Amazon -- Engadget Mobile

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Garmin nuvifone G60 going for $100 on Amazon

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 27th 2009 @ 9:53PM

You know what's insulting? Charging $300 for a nuvifone G60 in the year 2009. It's cool, though -- Amazon, as usual, is our knight in shining armor by swooping in with a $99.99 deal on contract, making the idea of a one-trick pony nav phone with a closed platform and hellish browser just a little more palatable. A big, fat caveat emptor still applies, of course.

Nokia E72 NAM up for $469 preorder on Amazon

by Chris Ziegler posted Oct 2nd 2009 @ 5:28PM

It's not hard to find Nokia users that believe the E71 is the finest S60 device (if not the finest device, period) that the company has ever made, so expectations for the E72 are at a stratospheric high. Impatience for a retail release is also at a stratospheric high, coincidentally, so Americans will be pleased to see that Amazon now has the unlocked North American version of the "zodium black" phone listed for $469 -- without a release date, unfortunately, so it's still a guessing game as to when these will actually be shipping out. All things considered, it's not a bad price for an unbranded phone of the E72's capabilities, but when you figure how easy it's been to find awesome deals on North American Nokias around the interwebs this year, it still might give some potential buyers pause -- just imagine if it were $299?

[Thanks, Ani]

Palm Pre going for a nice, round $100 on contract at Amazon

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 25th 2009 @ 3:51AM

This isn't the first time we've seen a Pre for $100, but coming from Amazon, the legitimacy level is at an all-time high. If you're up for a contract renewal, it begs the question why you wouldn't do this over... oh, pretty much anywhere else where you're still paying the recently-reduced $149 rate -- and it also makes you wonder just how much price pressure's going to be on the Pixi's diminutive shoulders by the time it launches.

[Via Gear Diary and everythingpre]

Samsung Omnia 2 pre-order page now live, tempting you with debt

by Ross Miller posted Sep 2nd 2009 @ 12:47AM

Here's the good news: the unlocked version of Samsung's I8000 Omnia 2 is now available for pre-order on Amazon, sporting quad-band GSM and HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100. Soaked that in? Great, let's move on to the bad news: it's currently listed for $999.99. Ouch. At least it'll be subsidized when bought through a carrier (hear us, Verizon?). If this is on your must-have list regardless of costs, go ahead and reserve your copy -- no release date listed, so be prepared to endure.

[Via Slashgear]

Palm Pre sales go live at Amazon

by Joshua Topolsky posted Aug 2nd 2009 @ 10:41PM

If you love the Pre, but hate Best Buy or Sprint, now you've got the option of nabbing one through an online reseller you can live with: Amazon. The device has just popped up on the super-retailer's site, and like the aforementioned blue and yellow reseller, you don't have to worry about any pesky mail-in rebates -- the phone is $199.99 out the virtual door. Also of note, you can nab the non-contract version for $499.99, which is a $50 savings over the Sprint pricing, and certainly a value compared to Best Buy's $749.99 price tag. Only bummer note? Amazon says these babies won't ship for 4 to 6 weeks... which basically sucks.

[Via PhoneNews]

Amazon to roll out Kindle reader to WinMo, others?

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 1st 2009 @ 5:37PM

Right about the time Kindle for iPhone hit the App Store, Amazon's true intentions in the e-book space started to become clear: it wasn't about dominating the market end-to-end with Amazon-branded equipment. It never was; that's Apple's game, of course, but Bezos and Company were taking a starkly different tack. Instead, Amazon almost seemed to shout "please, someone else do this for us" by creating powerful, well-intentioned devices in the original Kindle, the Kindle 2, and the Kindle DX that scream "reference design" more than they scream to would-be customers buying on sex appeal or real-world ergonomics. It's clear now that Kindle is a platform, not a piece of hardware, and Amazon's specialty is the same as it has been since day one of the Washington-based company -- delivering content. If people buy Kindles in the course of discovering the platform, Amazon figures that's all well and good, but the ultimate goal is to bring them into that content ecosystem at any cost, which means building software that can extend Kindle support to as many platforms as humanly possible. After tackling the iPhone, rumors are swirling that Windows Mobile may be next on news that the company is actively hiring WinMo engineers; the timing would certainly be right with the imminent launch of 6.5 and the Windows Marketplace, and if there's one thing that could help keep the WinMo loyal in the fray for another build, it might be a stellar e-reader. Granted, there are already great e-readers out there for the platform, but how many tap into the Kindle universe?

[Via PhoneArena]

HTC Hero up for pre-order on Amazon UK: £429, July 15 delivery

by Nilay Patel posted Jun 28th 2009 @ 3:09PM

We doubt the July 15 delivery date is set in stone, but UK residents itching to get a little Hero in their lives are now able to pre-order HTC's latest for £429 ($708). That's pretty much what we'd expect for an unlocked set, but Orange is planning to offer the Hero free on contract, so we'd be inclined to hang on just a teensy bit longer. Video after the break.

[Via Phandroid]

Continue reading HTC Hero up for pre-order on Amazon UK: £429, July 15 delivery

Amazon's Nokia N97 release date slides back to June 30

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 7th 2009 @ 4:18PM

We'd hoped that June 25 date would stay put -- or even move up a bit in our overly optimistic, idealistic world -- but at this point, things aren't looking good. Amazon has now updated its N97 availability date from June 25 to June 30, possibly reflecting some insider information they've received from Nokia that the phone's running a little behind schedule. Of course, first-party preorders aren't expected to ship until July, so if the June 30 thing seriously pans out, this still puts you ahead of the game. At any rate, there's one silver lining to this cloud: you can drool over the hands-on our colleagues over at Engadget Spanish have put together while you wait.

[Thanks, Albert G.]

