Asus adds 3G connection to Eee PC; Will carriers subsidize it?

Asus on Thursday said it is adding 3.75G wireless broadband support to it popular Eee PC in a move to lure carriers as partners.

In a statement, Asus said its Eee PC will no longer depend solely on hotspots for connections and that all 901 models made from October on will have wireless broadband support. Given my laptop blew up yesterday--long story--and my new one is having trouble connecting to my wireless card I can attest that the reliance on hotspots stinks.

The emerging trend with netbooks and mobile Internet devices--small computing devices that could compete with notebooks in emerging markets--is to add 3G support to make it easier to partner with wireless carriers. These carriers may wind up subsidizing netbooks and growing the market. Dell CEO Michael Dell pushed carrier subsidies last month. Given Dell's comments, it wasn't surprising when the company announced Vodafone would sell its Mini netbook in Europe.

Asus added that 3.75G Eee PC users will see download and upload speeds of 7.2 Mbps and 2 Mbps, respectively.