AT&T, Lenovo and Ericsson to make 3G-embedded laptops more accessible
AT&T announced today that a new partnership with Ericsson and Lenovo will allow 3G-embedded ThinkPads to be priced much more reasonably. Lenovo already offers a complete line of 3G-enabled ThinkPad latops and with this new agreement in place, retail prices are expected to drop by up to $150 per unit. What’s more, customers who purchase a relevant notebook directly from the ThinkPad website will receive 30 days of free DataConnect service – plenty of time to try things on before you pick a plan. This, in all likelihood, will be the start of a series of agreements between AT&T and various manufacturers to begin pushing 3G-embedded laptops and netbooks a bit harder by making them more accessible. Sure, we have a long way to go before we catch up with Europe but this is the mobile industry so of course that’s expected. Blurb time, courtesy of Michael Woodward, VP of Mobility Business Marketing for AT&T’s wireless operations:
We have seen mobile data consumption quadruple every year for the past three years. Customers recognize the benefits of enhanced connectivity on their notebook computers, and this increase in consumption reflects that. The program we’ve developed with Lenovo and Ericsson is a simple, affordable response to this trend that we expect will be welcomed by business customers and mobile professionals.
[Via VoIP Watch]
Considering that the iPhone is crippling the 3G network now, I would be very curious to see what the affect of adding 3G enabled laptops would be. I can only imagine that the network would slow to an unbearable crawl.
I acually use an att 3G laptop connect card on my T60 (no embedded). And I have to say, here in Arizona, the connect card is much quicker then the 3G on my iphone.
To be honest, I am not sure exactly why bother with an embedded card. So now I have to spend an extra $50+ when I could just tether my phone for $15? It really doesn’t make sense to me. Then again, I don’t use it for business, so that could make a difference.