FLEXTRONICS TO BUILD TWO MILLION HP LAPTOPS AT DIRT-CHEAP RATES

Flextronics, the Singapore based design and manufacturing unit, has been producing consumer electronics goods for several years through a network spanning several countries. You may not have heard of the company but in all probability you have used a product they manufactured.

Now Flextronics has made headlines by inking a deal with HP for the production of 2 million netbooks at $45 per unit. Most manufacturers charge around $70 or more per unit. The deal, it seems, will force them into reducing their prices as well.

HP will save around $50 million on this order. But will their netbooks get cheaper? Well, there is no guarantee that HP will pass this savings on to the end user, but it might just happen.

SPRINT BEGIN SELLING DELL INSPIRON MINI 10 AT SUBSIDIZED RATES

US wireless carrier Sprint has started offering the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 at a subsidized price. To avail of this offer, customers have to sign up for a 2-year Sprint Mobile Broadband service plan. The laptop will cost $199.99 with the 2 year service contrast. The Inspiron Mini 10 starts at around $300. The model available at the subsidized price also has an internal EV-Do modem.

The Inspiron Mini 10 can now be purchased at the subsidized rate from stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul. It is not yet known when the offer will be available in other parts of the country.

Meanwhile, it seems Verizon also has plans to add a low-cost netbook to its 3G lineup. Unofficial sources claim that Verizon may soon start offering the Sony Vaio P at a subsidized price. If these rumors are indeed true the netbook could be available for as little as $299.99 with a long term wireless broadband contract.