Cellular South, the nation's largest privately owned wireless communications provider, is jumping on the netbook craze and is taking preorders for the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook with built-in 3G high-speed mobile broadband data beginning Monday. The company, which is among the first wireless carriers in the United States offer the Dell Mini 10 netbook, said the device will be for sale online and in all of its retail stores within days.
The Mini 10 netbook has a 10.1 inch screen, weighs 2.6 pounds and features an edge-to edge keyboard. Other features include a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of memory, built-in Web cam, an Intel Atom Z520 processor and Microsoft Windows XP Home.
The lightweight portable computing device costs $199 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year mobile broadband agreement for new and qualifying customers. The company is offering data plans, including a $59.99 monthly plan with a 5GB monthly data allowance and 30 cents per megabyte overage, and a $39.99 a month plan with a 500MB monthly data allowance and 30 cents per megabyte overage. For a limited time, students can get a $29.99 a month plan with the same 500MB monthly data allowance and 30 cents per megabyte overage.
The first 2,400 customers to place a netbook order also will receive a free USB thumb drive containing the original Transformers movie.
Customers may preorder the Dell Mini 10 netbook in all of the company's retail locations or online. Customers who go online will have the option to leave their e-mail address for notification of in-store availability or call a Telesales staff member at 1-877-927-6884 to preorder the device. Customers who preorder online will have the device shipped directly to their home or office; customers who preorder in the store can pick theirs up at the same store. All preorders will be processed on a "first come, first served" basis when the device becomes available.
