PriceDrop -- Engadget Mobile

Palm Pre price keeps sinking on Bell, down to $100

by Darren Murph posted Nov 7th 2009 @ 7:41PM

Just weeks after Palm's Pre sunk to CAD $149.95 on Bell, the outfit's first-ever webOS phone has now stooped to just CAD $99.95. That still requires a 3-year contract, of course, but man -- a single bill for a smartphone like the Pre? Anyone tossing out guesses on how long it takes Sprint to follow suit (and embarrass the Pixi)?

[Thanks, David]

Pre drops to $79.99 at Walmart

by Joshua Topolsky posted Sep 26th 2009 @ 1:09PM

Hey, thought that $99.99 Amazon deal for a Palm Pre was really snazzy? Well today, Walmart appears to go one better by cutting the smartphone's price down to a staggering $79.99 (on contract and with mail-in rebate). If prices keep going this low, you can probably expect the Pixi to show up for about nothing (zero, zip, zilch) sooner rather than later. If you've been looking for a deal to get into the Pre, this is it... but too bad if you dropped $200 a few months ago.

[Via everythingpre]

Palm Pre rumored to be dropping to $150 on September 8th

by Donald Melanson posted Sep 7th 2009 @ 6:42PM

We've already seen the Palm Pre dip below its $199 list price during a few limited, occasionally inadvertent sales, but it looks like it could soon be dropping well under the $200 mark for a slightly longer period of time -- at least if a purportedly legit leaked document is to be believed. According to PreCentral, the doc comes from someone working at a Sprint "indirect partner retail dealer," and quite clearly indicates that "indirect partners" will be able to sell the Pre for $149.99 (after a mail-in rebate) between September 8th and October 31st, 2009. Presumably, Sprint itself would also be offering the Pre for the same price during that time and, if the HTC Hero's $179.99 price tag on Sprint is any indication, there seems to be at least a decent chance that the price drop could eventually become a permanent one. Either way, we won't have to wait too long to see how this one pans out.

Verizon: Touch Diamond, Touch Pro now $99 with contract

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 3rd 2009 @ 2:23PM

Looks like Verizon's up to something (and we're not talking about Sholes). A quick trip over to VZW's site has confirmed that $99 -- and a two-year contract -- will land you just about any smartphone that they offer (one notable exception being the Samsung Saga), including HTC's Touch Pro and Touch Diamond. Could this mean that the new Touch Diamond2 and Touch Pro2 are soon to rear their pretty little heads? We'd be down with that.

Palm Pre drops to $99 at LetsTalk online store, for a limited time

by Paul Miller posted Aug 3rd 2009 @ 9:25AM

It's a limited time offer, and the handset is currently out of stock -- you'll have to wait a few days for delivery -- but cutesy online phone retailer LetsTalk is offering the Pre for a mere $99 after a $100 rebate and a $100 instant discount. This sort of price flexibility bodes well for the truly budget conscious eying this phone, though as demonstrated time and time again: you're saving a lot more in the long run with a cheap plan than a cheap phone, something that's been a lock since day one with the Pre.

[Via SlashGear]

Palm Pre drops to $99 at Best Buy (update: "error is being corrected," says Best Buy)

by Nilay Patel posted Jul 26th 2009 @ 1:40PM

Interesting -- just a couple days after Sprint CEO Dan Hesse told a conference that "it's too early to tell" if the Pre's a hit while talking about Android, the latest Best Buy ad shows Palm's baby on sale for just $99 on a two-year contract. That ought to spike some sales, but we'll see if its just a one-week special or a permanent drop before we start trying to read any tea leaves here -- anyone running out to grab one?

Update: Best Buy marketing manager John Bernier has chimed in via his Twitter account to say that the Pre is $199 and that the "error is being corrected." It'll be interesting to see if any lucky customers managed to nab the device for less than a Benjamin.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Hesse's comments
Read - $99 Pre at Best Buy

Verizon drops BlackBerry Storm price to $99.99 on contract

by Darren Murph posted Jul 18th 2009 @ 12:22PM

With all signs (and by "all," we mean "all") pointing to a new Storm joining Verizon Wireless' lineup in the not-too-distant future, it's just about the perfect time to start discounting the current model in hopes of working that inventory down before the inevitable launch of numero dos. Starting today, VZW customers can snap up the SurePress-equipped Storm 9530 for $99.99 on contract, which is a full Benjamin less than it has been since debuting last November. If you're looking for a word of advice on the situation, here's ours: hold out for the next revision -- you'll thank us later.

[Thanks, Cara]

Samsung Instinct S30 coming to Best Buy at $49.99

by Darren Murph posted Apr 16th 2009 @ 9:48AM

You never really know what to expect when fishing for a new phone at Best Buy Mobile. Go in one week, and you'll see a strikingly pink Instinct for a strikingly large amount; go in next week, and you'll see the miniaturized version of the original Instinct for under 50 bones. If a new flyer is to be believed, the Samsung Instinct S30 will be offered up for just $49.99 on contract at Best Buy, which is a whopping $80 less than what Sprint itself will supposedly ask for it on April 19th. Too good to be true? We're hoping not.

