[LINK] Broadband for $12 a week, with a laptop

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

For around $47 a month in England, you get a laptop, a wireless router and 
AOL broadband access ..

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Dell offers free laptops with broadband subscription 

By Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service July 20, 2007 
<http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/07/20/Dell-free-laptops_1.html?
source=NLC-TB&cgd=2007-07-20>

Dell has signed a deal with a U.K. mobile phone retailer to distribute 
free laptops with the purchase of a broadband Internet access 
subscription, continuing the company's push into the retail market. 

Starting in September, consumers who buy a two-year contract for America 
Online's broadband service .. will get a free base-model Inspiron notebook 
from Dell. AOL broadband costs £19.99 ($47 AU) per month. 

A similar free laptop offering was unveiled this week by mobile provider 
Orange UK, ..

The Dell laptop comes with Microsoft's Vista Home Basic OS, 1 GB of RAM, 
an 80GB hard drive, an Intel Celeron processor and Wi-Fi. The laptop can 
be upgraded for a fee. Customers also get a wireless router, but have to 
pay a £14.99 laptop delivery fee. 

By contrast, Orange's free laptop offers fewer features than Dell's. It's 
made by Ei Systems, and comes with Windows XP Home, 256 MB of RAM and a 
40GB hard drive but doesn't have Wi-Fi. Users can upgrade to a better 
laptop for a fee. Orange's broadband service, however, is cheaper, at 
£14.99 per month for a 24-month contract, excluding an initial discount 
for the first three months. 
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Cheers, people
Stephen Loosley
Victoria, Australia