Verizon's $150 Netbook Deal Is No Deal at All

This is from today's pcworld.com. FYI, I own an Acer Aspire One Netbook, and would be glad to comment on that if anyone is interested. Write me. (See links below).

Jeff Bertolucci, PC World

Oct 1, 2009 5:15 pm

Attention, suckers: Verizon Wireless will soon offer a Gateway LT2016u netbook with the carrier's Mobile Broadband service built into the device. The Gateway mini-note costs $150 after a $100 mail-in rebate, and the deal requires a 2-year 3G contract. The plan is available starting Oct. 4.

Run, don't walk, from this offer. Even at $150, the Gateway netbook is overpriced, and subscribers will get a bum deal. Here's why:

The LT2016u is a ho-hum netbook. Its specs — a 10.1-inch SD 1024 x 600 display, Intel Atom N270 processor (1.60 GHz), 1 GB RAM, and a 160 GB hard disk — are virtually identical to those of the Acer Aspire One D250, which sells for about $300 at Amazon. The Gateway system does include built-in 3G broadband; but customers are locked into Verizon's usurious monthly fees. (More on those below.) Bottom line: The Gateway discount is far from spectacular.

You'll pay through the nose for broadband. Verizon offers two mobile broadband plans: $40 a month for a 250 MB monthly allowance, plus 10 cents per megabyte overage; or $60 a month for 5 GB, plus 5 cents per MB overage. The cheaper plan is deliberately wimpy, and most customers will choose the $60 package.

With the $60 deal, your out-of-pocket cost over 2 years totals $1590. Yowza. True, that figure includes the cost of 3G broadband service, not just the netbook. But remember that Verizon's 3G service is hard-wired to the Gateway mini-note, which you may not like. You'll pay a bundle for a run-of-the-mill netbook designed for basic tasks like e-mail, Web browsing, and loitering on social networking sites.

Wireless broadband in the U.S. remains overpriced, and carriers often disguise the true cost of their 3G plans by packaging them with seemingly cheap netbooks. But read the fine print, my friend. That bargain mini-note may be the most expensive system you ever buy.

IRS Scam E-mail

On 9/26 my blog post was about the IRS scam e-mail. I have received as many as 100 of these in my business e-mail accounts. Giving credit to my hosting service company (ICDSOFT), they have all wound up in my Junk Mail folder.

If you receive one or more of these, don't even think of opening it, but if you do open one, do not click on the link in the e-mail. This is a scam and will lead you nowhere but into trouble. For its part, the IRS has stated that they will never contact us by e-mail if ever there were such a situation (under reported income).

Here is what the e-mail looks like. Click on it to view a larger image. Since the image below is a jpg file, you will not be able to click on the link.

How to Tweak Outlook Email To Work for You

If you are an Outlook user (note: Outlook is different from Outlook Express), as I am, you may find some useful tips in this Katherine Boehret article posted on the WSJ's All Things Digital web site. For those not familiar with Outlook, it has traditionally been included as an integral component of the Microsoft Office suite, not including the Home & Student version of that package. Outlook is often used in corporate environments and offers many features not normally needed or used in the home.

How to Tweak Outlook Email to Work For You