HP wants to give away a few netbooks. The company is looking to push a tactic similar to those employed by wireless carriers in places like Taiwan--where you can pick up an ASUS EEE PC for $29, with a two-year contract with Far EasTone. That's a full $400 off the computer's standard price.

This method is used in both Asia and Europe, but has yet to make its way to the States. HP, however, wouldn't mind a bit of publicity for its $399 Mini 1000--or the $699 Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition (left), for that matter. Both models were introduced yesterday.

"The big picture for these netbooks is that kind of model," HP's Kevin Frost, told The Wall Street Journal. "That's the longer-term model."

Frost mentioned AT&T and Verizon as potential candidates.