Best Buy, Prodigy join cheap PC fray

Best Buy Co. and Prodigy Communications Corp. have plans to expand their offers of a $400 rebate toward a PC purchase for users that sign up for a three-year Internet service plan.

The move follows in the wake of America Online's just-announced rebate package that gives consumers a $400 refund on eMachines Inc. systems - which start at $399 - when they sign up for a three-year Internet service plan.

Microsoft is also getting into the act, offering new MSN service constomers $400 credits toward PCs bought at Staples Inc. and Microcenter Inc.

The story appears online at

www.zdnn.com .