AT&T revamps stores, prepares for netbook rollout

AT&T said it completed a makeover of its carrier-owned retail stores across the country, just in time for a nationwide push of its netbooks.

The most noticeable part of the makeover is that AT&T's cell phones will now be put in power-enabled displays, allowing users to check out the phones' features. But the store reorganization also is part of an effort to prepare for AT&T's nationwide netbook rollout.

Indeed, AT&T announced it would start selling a handful of netbooks throughout its retail stories, including the Acer Aspire One, the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and the Lenovo S10. The carrier will sell the netbooks for $200 each, along with a $40 or $60 per month service plan. AT&T also will offer service and support for the devices, with prices from $99 for remote online support to $199 for in-home technical support.

The carrier announced in May that it would be selling netbooks nationwide at some point this summer. AT&T started trialing netbooks in Atlanta and Philadelphia in April. Verizon Wireless already offers netbooks in its retail outlets.

The retail remodeling is the latest effort by AT&T to polish its retail presence. The carrier started opening AT&T Experience stores last year to showcase the array of services it offered.

For more:
- see this release [1] and this [1]release [2]

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[6]AT&T Experience Stores gain steam [7]