Pricing -- Engadget Mobile

Rogers wants some of that AT&T mojo, rolls out steeper iPhone 3G S discounts for current customers

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 19th 2009 @ 8:27AM

Rogers must know a good thing when it sees it, because it's essentially copied AT&T's modified plans for providing deeper subsidies to more customers looking to upgrade to an iPhone 3G S in the next few weeks. The details are just a little bit different though: with Rogers, the new deal is that anyone who bought an iPhone 3G between July 11 and September 30 of 2008 -- and has averaged CAD $100 or more a month on their bill -- will be able to nab the 16GB or 32GB for $199 and $299, respectively, on a three-year contract. Buyers between July 11 and December 31 of last year or who didn't manage to average $100 a month will get the less heavily-discounted prices of $449 and $549, while any customer will be able to waltz in and spend $699 or $799, a princely sum indeed.

AT&T relents a little, lets iPhone 3G customers with upcoming upgrade dates buy 3G S at full subsidy

by Chris Ziegler, posted Jun 17th 2009 @ 12:58PM

The original plan was to offer mildly subsidized prices of $399 and $499 for the 16GB and 32GB versions of the iPhone 3G S to AT&T customers who weren't currently "upgrade eligible," but the carrier's having a change of heart, ostensibly in response to... you know, people wanting to pay less. The new plan is to let anyone with an upgrade date in the months of June, July, August, or September get in on the fully discounted $199 / $299 price points, which should cover a good number of existing 3G owners. Unfortunately, the way the upgrade date is calculated is black magic involving your monthly bill, your credit rating, your contract, and your astrological sign, so you'll need to log in to AT&T's site or call up a rep to figure out the full deal; we're told customers should start to see those new discounts reflected on their accounts as of tomorrow. And don't worry -- anyone who's already preordered will be receiving a full refund for the difference.

Rogers' HTC Dream and Magic coming in at $149 through Best Buy?

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 29th 2009 @ 10:06AM

We'd say that Best Buy's phone pricing is never a set-in-stone indication of the price you'll pay direct from the carrier, but it's probably pretty safe to assume from these tags that everyone -- Rogers, Best Buy, Future Shop, you name it -- will be charging within a few bucks of CAD $149.99 ($135) for your choice of the Dream or Magic when the Android sets launch on June 2. That's not too terribly bruising on the pocketbook, but that's going to be on a three-year contract with a minimum $45 voice / data plan; if you step down to a two-year deal, you jump all the way up to a whopping $449.99, and a contract-free purchase is going to set you back $599.99. Tell you what, Rogers: give us both the black and the white Dream for $450 on a two-year and you've got yourselves a deal. Sound good?

Best Buy Mobile to skip rebate, sell Palm Pre for $199.99 outright

by Darren Murph, posted May 20th 2009 @ 11:21AM

Best Buy may not be launching the Pre exclusively, but it's probably the place to go if you're scouting one come June 6th. Why? Pretty simple, really -- you'll leave the joint with an extra Benjamin in your purse. You see, those who waltz into a Sprint store will be forced to pay $299.99 up front (with a two-year contract) and wait eons for a $100 mail-in rebate to return. Over at Best Buy Mobile, you'll pay $199.99 free and clear, sign your contract and proceed to send us loads of personal hands-on shots. Be honest -- which scenario sounds superior to you?

[Via Brighthand]

Palm Pre to run $549 off-contract

by Nilay Patel, posted May 19th 2009 @ 4:54PM

We'd ventured a guess that the Pre would run close to $500 off-contract, and it looks like we were in the ballpark -- Sprint customer service is apparently telling people that Palm's first WebOS device will run $549 without a two-year commitment. That's just off-contract, not unlocked, mind you, so don't get any ideas about throwing this thing on Verizon. We're guessing most people will sign the papers on June 6th and pay $199 after rebate, so don't get too worked up -- just know that living a life free of attachment and responsibility will cost you $549 upfront.

[Thanks, Dustin]

T-Mobile's Sidekick LX 2009 will be $249 for new customers

by Chris Ziegler, posted May 4th 2009 @ 5:18PM

You still can't order it unless you got in on the pre-sale, but T-Mobile has now confirmed pricing for new customers wishing to pick up a fresh 2009-vintage Sidekick LX: $249. That'll be an after-rebate price on a two-year contract, while existing T-Mobile subscribers will continue to pay the $199 they've enjoyed during the pre-sale so far. Loyalty occasionally pays, it seems.

