Unsubsidized -- Engadget Mobile

unsubsidized posts

Best Buy lists unsubsidized "regular price" for Palm Pre at $850; punch in the face is no extra charge

by Ross Miller posted May 25th 2009 @ 7:43PM

While subsidies, long-term contracts and unbecoming groveling are all part of the game when it comes to getting a hot new phone for a reasonable price, we'd say Best Buy's listed "regular price" for the Palm Pre is a little extreme: $849.99 will buy you a lot of Palm shares these days. That's miles away from Sprint's supposed $550 off-contract price, and it sounds like somebody along the chain doesn't want just anyone walking out of a Best Buy with Pre in their pocket and no "Simply Everything" plan hanging around their neck.

[Thanks, Fredrick C]

AT&T to offer unsubsidized iPhone 3G with no commitment required?

by Paul Miller posted Mar 18th 2009 @ 3:17PM

For existing AT&T subscribers looking to get a new handset for a few months before they make that inevitable Pre / iPhone 3.0 / Gizmondo decision this summer -- or folks who just despise contracts in general -- it looks like AT&T will be offering unsubsidized iPhone 3Gs at last. According to some training slides obtained by The Boy Genius, the "no-commit" price will only be available to existing customers, and will run them $599 for the 8GB model and $699 for the 16GB. Sounds like somebody's looking to flush a bit of stock, or perhaps they've finally decided to almost treat the phone like pretty much every single other device on the market -- wild times we're living in, folks. The no-commit option should be available as of March 26th.

Unsubsidized iPhone 3G priced at ?499/?569 in Europe

by Thomas Ricker posted Jun 12th 2008 @ 1:30AM

This morning we're getting a first look at unsubsidized prices for the iPhone 3G in Europe. Vodafone Italy have set an out-of-contract price for the iPhone 3G at 499/€569 ($773/$881) for the 8GB/16GB models, respectively. Subscription rates have not yet been announced. While steep, those prices are actually smartphone-reasonable in Italy (and around Europe) where an HTC Touch Cruise with its WiFi, tri-band HSDPA data, GPS, and touchscreen sells for €549. Capisce?

[Thanks, Andrea]