Broadband & free laptop explained

Free laptops give you the chance to break free of wires and the broadband providers listed above recognise the importance of this flexibility. Like the mobile phone, the mobile computer (laptop) has revolutionised the way we communicate online and, as broadband is essential to online communication, broadband and free laptops make an ideal coupling.

If the phrase free laptop makes you feel a bit suspicious then read on... As they say there's no such thing as a free lunch, there are charges associated with "free laptops" in that they are bundled in with mobile broadband. Hence while you don't pay upfront for the laptop you are paying a monthly fee for your broadband connection. As laptops are intended to be used on the go as well as at home, bundling them with mobile broadband deals makes sense.

Free laptop deals

Why limit your broadband use to your home? The packages offered by 3, T-Mobile, Vodafone and Orange mean that you can connect to the internet at broadband speeds no matter where you are (subject to mobile phone coverage). To find out the mobile broadband coverage in your area click onto the providers pages and enter your postcode.

The free laptop deals above come with a free USB modem (either a USB dongle or a USB stick) that can be plugged straight into the USB slot of your laptop to connect to the internet wirelessly wherever you are. The USB modems are small and discreet and ready to go within two days of ordering. Some also now come with broadband built in, for example Vodafone offer a broadband built in deal - actually removing the need for a dongle at all.

Even if you are going on holiday you can bring your mobile broadband and free laptop with you and you won't have to miss a thing. Additionally, there is no need for a landline connection when you're using mobile broadband so forget paying £11 a month!

Broadband and free laptop savings

Considering the amount that the laptops on offer are worth (upwards of £400) there are genuine savings to be made by combining your laptop with a home or mobile broadband purchase, plus it's so easy and quick to get a new laptop without a big lump sum to pay. As most free laptop deals are on 18 to 24 month contracts, you are given the time you need to pay off the laptop deal without paying excessive charges in interest.

Free laptops with in-built broadband

Mobile broadband providers Vodafone and Orange have bypassed the trend of offering laptops with external USB modems by offering netbooks with built-in mobile broadband. This takes the hassle out of using your free laptop to connect to the internet, with nothing to plug in, your mobile broadband experience can become more seamless than ever.

Compare all netbooks with inbuilt mobile broadband built-in broadband laptops

Who are free laptops for?

• Students
• Business people
• Technology fanatics
• Anyone who wants more from their broadband package

Mobile broadband and free laptops

Getting a free laptop with your mobile broadband is very similar to getting a free phone with a mobile phone SIM card. Mobile broadband is especially suited to laptop users as it requires no external power source and can get reception anywhere there is mobile phone coverage. Mobile broadband free laptop deals are a great way to save money on both broadband and laptop purchasing, making them a winning combination for both customer and broadband provider. A free laptop deal is becoming the default way to get mobile broadband for many.

To compare all mobile broadband packages click here mobile broadband

Free laptop providers:

• 3 - there are a number of free laptop deals on offer when it comes to 3, going through the Carphone Warehouse, you can get a free Acer Aspire laptop. Alternatively, you buy your laptop via 3 and choose from the Compaq CQ60, Acer 6920 and Toshiba L350 laptop models to find the best free laptop for you.
• Vodafone - offer a number of free laptop deals including their bestselling Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook from £20 a month and their latest deal the Acer Aspire 5355 laptop deal coming in at £40 a month.
• T-Mobile - are currently offering free HP 6735s and Asus Eee PC 904 HD laptops with mobile broadband deals
• Orange - are currently offering the a range of free laptop offers, at £25 a month you can get Orange mobile broadband and a free 10.2" webbook.

Free laptops on offer

• Acer Aspire 5315 laptop
• Webbook 10.2
• HP 550 laptop
• HP 2133 laptop
• HP DV6000 laptop
• Acer TravelMate 5320
• Asus Eee PC900
• Fujitsu Siemens V5535
• Compaq A975
• Asus Eee 904

Acer Aspire 5315 laptop

This laptop is available to those choosing AOL Broadband, 3 and T-Mobile packages.

Specifications

• Intel Celeron M530 Santa Rosa
• Memory:1GB RAM
• Hard Drive: 80GB Hard Disk Drive
• Optical Drive: DVD SuperMulti, CD/DVD reader/writer for all types of CD/DVD discs
• Connectivity: Wireless LAN B/G, 3 x USB 2.0 Ports

Compatibility:

Windows Vista Basic: Additional Software: Acer Empowering Technology, Acer Arcade, Norton Internet Security Trial, Adobe Reader, NTI CD Maker

• Display Size: 15.4" WXGA TFT Display with Acer CrystalBrite technology

Webbook 10.2

This laptop is available with Orange mobile broadband, to compare all Orange's mobile broadband deals click here Orange mobile broadband

Features

• Processor: VIA C7-M
• Clock speed: 1.6Ghz
• Battery life: up to 2.5hrs
• Memory: 512Mb
• Hard drive: 80Gb
• Display: 10.2" widescreen
• Wireless enabled
• 1 year warranty
• 3 USB ports
• Weight 2.8Kg

Operating system:

Genuine Microsoft Windows XP

Software

Microsoft Outlook express Microsoft Windows firewall Microsoft Windows Media Player

Asus Eee PC 900

This laptop is free with Orange mobile broadband, direct on the Orange site. At just £25 this is truely a bargain.

