. At least ATT is offering them for $99. I dont see this getting much traction until they lower the price. | |
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| BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | Re: Pricing is very bad... said by wifi4milez:I have mentioned multiple times that these subsidized netbooks are a good deal for people that are already on the market for a new computer AND a data card, however this deal stinks. $250 for the netbook ($50 mail in rebate that comes 5 months later doesnt count) is awful. At least ATT is offering them for $99. I dont see this getting much traction until they lower the price. The price of the computer isn't the issue. Even the price of the plan isn't really the issue either. It's the cap and the overage fee. Verizon thinks because it lowered the extremely insane price of $256 per GB to the plain insane price of $51 per GB they are doing us a favor. | |
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| | wifi4milezBig Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY | Re: Pricing is very bad... said by BF69:said by wifi4milez:I have mentioned multiple times that these subsidized netbooks are a good deal for people that are already on the market for a new computer AND a data card, however this deal stinks. $250 for the netbook ($50 mail in rebate that comes 5 months later doesnt count) is awful. At least ATT is offering them for $99. I dont see this getting much traction until they lower the price. The price of the computer isn't the issue. Even the price of the plan isn't really the issue either. It's the cap and the overage fee. Verizon thinks because it lowered the extremely insane price of $256 per GB to the plain insane price of $51 per GB they are doing us a favor. I suspect the 5GB plan will be fine for the vast majority of users. Keep in mind that most people dont use anywhere near that amount of data on their home connections, and this is meant as secondary device.
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When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.
-Ronald Reagan-
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| | | iansltx
join:2007-02-19
Golden, CO
kudos:2 | Re: Pricing is very bad... $12 per GB on the regular plan allotment is still insane. Cable companies would love to have that type of margin... | |
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| | | BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | said by wifi4milez:said by BF69:said by wifi4milez:I have mentioned multiple times that these subsidized netbooks are a good deal for people that are already on the market for a new computer AND a data card, however this deal stinks. $250 for the netbook ($50 mail in rebate that comes 5 months later doesnt count) is awful. At least ATT is offering them for $99. I dont see this getting much traction until they lower the price. The price of the computer isn't the issue. Even the price of the plan isn't really the issue either. It's the cap and the overage fee. Verizon thinks because it lowered the extremely insane price of $256 per GB to the plain insane price of $51 per GB they are doing us a favor. I suspect the 5GB plan will be fine for the vast majority of users. Keep in mind that most people dont use anywhere near that amount of data on their home connections, and this is meant as secondary device. bullshit. I'm not a "heavy" user and I can certianly use 5 GB in less than a week. That's not counting the other connections in the house.
vast majority? Yes people in the boonies who only have dial-up and are DESPERATE for broadband should be satisfied with 5 GB. Yeah ok. If you live in areas that have broadband you have no use for this. WHY would I use this? Why should I pay as much as I'm paying for 20 Mbps when I can use that connection for my laptop? And my cap is 250 GB. This deal is clearly only for those that don't have other access ot broadband but Verizon is too stupid to realize that. And you defend thier stupid marketing. Doesn't matter who it's meant for or what it's meant for you CAN NOT reasonably and logically justify 5 GB a month and $51 per GB overage. there is no defending that. | |
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| | | | wifi4milezBig Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY | Re: Pricing is very bad... said by BF69:Doesn't matter who it's meant for or what it's meant for you CAN NOT reasonably and logically justify 5 GB a month and $51 per GB overage. there is no defending that. Take it easy, I never said nobody would go over that limit. Clearly the people who visit this site have far greater usage than "regular" people. However, there have been many studies that show 'most' people use less than 5GB per month. Those are the studies the cable co's and telco's use to justify their caps.
I am not arguing that 5GB is fair, I am just saying that as a secondary connection (which is what its meant for) its fine for the majority of people. Keep in mind that regardless of how you feel about caps, there is a legitimate reason they exist on today's wireless networks.
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When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.
-Ronald Reagan-
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| | | | | BF69Premium
join:2004-07-28
Camden, TN | Re: Pricing is very bad... said by wifi4milez:said by BF69:Doesn't matter who it's meant for or what it's meant for you CAN NOT reasonably and logically justify 5 GB a month and $51 per GB overage. there is no defending that. Take it easy, I never said nobody would go over that limit. Clearly the people who visit this site have far greater usage than "regular" people. However, there have been many studies that show 'most' people use less than 5GB per month. Those are the studies the cable co's and telco's use to justify their caps. That's BS and you know it. These same stuides claim people WANT to be capped too. Have enough money and you can have a study with "expert" opinion that the moon is made of green cheese.
