HP To Give Major Netbook Discounts Through AT&T And Verizon

The netbook is such a hot commodity. And since HP has jumped on the bandwagon with their HP Mini 1000 and the Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition (pictured below), they've been looking to foreign markets, specifically wireless carriers, for ideas on giving discounts to further push their products.

So in Taiwan it seems that you can get an ASUS Eee PC for just $29. That is, with a two-year contract with Far EasTone. And while many people lament the contract, that is a $400 savings off of the computer!

With this model in mind, HP is now looking to bring the same idea stateside with their two new netbooks. The HP Mini 1000 is currently going for $399, while the Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition is priced at $699. Kevin Frost of HP told the Wall Street Journal that the long-term model for netbooks would be a deal like that in Asia and the UK where you'd sign up for a contract and get netbook for a significant discount. Verizon and AT&T were mentioned as potential candidates. But what I want to know is why hasn't anyone thought of this sooner?