Hot-Spot or Mobile Broadband

Huge news in the WiFi Hotspot world today. Starbucks has agreed a deal with BT Openzone that sees them replace T-Mobile as the sole provider of WiFi in 650 Starbucks coffee shops in the UK.

BT Openzone already partners with O2 to provide WiFi access to its customers.  You’ll soon be able to get WiFi access on your iPhone in every Starbucks in the UK and from the summer O2’s mobile broadband customers will also be able to access WiFi whilst sipping a grande caramel skinny latte.

The deal will last 5 years and BT Openzone start installing the service this week with the rollout complete by the end of the summer.

So if you’re currently deciding which mobile broadband with WiFi package to get and you’re a closet Starbucks fan, forget T-Mobile and get O2.

Go to O2.co.uk to see their latest mobile broadband deals

Go to T-Mobile to see their latest mobile broadband deals

Compare the best ‘free’ laptop mobile broadband deals

Buying a new laptop for your family or yourself?  Thinking about signing up for mobile broadband?    There are loads of deals out there - we compare the best.

Cheapest Laptop with Mobile Broadband Deals

Laptop	Laptop Spec	Operator	Laptop Cost	Monthly Cost	Data	Buy Now
Free Acer Aspire 150b*	Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz 8.9 CrystalBrite Screen XP Home 1 GB Memory 160GB HDD Ultra light - Under 1KG		Free	£17.50 a month	1GB a month
Free Asus Eee PC	Compact netbook with 8.9″ LCD screen Built-in WiFi and webcam Windows XP and Microsoft Works 80GB hard drive and 1GB memory		Free	£20 a month	3GB a month
Free Samsung NC10*	Windows XP Home Edition SP3 1.6GHz Intel® Atom Processor 1GB RAM Wi-Fi Integrated Webcam 10.2″ Widescreen LED display 160GB Hard drive 1.3 megapixel webcam 1.3kg weight 2 year warranty Colour - black		Free	£25 a month	1GB a month
Free Samsung NC10*	Windows XP Home Edition SP3 1.6GHz Intel® Atom Processor 1GB RAM Wi-Fi Integrated Webcam 10.2″ Widescreen LED display 160GB Hard drive 1.3 megapixel webcam 1.3kg weight 2 year warranty Colour - white		Free	£29.38 a month	3GB a month
Samsung N310*	Intel® Atom™ processor Windows® XP Home 10.1″ screen weighs just 1.23kg wireless-enabled 1024MB RAM 160GB hard drive Bluetooth® 1.3 megapixel webcam built-in 5 hours’ battery life		£40	£34.25 a month	5GB a month

Last Updated August 2009

* Please note that these laptops are web books rather than full laptops. Full laptops are available from most retailers if you pay a little more per month or upfront.

FAQs

Are the laptops really free?

As with mobile phone tariffs, the laptop isn’t strictly free.  The mobile broadband provider is subsidising the cost of a laptop to entice you to take their service, in most cases by £10 a month.  You benefit by effectively getting a brand new laptop with no upfront cost and cheap or free credit terms.

What is a webbook or netbook?

Webbooks and netbooks, such as the very popular Asus Eee PC are a new type of laptop which are deisgned to be ideal for using the internet whilst out and about.  They are typically about 30% smaller than a typical laptop with slightly lower specifications including smaller displays, less powerful processors and smaller hard drives.  They are ideal for browsing the internet, email, updating documents and social networking on the move but they are not designed for more complex applications such as image or video editing programmes.  Be sure to check out the detailed list of features before buying.

Compare mobile broadband free laptop deals

Mobile Phone Contracts with Free Laptops

Orange yesterday announced it’s latest ‘connected laptop’, the Eee PC 901.  This time round the 3G connectivity is built in to the laptop instead of having to use a separate modem.  This is more convenient, with no chance of losing or accidentally breaking the usual usb modem stick.  The software should be very robust too, fully integrated so there’s no need to go through the install and set-up pain. Simple and easy to get online whilst on the move.

For those of you new to the Eee PC its part of a new category of so called ’sub-notebook’ or ‘web book’ laptops that are designed to be small, cheap and portable. To achieve this they have a lower specification than normal laptops which means that they are ideal for web browsing, messaging and email on the move, but you’ll likely still need a desktop or full specification laptop at home or in the office.

The laptop itself is based on Intel’s Atom processor which is specifically designed for small and portable laptops.  It’s available in black and pink, the battery will last 5 hours and it weights on 1.1kg.

Asus Eee PC 901

Whilst this is great if you want to use your mobile broadband solely on the supplied laptop this package is no good if you intend sharing your mobile broadband connection across multiple computers. For instance, if you wanted mobile broadband internet access whilst taking the kids away to Grandma’s house, and the kids have their own laptops you’re better off getting a deal that includes a separate modem, with or without a laptop bundled in.

Now the Bank of England has dropped the base rate of interest and everyone’s mortgage is expected to fall you may be lucky enough to find one in your stocking this Christmas!

The Orange 3G connected Asus Eee PC is launched in mid-November.  Go to Orange’s website for more details.

O2 have re-launched their Mobile Broadband proposition, with original 3 GB of data per month package reduced to £15 and a new 10GB tariff coming in at £30 per month.

The re-launch of their propositions was apparently informed by a survey into mobile broadband users that found 20% of users weren’t getting the coverage they expected and 13% wanted a better cancellation policy.  Half apparently wanted WI-Fi hotspot access included.

Fortunate then that O2’s mobile broadband package includes Wi-Fi hotspot access via The Cloud and an improved coverage checker.  O2 have also launched a revised 50 day “Happiness Guarantee” in which you can cancel your contract if coverage sucks.

The new £15 price point, including Wi-Fi hotspot access, makes O2 Mobile Broadband one of the best products in the market.  Our review of O2’s Mobile Broadband rated the service 9 out of 10.

Read more about O2 Mobile Broadband at O2’s online store.

The recession is here.  Our credit is crunching.  Time to tighten our belts and save some spondulicks ready for Christmas.  I’ve written a guide to saving a few quid on your mobile phone bills.  From SIM Only deals that save you £10 a month to buying or selling a phone on eBay, we can all save a few quid on our mobile phone bill.