Website promises $98 netbooks

The name of the website, 98dollarnetbook.com, says it all.

For $98, plus $15 shipping, you can get a small, weak netbook dubbed the "Smartbook 7."

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Don't get your hopes up on specs. The computer has a 300 MHz processor, 128 MB of RAM, 2 GB of flash storage and a 7-inch, 800-by-480 resolution screen. The two-cell battery lasts for two hours on a charge. You're basically getting an oversized smartphone in terms of raw power, but at a killer price.

On the bright side, the Smartbook 7 includes three USB ports, an SD card slot, built-in 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, an ethernet jack, speakers, headphone out and microphone in. Plus, it's available in five colors: Black, white, pink, red and green. A one-year warranty is included.

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The Smartbook 7 is being sold by a company I've never heard of, called ITA Computers. However, Liliputing spoke to the company, and learned that the manufacturer of these dirt-cheap netbooks is the same one that made the Delstar 7-inch netbook, which K-Mart sold for $120 on Black Friday last year. That computer was very similar to the Smartbook 7, but with a slightly better processor (400 MHz).

The last time I saw a sub-$100 laptop was in December, when Cherrypal began talking up its Africa netbook. Again, it's a 7-inch netbook with 400 MHz processor running Windows CE. At the time, I ran into some issues getting to an order page for the site, which made me skeptical of the whole idea. Cherrypal's online store appears to be operating smoothly, but you need to create an account with the site to order.

98dollarnetbook's Web is fully-functional, but sparse. I can't see any way to pay for the computer besides PayPal, but that's better than nothing. I can't say I'm curious enough to step into what would probably feel like the stone age of computing, but it's good to know that the option is there.

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