[Thanks, Kenny]

Gallery: Samsung Instinct S30 coming to Best Buy at $49.99

Verizon Wireless sinks Samsung Omnia to $99 on contract

by Darren Murph posted Feb 17th 2009 @ 7:12PM

Samsung's Omnia stayed at its original $249.99 for an amazing six days on Verizon Wireless before dropping to $199.99. Two months later, it's down to $99.99 when purchased on a two year contract. Why the drop, you ask? Oh, we don't know -- probably because it looks totally antiquated when sized up against the recently unveiled OmniaHD. Just call it a hunch.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

T-Mobile lowers price of G1 admission in the UK to better compete

by Darren Murph posted Dec 3rd 2008 @ 7:44AM

If you were a bit taken aback by the £40 ($59) monthly tariff required to take the G1 home for free, apparently you weren't alone. T-Mobile has hacked that requirement down to £30 ($44) per month, and while the carrier itself has said that it's not a reaction to poor sales, industry analysts are saying otherwise. In fact, a company spokesperson even states that it has chosen to "offer the device free with a £30 contract to make the pricing more competitive in light of recent device launches," even though it is "well on track to achieve [its] sales forecasts." Whatever the agenda, we're all about getting phones into hands for less, so three cheers all around. Except for you early adopters... bummer, eh?

[Via Pocket-lint]

T-Mobile G1 coming to Walmart for $148.88

by Darren Murph posted Oct 28th 2008 @ 11:58AM

Well, now isn't this something? Best Buy has its fancy little iPhone 3G, but it'll be Wally World offering up the G1 outside of official T-Mobile outlets. As we'd heard yesterday, 550 Walmart stores across the country will begin selling the Android-powered handset beginning tomorrow, and folks who opt to pick one up here versus a traditional T-Mob store will save $31.11. Yep -- according to company spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien, the new / upgrade-eligible customer price for a Walmart-sourced G1 will be just $148.88 with a 2-year agreement. Wait, what? You already purchased your G1 at the full price? They always said the early bird pays the premium... or something along those lines.

Sprint drops Phone-as-Modem plan to $15 per month, adds stipulations

by Darren Murph posted Aug 21st 2008 @ 4:58PM

So there's good news and bad news, and we're not even giving you the option of choosing which you'd prefer to hear first (hint: it's the good). Sprint has dropped the price of its Phone-as-Modem plan (capped at 5GB monthly) to just $15 per month. Now, the rest of the story. First off, you must own a Power Vision phone with connection capabilities to a laptop. Next -- unlike the old PAM plan which ran $49.99 / month all by itself -- this "attachable plan" requires you to have another data plan already on your account. For instance, the BlackBerry Personal Pack ($30 / month) or the Worldwide Data Plan ($70 / month). In the end, it looks as if tethering in and of itself got cheaper, but those newfound strings that are reportedly attached will likely cause some frustration.

[Via phonescoop]

Palm Centro drops to $70 on contract with AT&T

by Darren Murph posted Jul 11th 2008 @ 4:35PM

Remember how we told you to expect some totally edge-of-your-seat, riveting price news in regard to Palm's Centro? Yeah, how's about $30 off? Presumably in conjunction with the iPhone 3G launch, AT&T has hacked the Palm Centro down to $70 after rebates (from $100) with a two-year agreement. There's no telling if the new price will sashay on over to those CDMA carriers or not, but we've got our fingers crossed real tight.

[Via Electronista]

O2 slashing �100 from 8GB iPhone in UK

by Darren Murph posted Apr 15th 2008 @ 10:30AM

The whispers are true, or so it seems. According to Stuff, O2 is getting set to one-up T-Mobile's price cutting affair in Germany by hacking a full £100 from the 8GB iPhone in the UK (bringing it down to £169). Better still, the discount will apply regardless of which contract selection you make, whereas T-Mobile forced users to sign the dotted line on a pricey Complete XL plan. Unfortunately, the lower sticker only applies to the 8GB version -- the 16GB model will remain £329 -- but anyone who sprung for one of the former iterations within the last month will receive an "Ultimate Price Promise" £100 refund voucher. Before you dash out to cash in, it should be noted that the deal is set to expire come June -- and we certainly don't have to remind you what that could mean.

Update: O2 just made it official.

[Via Mobile Today, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Discontented iPhone owner sues AT&T, Apple and Steve Jobs

by Darren Murph posted Sep 28th 2007 @ 9:07PM

Rather than simply suing Apple, Steve Jobs or AT&T individually, Dongmei Li decided to throw all three under the bus. The suit, which was reportedly filed this week in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, accused the trio of "price discrimination, underselling, discrimination in rebates, deceptive actions and other wrongdoings for their role in the September 5th price drop on the iPhone." As you'd expect, Li was one of the folks who waited hours on end to be one of the first iPhone owners, and apparently feels quite slighted by the slashing. Purportedly, the plaintiff is hoping to secure "compensatory damages in the amount of $1 million" in addition to other punitive damages, and if you're up for a good laugh, hit the read link to browse through quite a few (more) comical gripes.

[Thanks, Mark]