The Netbook Net Widens

The netbook market continues to get a boost from a variety of sources, not least of which was Google's announcement that it will launch an operating system on netbooks in the second half of 2010. Google Chrome OS, says Google, will be a speedy and lightweight operating system, with little user interface, that will get people on the Web "in a few seconds."

Meanwhile, Sony released its first family of netbooks, further swelling the number of brands. The W series' pricing starts at $500, a premium price for a netbook, but typical of Sony's laptop pricing. The 10.1-inch netbook uses an Atom 280 processor, and has 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. To see how Sony laptops fare compared to others, see our laptop Ratings (available to subscribers).

Is $500 out of your budget range? How about a 99-cent netbook? Sprint and Best Buy have announced that they'll offer the Compaq Mini 110c-1040DX netbook to consumers, normally sold at Best Buy for $389, for that little. Of course, there's a catch: You must sign up for a 2-year Sprint mobile broadband contract, the latest in a line of contract netbook offers. In our most recent Ratings of cell-phone providers (subscribers only), Sprint was among the lowest ranked in cell-phone service and among the worst for customer service.

While paying less than a dollar for a computer may seem like a good deal, it's important to remember that with such a deal you may save upfront, but as with any bundled deal from a wireless carrier, the major cost is in the contract, not the device.

Two-year plans start at $59.99 a month, but you're restricted to 5GB of use on the Sprint 3G network—and only 300MB while roaming. Five GB is practical compared to other services, but 300MB won't allow you to do much more than view a YouTube video and download some e-mails. And what you're getting for nearly nothing isn't a full-fledged laptop, but a netbook, with all the limitations that implies. Nevertheless, if you're looking for both a netbook and mobile broadband service, this isn't a bad deal.

Other carriers and retailers, including AT&T, Verizon, and Radioshack, offer bundled netbooks. So shop around, and be sure to check our Ratings for both service carriers and netbooks before deciding which is right for you.

Have you bought a bundled netbook recently? We'd love to hear about your experiences, good or bad. —Will Dilella and Donna Tapellini