EarthLink Offers $69.99 Subsidized PC?

This certainly caught me a bit off guard! Apparently Earthlink and Xandros have struck a deal that is just perfect for those new computer users who are considering getting online for the first time. Why not do it with Linux?

The subsidized PC is back.

Xandros and EarthLink said Thursday that customers who sign up for Earthlink’s premium dial-up service can purchase a Microtel Pc for only $69.99, which comes bundled with a Xandros
Linux operating system.

Users also have the option of purchasing a notebook PC for $399, loaded with the same bundle of service. Earthlink’s service is priced at $21.99 a month, or $239.40 annually.

The EarthLink deal allows a user to purchase either an AMD Sempron 2200+-based PC with 256 MB of RAM, a 40 GB hard drive and a 52x CD-ROM for $69.99, or upgrade to a $511 Athlon 64 3200+ PC, with 256MB of RAM, 120GB hard drive, and a 16x double-layer DVDRW/CDRW combo drive. Notebook prices with the rebate range from $399 for a 14.1″ VIA C3-based machine to $1,433.50 for an Intel Pentium 4 3.0GHz processor and 17″ screen. [Read the rest]