Nokia N97 shipping from Amazon on June 25

by Chris Ziegler posted May 28th 2009 @ 8:48PM

We're not sure how closely we can correlate this to shipments through Nokia's other retail partners and fulfillment of the direct preorders, but for what it's worth, Amazon is now declaring on no uncertain terms that the N97 will be "in stock on June 25." That's just under a month away -- a little later than we'd hoped, admittedly, placed squarely in the middle of the completely inevitable Palm / Apple fracas that will consume us all. If Nokia's history is any indication, it's entirely plausible to believe that these things will be in stock at the company's flagship stores in Chicago and New York by a few days before Amazon ships, but not for $603.99, that's for sure.

[Thanks, Dymongoose]

Amazon's new iPhone-friendly Kindle Store takes some of the heartache out of mobile book buying

by Paul Miller posted May 11th 2009 @ 12:23PM

The first (and last) time we attempted to buy a Kindle book from our iPhone we were frankly astonished by how bad the process was -- basically negating decades of mobile browsing evolution and sending us through an Enlightenment-era, desktop-style purchasing process in Mobile Safari. Well, Amazon's finally seen reason, and embedded a more mobile friendly purchasing experience into its iPhone Kindle app. The store is still accessed from the "Get Books" button on the top, and while the list of links and the search box still spit you out into Mobile Safari results pages, at least it's all phone-optimized from start to finish.

Pandora, Amazon, other third-party apps demoed on Palm Pre

by Chris Ziegler posted Apr 1st 2009 @ 9:23PM

Dovetailing dreamingly with the company's SDK announcement today, Palm's chosen CTIA to show off a round of third-party apps for the Pre, and the good news is that they're definitely dispelling some doubts we had about the robustness of webOS' development platform and its ability to deliver compelling software. We were emphatically reminded that everything here is strictly for the sake of preview -- it's all beta, just like the Pre itself -- but that being said, it all looked smooth and relatively crash-free (as best as we could gather anyhow without giving it a more ruthless hands-on beating of our own).

First off, we saw a NASCAR app, perfect for die-hard fans (but really, even more perfect for Sprint's track record of sponsoring NASCAR events) that culls video highlights, driver profiles, and more. Next, we were treated to a brief look at the Pre's Google Maps implementation, Pandora, Amazon's music store, and FlightView, a trick little flight status app that every frequent traveler will likely want loaded. We also saw a Pre version of the Sprint TV player -- a staple service on most of Sprint's devices -- proving that the Pre has the stones to handle multimedia within its development framework. Video was just a little bit choppy, but they're not making any claims that this is final, optimized code at this point. The best part of the whole demo, perhaps, is Pandora's notification implementation, which brings up a mini-player by tapping on the "P" visible at the bottom of any Pre screen; from here, you can play / pause, rank tracks up and down, and see a full track name, all without leaving the comfort of whatever app you might be in. Try that on an iPhone, eh? Follow the break for video!

Gallery: Palm Pre third-party app demo at CTIA

Continue reading Pandora, Amazon, other third-party apps demoed on Palm Pre

T-Mobile G1 available at Amazon for $97

by Laura June posted Mar 11th 2009 @ 4:28PM

If you've been hoping a deal on the T-Mobile G1 was imminent, well then you're in luck: Amazon's got a sweet deal going now, whereby you can grab one for $97! Well, you'll have to be a new customer, and you'll have to sign up for a new, two-year contract, but it's still worth thinking about if you really have a hankering. You might wanna pick up a copy of the G1 for Dummies while you're there, too. Oh, by the way -- the white version in the photo? Just for show. Amazon's only offering the black one for this deal.

[Via Mobility Site]

Oh, by the way: Nokia 5800 works with Amazon Video On Demand

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 7th 2009 @ 4:09PM

Quietly mentioned at the NAM 5800 XpressMusic's launch was its ability to sync up with Amazon's Video On Demand service, bringing over 40,000 movies and TV shows (though how many of those we'd actually want to watch remains unclear) to the surprisingly capable 640 x 360 display in your pocket. Unfortunately, you can't buy and download over the air -- you'll need to install the PC-based Video On Demand software first, then download the portable player for the 5800, then download content by tethering up to the machine, which isn't the optimal solution. With HSDPA on board, we're hoping Amazon eventually figures out that there's a better way to do this -- this is the company that runs Whispernet, after all.

[Thanks, Mia]

Amazon's Kindle for iPhone hits the App Store

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 4th 2009 @ 12:26AM

Sure, Amazon could pit the Kindle squarely against phone- and PDA-based e-book apps, but why not play both sides? The company had previously mentioned its desire to embrace non-Kindle devices in its digital delivery ecosystem, and the first fruits of that labor have now hit the iPhone App Store. The uncreatively-named Kindle for iPhone allows you access to all of your Kindle content right from the comfort of your iPhone or iPod touch, and if you have the good fortune of owning an honest-to-goodness Kindle, Whispersync will kick in to keep your location synchronized between readers. It's a huge win for owners of both devices, considering that the Kindle's still just a little bit big to be carrying everywhere you go, but your phone -- well, if you don't have that everywhere you go, you're just plain weird. [Warning: iTunes link]

[Via The iPhone Blog]

RIM's BlackBerry Storm shows its cheaper side on Amazon

by Sean Cooper posted Feb 8th 2009 @ 11:34AM

Verizon's BlackBerry Storm is getting a little kick in its pricing courtesy of an Amazon rebate-free rebate. The deal here is that the infamous touchscreen BlackBerry is now $99.99 on a two-year stint, no rebate paperwork, no mailing things anywhere, just shell out cash, get phone, call people. Verizon has a buy one get one free thing going on right now, so if you're looking for two Storms for the price of one -- and that one is still $199 -- you can head on over to see them. Everybody happy now?

[Via geardiary]