Unlocked HTC Touch Pro2 to retail for $880, Touch Diamond2 for $725

by Nilay Patel, posted Apr 16th 2009 @ 12:44PM

HTC's been pretty coy with pricing on the Touch Pro2 and Touch Diamond2, but now that units are starting to trickle out overseas, the numbers situation is getting slightly clearer. HTC's just announced that an unlocked Pro2 will set Singaporeans back S$1,328 ($887), while a Diamond2 will hit 'em up for S$1,088 ($726) -- a little more than in Taiwan, but probably close to what we'll see off-contract in the States. A little rich for our blood, though -- let's hope T-Mobile cleans the goo off soon.

[Via Unwired View]

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

Will mobile carriers charge different rates for data during peak / off-peak times?

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 24th 2009 @ 11:18AM

Yes friends, your worst nightmare could indeed come true. With companies looking for every last way to nickle and dime their few remaining loyal customers, it's now being suggested that mobile operators could start charging different rates for mobile data depending on the time of day. And, let's face it, it makes total sense in a sick, sadistic way. Reportedly, carriers will soon start having a tough time keeping up with all the data-using cellphone and laptop owners, with the latter crew obviously causing the greatest strain on existing networks. A mocoNews report suggests three main ways of dealing with the uptick in demand: 1) keep building out the network and burning cash, 2) using new technology (read: LTE) with more capacity or 3) create rate plans that discourage usage during peak times. We've always heard that history repeats itself, but we'd be just fine with never hearing the words "peak time" ever again.

Rogers bumps BlackBerry prices skyward to help with "acquisition expenses"

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 17th 2009 @ 2:38PM

As with any major company out there, Rogers Wireless has been burning through some cash in order to move its business forward. So far as we can tell, however, it's acquired nothing substantial enough to warrant a $30 million hole in the overall acquisition budget. According to a poorly scribed email that was allegedly whisked out by a Rogers bigwig, the senior executive team just realized that it was $30 million in the red when it came to acquisitions, and coincidentally (or not), the price of select BlackBerry handsets has crept up anywhere between $25 and $50 on a 3-year contract. Granted, there's no confirmed link between the price hikes and the budget fiasco, but simple logic could bring us to believe that one is definitely in reaction to the other. Who knows -- maybe those gigantic Bolds were way, way more expensive that anyone assumed.

[Image courtesy of BlackBerry News]

Hyundai's MB-910 watch phone gets priced and dated

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 16th 2009 @ 3:24PM

Remember Hyundai's MB-910 watch phone that we spotted around this time last month? How could you possibly forget, right? That masterpiece / atrocity is actually coming to market, and Mobile Gazette has it that the bugger will cost around £200 ($281) when it lands sometime in Q2. As for specs, we're told that it'll boast tri-band GSM connectivity, Bluetooth, a 176 x 132 resolution touchscreen, 128MB of storage, USB 2.0 and the obligatory time-telling mechanism for good measure. Too bad it's closer to "heinous" than "halfway decent."

[Via PMP Today]

T-Mobile brings $50 unlimited voice plan to rest of America

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 2nd 2009 @ 2:57PM

Well, that "trial" didn't last long at all, now did it? Just days after teeing up a $50 unlimited voice plan in the great city of San Francisco, T-Mobile USA has reportedly taken said plan nationwide. Users are already buzzing about the widespread availability, though it should be noted that the same "loyalty requirements" from the San Fran pilot are still in effect for the rest of the nation. In other words, you have to have been a T-Mob subscriber for at least 22 months and have been in good standing the whole time. Oh, and being cute probably helps.

Pantech's Matrix PRO: $179.99, February 24th, AT&T stores

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 23rd 2009 @ 6:42PM

We've known just about everything there is to know about Pantech's slip-sliding Matrix PRO, but those two most important tidbits have thus far eluded us. Thankfully, the pricing and availability details you've been craving since last week have finally arrived. The handset will be available on the 24th (that's tomorrow, kids) in a steel-blue metallic finish at AT&T company-owned stores and online at the carrier's website. The pain? $179.99 after a two-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate.

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]

Verizon prepaid pricing changes coming February 11th

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 10th 2009 @ 8:09PM

It was bound to happen, and now it is. Slowly, but most certainly. As the Verizatel mishmash gels more solidly into place, Verizon Wireless is making some changes when it comes to prices and features. We already heard about its tweaks to the Test Drive and NE2 programs, and now a few leaked slides are detailing imminent changes in the prepaid pricing structure. While there are far too many details to cover in this space, we will say that there are four new categories from which to choose: Prepaid Unlimited Talk, Prepaid Plus, Prepaid Core and Prepaid Basic, All four are broken down in good fashion right there in the read link, so you might as well check it out now before Big Red shoves it at you when you least expect it.