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		Pay Now	Monthly price	Contract	Speed	Downloads
1	548 reviewsSamsung NC110»	FREE Worth £279	£36.41/mth	24 months	7.2Mbmax speed	15 GBper month	Go Check coverage>
		Offer: Up to £150 trade in for your old laptop Extras: 10.1" display, 1GB memory, 250GB hard drive and Windows 7 Starter. 150 text messages/mth included. Includes FREE Standard dongle.
2	548 reviewsSamsung NC110»	FREE Worth £279	£37.43/mth	24 months	7.2Mbmax speed	15 GBper month	Go Check coverage>
		Offer: Up to £150 trade in for your old laptop Extras: 10.1" display, 1GB memory, 250GB hard drive and Windows 7 Starter. 150 text messages/mth included. Includes FREE Premium dongle HSPA+ (up to 21Mb); rotating head allows dongle to sit vertically for increased efficiency.
3	548 reviewsSamsung NC110»	£69 Worth £279	£26.20/mth	24 months	7.2Mbmax speed	15 GBper month	Go Check coverage>
		Extras: 10.1" display, 1GB memory, 250GB hard drive and Windows 7 Starter. 150 text messages/mth included. Includes FREE Standard dongle.
4	548 reviewsSamsung NC110»	£69 Worth £279	£27.22/mth	24 months	7.2Mbmax speed	15 GBper month	Go Check coverage>
		Extras: 10.1" display, 1GB memory, 250GB hard drive and Windows 7 Starter. 150 text messages/mth included. Includes FREE Premium dongle HSPA+ (up to 21Mb); rotating head allows dongle to sit vertically for increased efficiency.

Buyers' Guide: Free Netbooks

Laptop computers have been around for ages, but a more recent newcomer to the world of computing has been the netbook or like in many deals the 'free netbook.' In the last three years or so these dinky little mini laptop devices have become hugely popular, and now that many of the mobile broadband providers have seen this they've been quick to offer a free netbook as part of a package.

In a nutshell, a netbook is a small laptop. Screen sizes tend to be around 10 inches, rather than around 16, so they fill a nice gap between laptops and the new breed of smartphones (which tend to have a three to four inch screen). Netbooks tend to have the functionality of a laptop, but with less processing power and memory for storage.

So as you'll see from our comparison table above, there's no shortage of options when it comes to free netbook deals with some really good little machines being available for absolutely nothing, just as long as you sign up for a contract period that is. Even if you’re not too bothered about getting a netbook for free, you'll still find that there are some really good deals out there, which our buyers guide comparison table will reveal. Not only can you compare prices and find out which is the cheapest, but you can narrow down your search to specific characteristics of your required laptop internet service. You can also read current 3G broadband customers reviews' to find out about their netbook with wireless broadband experience. All of this should enable you to make an informed decision over what netbook deal or 3G internet package you want to buy and from which UK provider (Vodafone, 3 Mobile, O2, T-Mobile, Orange).

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Is a netbook for 'free' worth it?

In reality, the free netbook isn't 'free' - it's more like a hire purchase scheme. However, you spread the payments over the length of the deal, which can be really handy if you don't have access to a large sum up front. The fact that a contract runs across a fixed term will also allow you to spread out the cost of the machine and a mobile broadband package, so you're less likely to feel any real financial pain in one go.

There are plenty of free netbooks around these days, with models from many of the major computer manufacturers now making it into the free netbook deals offers that you'll see in our comparison charts. When you see the prices quoted for what the machines would cost if you bought them on their own then, they look like pretty good deals - and often are.

Remember though that you may well pay a little bit more for the contract over, say, 24 months than if you just went out and bought a netbook independently. Nevertheless, if you’re looking to get mobile broadband, with all of its convenience, then free netbook offers can be one of the best ways of getting online while also picking up a new machine.

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What's the appeal of a free netbook?

A free netbook deal offers a refreshing slant of the whole world of mobile computing. We all know what a useful addition to your online arsenal a mobile broadband package can be, mainly because it allows you to take your internet and email with you on the go. Thanks to increasingly powerful mobile networks throughout this country, there are now plenty of places that you can browse the web or send emails, just as long as you’ve got a laptop to do it with.

The mobile broadband netbook setup does exactly the same thing, but via a machine that is much smaller than a traditionally sized laptop computer. Initially, there were hardly any mobile broadband network providers offering free netbook deals, but now it’s possible to get a free netbook with a netbook mobile broadband add-on from most of the major players.

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What to look for in free netbook deals

The main appeal of a mobile broadband free netbook is certainly its smaller size, and therefore weight - it just makes taking your mobile broadband on the move that much easier. Some laptops can become a real hindrance if you’re doing any kind of travelling, and in many cases you don’t really need the extra computing power that comes with one if you’re simply away from home and need to access the internet or email.

