We could tell by looking that RIM wouldn't think of charging too many hundies for its still unannounced BlackBerry KickStart, but $49.99? CrackBerry has it that said flip phone will be selling at T-Mobile for a penny under $50 on a two-year contract, which certainly seems smart given the competition. 'Course, we've nothing to substantiate this with just yet, but take one more look at that chubby side and tell us this thing deserves a triple digit price tag. That's right, you can't.

There's just nothing worse than trying to piece together a calling plan -- particularly for families -- and being overwhelmed by nickle 'n dime type add-ons along the way. Okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration, but Sprint's hoping to key in on folks who don't disagree with a new "simplified" pricing structure that does away with free incoming calls. Put simply, individuals and families alike can simply pick the amount of minutes they need and whether they want unlimited messaging or unlimited messaging and data. That's it. The prices actually aren't half bad for those ready and willing to put "unlimited" to the test, so hit up the read link to see if any are a fit for you.

[Via GottaBeMobile]

We suppose the uptick in smartphone demand could be to blame, depending on your perspective, but regardless of semantics, a new study put out by J.D. Power and Associates has found that surging interest in high-end handsets is causing the average purchase price of mobiles to shoot upward. Compared to 2007, consumers are currently paying around $9 more on average per phone. The average price rose to $101, up from $92 just six months prior, and it also marks the highest figure found since the study's inception in 2003. Analysts are pegging recent demand in RIM, Palm (saywha?) and Apple devices as the primary culprit, and it's noted that the average price paid for a smartphone these days is $208. Not surprisingly, these folks also found that the percentage of customers who receive free phones on contract has sank from 36% to 33% in the past six months. If you're the number loving type, be sure and hit the read link for lots, lots more where this came from.

[Via RCRWirelessNews]

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]

Shocking, we know. As if the price drops on the PlayStation 3 weren't evidence enough that we all like our gizmos a bit cheaper, a new report from Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster claims that iPhone sales skyrocketed shortly after the (hotly contested) price drops. According to his math, Apple needed to sell some 136,000 iPhones between September 5th (the day of the cuts) and September 9th (the day Apple claimed to have sold one million of its mobiles), which meant that 27,000 iPhones per day were getting unboxed in the five-day period. Comparatively, Munster approximated that Cupertino was unloading around 9,000 iPhones per day prior to the price cuts. 'Course, even Gene doubts that the recent sales surge will be able to hold steady, but we'd say the slashings have already had their desired effect.

[Via DailyTech]

We certainly hope this isn't just the beginning of yet another round robin of SMS price hikes, but reportedly, Sprint is aiming to jack up the cost of a casual incoming or outgoing text message (again) by five whole cents. Yep, that means every single SMS you send or get sent after October 1st while not on some sort of package plan will cost you one-fifth of a dollar, or in other terms, $0.20. Even worse, it appears that Sprint has made absolutely sure that you weasels out there won't be breaking free of your contract, as it purportedly stated that the increase "is permissible under its terms of service," and that users looking to get out will still be forced to pony up for that early termination fee. Shucks.

Sure hope you weren't counting on getting your palms around Meizu's oh-so-familiar M8 anytime soon, as it now looks like the handset may not even be available to purchase until mid-next year. Granted, the 667MHz CPU, 128MB of RAM, GSM connectivity, 3.4-inch VGA touchscreen, video output, and built-in Bluetooth 2.0 / WiFi sure are appealing, but those still willing to wait this one out will apparently be paying even more than previously expected. The latest on the street pegs the forthcoming 8GB iteration at around $400, but if money ain't a thang, you may as well continue on pinching those pennies for the 16GB (and potentially 3G-enabled) flavor.

[Via MeizuMe]

If you felt a bit snubbed after reading up on just how much loot you'd be paying out if and / or when your dear iPhone does break, you're not alone by a long shot. Reportedly, New York's Consumer Protection Board "issued a letter to Apple's CEO Monday asking for the iPhone to be a little more consumer-friendly," noting that the $79 charged to replace the battery, $29 "loaner fee" for using a temporary handset, and the ten-percent restocking fee were all asking too much. Moreover, the CPB suggested that "consumers should be able to replace the battery themselves," which admittedly seems to be a (somewhat) common belief. Granted, not all of these requests are exactly rational, but more importantly, we highly doubt his Steveness is gonna go change up price schemes to appease a few disgruntled board members, amiright?

