Vodafone’s $0 Dell netbook isn’t free - it’s $720

It appears that some of early reports are a bit wayward on the pricing of the newly-announced package.

The plan announced by Vodafone yesterday costs a minimum of $69.95 per month.

This is broken down into two payments - $39.95 for a 5GB mobile broadband plan, and a $30.00 repayment for the Dell netbook.

Over 24 months, that puts the Dell netbook at a total cost of $720.00.

However, in good news for ultra mobile users, the offer is the first time that a 3G modem has been embedded within the netbook chassis itself.

The addition makes it cost a bit more than the standard Inspiron Mini 9, which Dell is currently offering online for $549.00.

Reports first surfaced back in September that Dell was considering a version of the netbook with space for a carrier to add a 3G modem under the hood.

The special versions of the Inspiron will not be available outside their bundles, according to a Vodafone statement.

“The Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook that is supplied by Dell to Vodafone is not for individual sale by Vodafone without a Vodafone Mobile Broadband plan,” the statement reads.

The Inspiron Mini 9 runs Windows XP SP3 and boasts a glossy 8.9 inch LED display, 1.3 mega pixel webcam, memory card reader, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 16GB solid state drive (SSD) storage.

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