Review: Claro Netbook and Service

Claro, among the top 5 largest mobile phone companies in the World and over 190 million customers, has been the first company to bring netbooks to the Jamaican market. They graciously provided me with one for 2 days so that I could write a review, similar to what I had done with their 3G Huawei modem. My review is split into shorter reviews of the hardware, service and pricing.

The Hardware

Claro has chosen to initially offer the Dell Inspiron Mini and like Henry Ford famous said, “You can get in any colour as long as it is black”. The specs of the netbook are more than adequate for most of the work one would expect to do on a netbook. A 10.1″ WSVGA and HD display, 1.3 GHz Intel Atom processor, 3 USB ports, HDMI out, 1.35 megapixel camera, ethernet port, 160 GB 5400RPM hard drive, 1GB of RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a multitouch trackpad.

The best part is that it comes with a SIM card slot in the back and this is where your Claro SIM card that allows Internet access will be found. The software is serviceable: Windows XP, McAfee Security Center and Microsoft Works 9. I had no problem opening my various WORD, Excel and Powerpoint documents using Works. Their are differences of course but it is good that you do not need to purchase a second copy of Office or the external CD/DVD drive to load your current copy of Word on it.

The keyboard felt full-size but the trackpad did leave me wanting more. Once I got used to the sensitivity of the pad it was much easier to use the netbook.

The Service

The Inspiron Mini comes with a slot in the back behind the battery for the SIM card. It was easy to access even though there should be no reason to remove it at all since the SIM card cannot be used for voice calls (yes you can take it out and out in your iPhone then connect to the web but why would you have an iPhone without data in the first place?). I previously tested the Claro 3G service in Jamaica using the Huawei modem and had no problem getting 3G around most of the island and even at Lime Cay. The netbook uses the exact same service and I found it liberating to walk with the netbook to meetings instead of my full-size laptop and 3G modem.

Claro is also planning to add many more towers to Jamaica so the service will only get better. The speed continues to surprise me and the netbook delivered my HD videos over the network without stuttering when I demoed it in Kingston to my family (my mother now wants one since everyone else in the house has a laptop).

The Price

The single most important part of the decision equation is the cost and Claro has not only made it affordable, they have brought developed-world thinking to this new product/service combination. Some people notice the J$49,999 plus tax in the ads but most see the “Free with a 3,000 postpaid data contract”. That is not entirely true as there are actually THREE ways to get this netbook for free!

Option 1 - Data 5000 Plan
Details: 2 year contract, Deposit: J$7,875 (no tax), Monthly fee: J$4,500 + tax
Data: 5000 MB per month then 90 cents/MB after

Option 2 - Data 3000 Plan
Details: 3 year contract, Deposit: J$6,750 (no tax), Monthly fee: J$3,000 + tax
Data: 3000 MB per month then $3/MB after

Option 3 - Data Unlimited Plan
Details: 3 year contract, Deposit: J$7,000 (no tax), Monthly fee: J$3,500 + tax
Data: 3000 MB per month of 3G then drops to EDGE after, no cap

Naturally option 3 is the only real option for anyone actually wanting to use this for connectivity outside of wi-fi locations. 3GB and 5GB are used up pretty quickly watching videos on Netflix, YouTube and elsewhere (I know Netflix is not officially available outside the USA but I still watch the movies right here in Jamaica and I know other people could easily do it if they knew how to).

Verdict:

If you already have a laptop it is better to buy the 3G modem because you save on the deposit and get the same service. However, if you do not have a laptop, this is the best deal available in Jamaica by far. Claro is undoubtedly going to dramatically increase the penetration of computers in Jamaica and grow the number of people accessing the web from home and not just work.

This is great for the various online entrepreneurs in Jamaica and the general population. Other companies made cellphones accessible to the masses and that helped some people to make more money and develop businesses but making computers and the Internet accessible to the masses positions Jamaica for an interesting future, a future in which the addressable market of Jamaicans going online is much larger, the number of online ventures started by Jamaicans has increased exponentially (all those university graduates who cannot find jobs take note) and Jamaican companies will be more inclined to really target the web for advertising.

All that is left now is for companies to begin setting up free wi-fi hotspots around the island. Emancipation Park would be a nice start.

Now I am gone to get one for my Mom. You can get more info here.

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