A leaked advertisement from RadioShack reveals plans to offer an Acer Aspire One for only $99 with a new 2-year AT&T wireless data plan contract that runs about $60 per month. Although this practice is already somewhat common in Europe, subsidizing the cost of a netbook with a compatible wireless service plan is relatively new to the U.S., and positions these small computers alongside cell phones and their contracts. So far, AT&T would appear to be the only wireless provider making moves in this space. The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 also recently received a bundled AT&T 3G card option with a bundled $120 rebate that only really covered all but $5 of the cost and installation of the card itself.

While this deal offers cost savings on the device itself, keep in mind that if you're not really in need of a 3G card, you'll be paying about $1440 in wireless fees before taxes over the life of the two year contract and for $1550, you could purchase a much more powerful device than a netbook.

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