Having an always-available connection seems like a great idea for an ultraportable netbook like the Mini 1000. And now you can have one — unfortunately, the rather hefty $200 premium takes the thing right out of a lot of people’s price ranges. Still, it’s better than just a 3G dongle, the sort of which I have never gotten working properly. You’ll be choosing between Verizon and AT&T as a service provider, and of course can expect exorbitant charges from those guys as well.
Still, there are times when you can’t put a price on connectivity, and compared with the dreadful performance of other 3G options, the integrated approach is the better investment if you have the gold pieces for it.
What would be killer is if one of these companies offered an internet connection for tech users – maybe $30/month for data on your phone and laptop. I’d be signed up right away, no questions asked, but that’s partly because I have to pay $30/month anyway for the iPhone’s data plan.
I’m hoping clearwire picks this up and moves towards more and more internet enabled devices.