I am not arguing that 5GB is fair, I am just saying that as a secondary connection (which is what its meant for) its fine for the majority of people. Keep in mind that regardless of how you feel about caps, there is a legitimate reason they exist on today's wireless networks.
WRONG. No one with broadband is stupid enough to use this asa secnd conenction. If you live in area with broadband you live in an area with plenty of places with free wifi if you need it. I'm not quite sure that you aren't getting.
Yes of course I see the need for caps but they could have a 15 GB cap and there wouldn't be any issues. And there certainly isn't any justification for $51 per GB overage. It doesn't cost them that much to provide me with an extra GB. | |
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| | | | | | wifi4milezBig Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY | Re: Pricing is very bad... said by BF69:No one with broadband is stupid enough to use this asa secnd conenction. If you live in area with broadband you live in an area with plenty of places with free wifi if you need it. I'm not quite sure that you aren't getting. That doesnt make any sense and you know it. This is targeted to the exact same people that buy data cards. Most people who buy data cards purchase them as a secondary device, and this is no different. All the data cards also have a 5GB limit, not a home broadband replacement. You should look at this as a data card that comes with a computer, its not anything different. The market for data cards (and this) is not targeted at people who dont already have broadband, I think you are confusing the issue by saying so.
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When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.
-Ronald Reagan-
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| | | | | | | | WRONG. No one with broadband is stupid enough to use this asa secnd conenction. If you live in area with broadband you live in an area with plenty of places with free wifi if you need it. I'm not quite sure that you aren't getting.
Yes of course I see the need for caps but they could have a 15 GB cap and there wouldn't be any issues. And there certainly isn't any justification for $51 per GB overage. It doesn't cost them that much to provide me with an extra GB.
I have broadband and would get this. Your just angry at the "man" for some reason. Take a basic computer and do nothing but surfing and hanging out on the net. You will not use near 5gig or data. Now if you get into downloading than yeah I understand the issue with a 5gig cap. As a second device $200 for this isn't bad and either is $50+ for data. Also remember this is dedicated data connection, unlike a wifi connection. Don't whine about something your not gonna buy. If you want it get it. If not go somewhere else. | |
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| | Hmmmm... Wow, I could get that computer, or I could just get a similar computer for 200 bucks more, use wi-fi and not have to deal with verizon. That sounds a lot better! | |
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Reviews:
·Optimum Online
·Verizon FiOS
| netbooks suck and aren't worth much.. Netbooks SHOULD only be in the $150-350 range. Anything more and your pricing yourself in LAPTOP range.. and for that it should have a DVD writer & at least a 12.1 inch screen!! Netbooks have 700mhz - 2ghz processors (mostly single core) 4gb-16gb flash or 60-200gb hard drives. and 7"-10.1 screens (256-2gb of ram). These are univerisally INFERIOR SPECS to CLEARANCE LAPTOPS! Even when you compare the current models on the low end of the laptop market.
Uneducated consumers who would fall for this deal are prone to other scams out there such as no credit check computers advertised on TV.. heck, maybe even the other infomercial stuff that you pay $50 a month to watch on offair time from cable-tv. Apparently, this is one element of the economy which has not seen it's just deserts in stupid people not being made poor enough yet to stop foolish purchases.
Does someone actually need to make a website telling you that many things these BIG carriers are doing such as Verizon, Comcast and AT&T are trying to bilk the consumer out of millions of dollars in undeserved profits? Until recently, Verizon was not really on the radar for scumbag deals such as this.. but they hit front page of scam magazine with this one. From the company that brought you FIOS and the slogan "THIS IS BIG". Telco, redefined in 2009... if this is a sign of things to come.. Verizon will probably try to screw consumers in other ways as too.
In terms of broadband, this means the ISP industry will have to be hit with regulations when it comes to GEOGRAPHIC MONOPOLY and DUOPOLY control of last mile infrastructure. This will easily extend regulatory reach from hardwire to wireless too as the technology's capacity is essentially the same for next generation networks (at least the broadband speed tiers being offered are similar).
I really hope they get back on the right path. Verizon's lost their way. Amputating rural and poor ROI muncipalities from upgrades should be the straw that break's the regulator's backs. | |
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| | Pricing 5G is not much for recreational data users. It should be sufficient for business users that need mobile connectivity. Road warriors can avoid many hotel's $10-25 dollar per day internet access charges. Or field technicians who need access to their management solution like VaZing.com to update work orders or print invoices. It is a good plan and good subsidiary depending on your usage requirements. Although everyone would always prefer it to be lower. | |
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Who owns what?
