The Gateway LT2016u s basically an Acer Aspire One D250 netbook in Gateway clothing. And we’ve already seen plenty of reviews of the D250. But what makes the Gateway LT2016u stand out is that it’s sold in the US by Verizon for as little as $150 up front when you sign up for a long term service contract. And it includes a 3G modem for connecting to Verizon’s wireless broadband network.
Laptop Magazine has posted a detailed review of the Gateway netbook. Like the Acer Aspire One D250, it gets pretty good battery life when connected to a WiFi Network. Laptop found the netbook ran for over 6 hours with a 6 cell battery. The 3G modem will drain battery life more quickly, but Laptop still squeezed more than 4.5 hours of battery life out of the LT2016u when connected to 3G. That makes this 3G netbook one of the best you’ll find from any US carrier when it comes to battery life.
Of course, you’ll still have to shell out $40 to $60/month over the next two years to get the laptop for that $150 up front price. And that makes this a pretty expensive netbook if you weren’t already planning on signing up for 3G access.