If you walked into the right RadioShack store in San Jose this weekend, you could get an Acer Aspire “netbook” computer for free. The catch: You would have to sign a two-year contract for mobile Internet service from AT&T, at $60 a month plus an activation fee. That particular deal was set to end last week. But wireless phone companies are betting that plenty of people will be willing to pay $200 to $300, and commit to spending $1,000 or more over the next two years, for a downsized, lightweight netbook that they can use to surf the Web wherever they go. Whether that's a good deal depends on what kind of computer you want, and how you want to use it.

Both Verizon and AT&T have begun selling netbooks the same way they sell mobile phones offering a steeply discounted price for the device when bundled with a one- or two-year wireless agreement. Customers pay a monthly wireless charge based on how many megabytes of data they send or receive on their netbooks, much as they pay for minutes of talking on a phone. It's a strategy that builds on the primary reason why netbook sales have surged since the first models came on the market last year: Consumers see them as a cheap and convenient alternative to full-size laptops, especially when it comes to accessing the Internet or checking e-mail on the go.