A free netbook with mobile broadband machine will probably have a less impressive technical specification compared to many of the bigger laptop counterparts, but today’s netbooks now come with a decent processor, acceptable levels of RAM and a hard disk that will be more than adequate for mobile internet requirements. They may not be a replacement for your main machine at home either, but when it comes to having online access without the inconvenience then looking at free netbooks with mobile broadband can be a great place to start.

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Free netbooks and contract options

Spend some time first working out what you want to do with your free netbook deal once you get it, and then use our comparison table to select the different package variations. You'll see that we’ve covered the main aspects of free netbook deals, such as any cost up front, the monthly price and contract length, along with the download limits.

Pricewise you won’t have to worry too much if you spot any of the free netbooks with mobile broadband offers that'll give you a machine for nothing in return for signing on the dotted line for a fixed period of time. Free netbook deals can be very similar to traditional mobile broadband packages, so you can expect contract lengths of 18 or more usually 24 months in order to bag one of the free netbook deals.

You'll see in our comparison table that numerous free netbooks now come with built-in mobile broadband and that’s a very handy addition because it means that you no longer need the services of mobile broadband dongles. Where a free netbook doesn’t come with online access functionality built-in you'll need a mobile broadband dongle in order to bridge the gap between the mobile broadband signal and your machine.

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Free netbooks and performance

When it comes to speed of service then netbooks are no different to any other device that accesses the mobile broadband networks. Services can be patchy, and occasionally a little erratic. This is down to numerous factors, but popular issues that can cause mobile broadband to be a little temperamental is lack of or poor coverage along with the amount of network traffic or other users tapping into it at any one time. However, things are getting better all the time as the networks improve their 3G coverage.

It’s a good idea to use the coverage checkers on the top right hand side of the comparison table to check what sort of quality you can hope to get from the free netbook deals that you’re interested in. Spend some time doing this before you sign up for a deal and it could pay dividends in the long run. There's not much pointing in feeling pleased with yourself as you bag a mobile broadband netbook if there's virtually no coverage where you're planning on using it.

Netbook mobile broadband can be affected by coverage factors just like any other mobile service, such as your phone, so this is an important factor to consider before buying. 

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Free netbooks buying advice

Some people will tell you that all netbooks are much of a muchness, and while they all tend to follow a similar specification, basically being a slimmed down version of the traditional laptop, different brands have different appeal. You'll find the mobile broadband providers will normally offer several different options for the free netbook deals on show.

Some machines could run a different operating system to the one you might be familiar with though. Cheap models in the free netbooks marketplace may well come with an operating system, such as Linux. These operating systems tend to be less bulky, leaving more memory for other tasks. Also, they still compare nicely to the more traditional Windows software on many of the other machines found under the mobile broadband netbook banner - it may just take a little getting used to. Check the reviews of different models and compare what fellow consumers say to get a better idea of the differences.

If you get the chance, try out a free netbook before you buy it, or at least have a go on an equivalent machine in a local electronics shop. Netbooks with mobile broadband are a great way of getting online while you’re on the go, but screen sizes are smaller and the keyboards can be even more diminutive than traditional laptop layouts. You may try a free netbook and realise at this point that it's not going to be for you. However, you'll normally find you get better deals online through a site such as Broadband Genie, while getting the benefit of the UK's distance selling regulations - you can return a product if not completely satisfied with seven working days as well as enjoying the best prices. 

But there’s no doubting the instant appeal of having a small, lightweight free netbook deal for allowing you to stay in touch with the online world, no matter where you happen to be heading.

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Free netbooks have limitations

While a free netbook deal can be a great idea for anyone wanting to access their online interests while on the move, the netbook isn’t going to be an ideal choice for everyone. These small machines do have their limitations, and while a decent specification will be enough to keep most free netbook offers useful for the duration of a contract term, anyone with more demanding requirements will find them limiting.

A netbook computer isn’t really deigned with heavyweight uses in mind, such as online gaming, downloading and storing large chunks of data, such as TV shows, movies and the like or running large and unwieldy business applications. So in that respect getting a notebook for free might not be much use if you’ve got those sort of punishing tasks in mind for it.

However, if you simply need to get online access for web browsing, emailing and social networking chores then free netbooks with mobile broadband can be perfect for the task. By using our comparison table above you'll quickly be able to get an overview of what sort of package you'll need to sign up for in order to enjoy one of the best free netbook deals, including those from the likes of Acer, Asus, Compaq, Dell. HP and Samsung. A lot of that also depends on your usage needs but by shopping around for the best deas and offers on everything from the cheapest models to the premium products will ensure that you locate the perfect netbook before you buy.

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