Microsoft Giddy Over T-Mobile Netbook Launch

For $199.99 with a two-year contract and Webconnect data plan, T-Mobile customers will receive a Dell Inspiron Mini 10 netbook, which comes with Windows 7 Starter edition and an Intel Atom N450 processor. It'll run on T-Mobile's new High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+) network, a 3G network upgrade that the carrier claims is three to five times faster than what Verizon and AT&T currently offer.

Microsoft, whose mantra has been that Windows 7 works well on smaller devices such as netbooks, sees this as a perfect opportunity for proving its point.

"T-Mobile's new offer is a great example of how a PC running Windows 7 with an 'always-connected' 3G mobile broadband service can open up a new world of mobile possibilities," said Brandon LeBlanc, communications manager on the Windows Client Team, in a Tuesday blog post.

Verizon, AT&T and Sprint already sell Windows 7 netbooks, so why is Microsoft so gung ho about T-Mobile getting into the act? Given the tumultuous recent history between the two companies, it's a miracle they're even on speaking terms.

Last October, a server failure in Microsoft's Danger subsidiary caused a number of T-Mobile Sidekick subscribers to lose personal data such as address book contacts and calendar entries, and T-Mobile had to halt Sidekick sales for more than a month. Although the glitch was Microsoft's fault, angry Sidekick owners blamed T-Mobile, and the situation became a PR nightmare for the carrier.

The good news for T-Mobile is that Windows 7 seems to work as advertised. The carrier expects its revamped HSPA Plus to reach 180 million U.S. consumers by year's end, and the network is already available in the New York City area as well as Washington, D.C. and suburbs.