Considering that Verizon went way out of its way to get noticed on iDay, it follows logic to think that it, along with a handful of other rivals, would at least consider slashing prices temporarily in order to redirect attention from the oft-hyped iPhone. Interestingly, none of that actually proved true, as Verizon went so far as to raise the prices of a number of handsets, while neither T-Mobile nor Sprint introduced any huge discounts in order to garner attention. Reportedly, AT&T was the carrier that implemented the most price cuts, as the Pearl, KRZR, and N75 all saw lower prices surrounding the iPhone launch. Of course, it could be that competing carriers simply succumbed to the fact that those eying an iPhone weren't likely to be tempted by anything else, and for all intensive purposes, they'd be absolutely correct.

Talk about déjà vu. Just under two years after Verizon Wireless went ahead and slashed EV-DO prices by twenty bucks, it looks like history has indeed repeated itself. Rather than being forced have a voice plan with the company in order to qualify for the "unlimited" $59.99 BroadBandAccess plan, newcomers can now ink their name to a data-only agreement and receive access for that same price. Notably, those only willing to sign for one year can get in for $79.99 per month without any sort of voice plan, and while we're inclined to believe this this price drop is more or less permanent, it should be mentioned that a "limited time only" blurb does precede the offer.

It's great to know there's someone out there looking out for the big guy, making sure prices stay high, profits stay fat, and iPhones cost the better part of a grand. That's Rafi Mohammed's job, author of "The Art of Pricing" and head of the dubiously-named consulting firm Culture of Profit. In a recent interview with Blogging Stocks, Mohammed commented that while Apple was on the money with the 4GB iPhone's pricing by keeping it under the psychological barrier of $500, it could've realistically charged far more for the 8GB model in light of the tremendous buzz it's been treated to. His advice to Apple for future iterations of the iPhone, then? "I'd advise Apple to moderate its discounting and consider setting higher prices when it rolls out models with new features." Alright, dude, enjoy your $800 3G iPhone down the road.

[Via Tech Digest]

Way back in January we were able to get our comparatively large palms around Haier's minuscule Elegance, and now the company's latest mirrored handset has gotten official with a pre-order price and release date. The oh-so-shiny Sterling brings back the bling factor in a serious way, and while it may look like there's no external display on this bad boy, we promise it's just an illusion. Underneath the facade resides a 1.8-inch color LCD, 1.3-megapixel camera, a pair of "music puzzle games," support for MP3, WMA, MP4, and AAC files, USB 2.0 connectivity, Bluetooth, 128MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot, and a battery capable of staying alive through three solid hours of yapping. Interestingly, you can plunk down a "non-refundable" deposit of $199 now in order to secure a position in line when it launches worldwide in July, but considering that there's no word on how much extra you will be billed upon shipment, we'd be mighty hesitant to pull the trigger just yet.

[Via I4U, thanks Luigi]

Apparently today was the agreed upon date to launch (or "prelaunch," anyway) svelte new mobiles that we'd been waiting ever so patiently on, as this discovery comes just hours after Motorola officially released its MOTOFONE F3. While we've known the BlackBerry Pearl was coming, sneaked a few peeks of it in action, heard all about the pre-release reviews, and had strong suspicions (twice) that it was headed to Cingular, today we can finally say it's here -- well, almost. Accessible through Cingular's Premier web portal, the Pearl is available for pre-order as an interestingly-labeled prelaunch affair. While the design nor the specs have changed up on us, we're finally getting some concrete info on the price; it'll run you $579.99 straight up, or around $179.99 after corporate and web discounts, and while we're sure plain ole consumer pricing will be similar, you'll (probably) only snag this jewel for under $200 if you sign away your cellular soul for a couple years.

[Thanks, Scott V.]

Ah yes, this is what we've been so eagerly awaiting. Enough pussyfooting around with the Palm Treo 680 and HTC Hermes / 8525 coming to Cingular -- we know they're due. We need prices, we need dates. And according to what appears to be a recent Cingular marketing presentation, we've got 'em:

• Treo 680: $424.99 straight, $349.99 one year, $249.99 one year with unlimited data (and $100 rebate), $274.99 two year, $174.99 two year with unlimited data (and $100 rebate; their ad, however, shows a $200 list price, but it's good to know we can count on around two Benjamins. Expect it November 5th (tentative).
• Cingular 8525: $559.99 straight, $484.99 one year (not including $50 rebate if included with unlimited data), $409.99 two year (also not including that same rebate); expect it October 29th.

See, now that wasn't so bad, was it? Both came in right around where we'd expected and hoped; between the Dash, the Q, and the 680, it looks like that $200 price point is the sweet spot for ever-slimming smartphones. And the 8525 ain't too bad either, considering what you're getting.

[Thanks also to djnth]

According to LAPTOP Magazine, Nokia's pared-down E61 for North America, the E62, will go out the door for $149.99. We're guessing this is a contract price; if it isn't, we'll be setting up a little eBay operation on the side.

[Thanks, Bill and Aaron]