intelex technologies: Sprint tries the subsidized netbook thing again with WiMAX-infused IdeaPad S205s

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Sprint tries the subsidized netbook thing again with WiMAX-infused IdeaPad S205s

Note to everyone: subsidized netbooks aren't a relic. Not quite yet, anyway. In what has to be one of the more bizarre launches of the year, Sprint has seemingly decided it wise to launch a $199.99 netbook with a mandatory two-year data contract, and better still, the 4G module within favors WiMAX. Just weeks after Sprint affirmed that it was over WiMAX phones, in flies a WiMAX netbook. Brilliant. For those unfazed, the IdeaPad S205s offers up an 11.6-inch panel (1366 x 768), a 1.33GHz dual-core Intel U5600 processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB hard drive, 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi module and a six-cell (4400mAh) battery good for around five hours of life. And just so we're clear: it's a netbook, supporting WiMAX (read: not LTE), and it costs $200 with a two-year data contract. And now, you know.