Asus Eee PC 900 16GB Win

• Windows XP
• Wireless enabled
• 1024Mb RAM
• Battery life 2.5 hrs
• 8.9" screen
• 2 year warranty
• Weight 0.99kg
• Laptop worth £299

HP 550 laptop

This laptop is available with 3 mobile broadband, to compare all 3's mobile broadband deals click here 3 mobile broadband

• 15.4-inch business notebook

• Intel mobile processors, Core 2 Duos and Celerons.

• Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics
• Up to 4GB of memory
• Up to 250GB of hard drive storage
• Combo optical drive or DVD burner

• Screen resolution of 1280×800 pixels

• 802.11 wireless

• Ethernet LAN
• 56k modem
• Pptional Bluetooth
• Three USB ports
• ExpressCard slot
• VGA output.

Weight: 5.5 lb Operating system: Windows Vista

HP 2133 laptop

This laptop is available with 3 mobile broadband, to compare all 3's mobile broadband deals click here 3 mobile broadband

Weight: 2.63 lb (1.19 kg) Dimensions: 255 x 165 x 27 mm

Operating System:

• Genuine Windows Vista Business 32
• Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic 32
• Genuine Windows Vista® Business with downgrade to Windows® XP Professional custom installed
• SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10
• FreeDOS

Display size 8.9-inch diagonal WXGA

Graphics VIA Chrome 9

HP DV6910 laptop

This laptop is available with 3 mobile broadband, to compare all 3's mobile broadband deals click here 3 mobile broadband

• Monitor: 15.4″ widescreen with HP BrightView
• NVIDIA nForce Go 430 chipset - NVIDIA GeForce Go 7200 - NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 graphics with AMD processors

Connectivity

• Integrated wireless support for 802.11 b/g (configurable)
• Wireless LAN
• Bluetooth

Features

• 3 x USB 2.0 ports on select models
• ExpressCard/54 slot
• DDR II SDRAM
• Integrated Altec Lansing stereo speakers
• 60 GB plus more
• 1 x IEEE1394 / FireWire port
• 5-in-1 media card
• Two omni-directional microphones (integrated camera)

Operating system:

• Microsoft Windows XP Pro SP2
• Microsoft Windows XP Home SP2

Acer TravelMate 5320

This travel laptop comes free with T-Mobile's excellent mobile broadband packages.

• TM5320-101G12Mi
• Intel® Celeron® M processor 540 (1.86GHz)
• Vista Home Premium
• 15.4" WXGA LCD TFT
• Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator
• 1GB (2*512MB) DDR2
• 120 GB hard disk drive
• DVD-Super Multi
• Gigabit Ethernet
• 802.11BG WLAN
• 5-in-1 card reader
• 6 Cell Battery
• 0.3MP Camera
• 1 year collect & return International Traveller warranty

Through exclusive Phones 4 U deals you can get these laptops free with either Orange or Vodafone mobile broadband:

Toshiba L300 Laptop

Features include:

• 15.4" display
• Intel Celeron 560 Processor
• 1GB Ram
• 120GB Hard Drive
• DVD-RW
• Vista Home Premium

Toshiba L350 Laptop

Features include:

• 17" display
• Dual Core T2370 Processor
• 2GB Ram
• 120GB Hard Drive
• DVD-RW
• Vista Home Premium

Sony NR32 Laptop

Features include:

• 15.4" display
• Intel Dual Core T2370
• 2GB Ram
• 200GB Hard Drive
• DVD-RW
• Vista Home Premium.

Sony FW11E Laptop

Features include:

• 16.4" display
• Intel Core 2 Duo P8400
• 3GB Ram
• 250GB Hard Drive
• DVD-RW
• Vista Home Premium.

Technical specifications:

• 8.9inch LCD screen
• 1.6GHZ Intel® Atom Processor
• Microsoft® Windows® XP Operating System with Microsoft® Works
• 1GB Ram
• 8GB SSD hard drive (+ built-in card reader allowing memory expansion)
• Weighs less than 1KG
• Integrated Bluetooth™
• Just 9.1inches X 6.7 inches
• Wi-Fi enabled
• Integrated Webcam

Fujitsu Siemens V5535

The Fujitsu Siemens V5535 is available from Phones for you with both Vodafone and Orange laptops, bringing you mobile broadband on the go.

Product Description: Fujitsu Siemens ESPRIMO Mobile V5535 - C 550 2 GHz - 15.4" TFT

• Dimensions (WxDxH): 36 cm x 26 cm x 3.9 cm
• Weight: 2.7 kg
• System Type: Notebook
• Built-in Devices: Stereo speakers, wireless LAN aerial
• Processor: Intel Celeron 550 / 2 GHz
• Cache Memory: 1 MB - L2 Cache
• RAM: 1 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 667 MHz
• Hard Drive: 120 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
• Optical Storage: DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM - integrated
• Display: 15.4" TFT 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
• Graphics Controller: SiS Mirage 3+
• Memory Allocation Technology: Shared Video Memory (UMA)
• Audio Output: Sound card
• Networking: Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
• Input Device: Keyboard, touchpad
• Power: AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
• Battery: Lithium Ion
• Run Time (Up To): 1.33 hour(s)
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic
• Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year warranty

Are you thinking that it's about time to get a new laptop? Why not stop shelving the idea and choose one of the mobile or home broadband with free laptop packages above and kill two birds with one stone?

To find out about the latest developments in broadband and laptop technology, check out our guide - Built-in broadband laptops explained

To compare all mobile broadband deals click here mobile broadband