contract - 5/6 - Android Police - Android News, Apps, Games, Phones, Tablets

Mar

Update: Sprint Announces No Mail-In Rebates Through April 16th

Posted by David Ruddock in Carriers, News, Sprint, Tips & Tutorials

Update: An anonymous Sprint tipster has told us this deal will only last through April 16th - Sprint is probably trying to clear out its current stock of EVOs and soon-to-be-discontinued devices.

If you were pondering buying a Sprint Android phone this weekend, it may be wise to hold off for a couple more days - Sprint has announced to Phonescoop that devices currently offering mail-in rebates will switch to an "instant savings" model starting Sunday. That means no forms to fill out, and no rebate checks to wait for. Verizon recently canned its mail-in rebate offers in favor of the same system, so it seems logical that the US's other major CDMA carrier is following suit.

Mar

Best Buy Claims Thunderbolt Will Cost $299.99 Starting March 20 - Something Smells Rotten

Posted by Will Shanklin in News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Just when we thought that news about the HTC Thunderbolt was going to die down now that the mystery of its long-anticipated launch has been solved, word comes that Best Buy will only be offering the LTE phone at the $249.99 price until March 20 -after which it will be $299.99. While the phone has generated a lot of buzz, it's hard not to view this price hike as Best Buy shooting themselves in the foot.

In a promo post from their website, Best Buy said "The HTC ThunderBolt 4G [sic], a national retail exclusive for Best Buy, will be offered at a special launch price of $249.99 through Saturday, March 19, including all pre-orders.

Mar

[Deal Alert] RadioShack Selling HTC EVO Shift 4G for $69.99 For New Users

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in EVO Shift 4G (Speedy), News, Sprint

If you aren't already chained to a smartphone contract perhaps this is a good time to get your feet wet and buy the HTC EVO Shift 4G slider from RadioShack for the low price of $69.99. You will of course also have to sign up for a two-year contract with Sprint.

The slider phone has been available from Sprint for $150 since its launch, with occasional discounts popping up, however this deal from RadioShack appears to be the lowest yet.

Unfortunately, the discount does not apply if you are upgrading your current device. You will have to pay the full $150.

Mar

Today's iPad 2 News Could Shake Up Tablet Prices - But Not For The Reasons You Think

Posted by Will Shanklin in Android OS, Editorials, Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, News

While we at Android Police don't exactly wait with bated breath to hear what Steve Jobs has to say at Apple announcements like the one for the iPad 2 today, we would be fooling ourselves to pretend that Apple products don't directly affect the market for Android devices. While an Android fan's first reaction to the latest iAnnouncement is often to (understandably) bash the smooth-talking fruit company from Cupertino, I believe that today's events could shake up the tablet market for the better.

The hardware of the iPad 2 is hardly a game-changer. They didn't upgrade their display from the first generation iPad (which always looked a little bit pixelated to me), though they did make it thinner and lighter.

Mar

Updated: Verizon Confirms What It Has Been Saying For A Year: Unlimited Data Is Going Away, Say Hello To Tiers

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Verizon Wireless

While some people were unable to contemplate the possibility that Verizon's all-you-can-eat data plans would be coming to an end, Verizon's CFO Fran Shammo again affirmed the carrier's commitment to move to a tiered system today. When will life start to suck for new or upgrading Verizon customers? This Summer, apparently.

"But David, I already have an unlimited data contract, they have to honor that!" Why yes, they do. Until you want to upgrade to a 4G device, and you have to sign a completely "new" rate plan contract. AT&T is already doing this with the Inspire 4G - if you upgrade from any previous device to the Inspire, AT&T forces you into their limited data plans because your "service" has changed (to "4G").

Feb

Now That The Verizon XOOM Is Here, When Will We See That Wi-Fi-Only Model?

Posted by Will Shanklin in Editorials, Motorola, Verizon Wireless, XOOM

If you began drooling from the very first murmurs of a "Pure Google" tablet running Android 3.0 'Honeycomb', to the buzz at CES, through the anticipation building up to launch: your day has arrived and you likely now have a Motorola XOOM in your hands. Congratulations. Of course that would be the $800 Verizon Motorola XOOM that's in your hands. But what about that $600 Wi-Fi-only XOOM? Not only is it not in anyone's hands, but there has yet to be a confirmed release date either.

With nearly every Android phone capable of generating a wireless hotspot to share its data plan with a tablet, taking on the burden of yet another monthly data bill can seem like an unwelcomed guest to many users.

Feb

New Ad Shows $299 Price For Thunderbolt, Continues To Be Most Confusing Device Launch Ever

Posted by David Ruddock in News, Thunderbolt (Mecha), Verizon Wireless

Well, another day, another HTC Thunderbolt rumor. Today's addition to the Thunder-rumor-dome is a little different, but don't worry - it's still pretty upsetting. A new Best Buy Ad has shown up with an advertised price of $299 for Verizon's debut 4G handset. Yuck. The Android Police team already thought $249 was a little steep, but $300 for a phone based on a platform that's been around more than 4 months worldwide?

Along with that, there's some delightful speculation about the Thunderbolt's release date having been pushed back to March 10th (which now seems fake). Hats off to Verizon and Best Buy for the best ongoing smartphone troll of all time.

Jan

[Updated: Maybe] Want To Port Your Number To Google Voice, But Don't Want To Cancel Your Contract? Call Ahead.

Posted by Aaron Gingrich in Tips & Tutorials

Update: After contacting Sprint customer support a second time, they back-tracked and said there's no way to do it without incurring an ETF. The only options available are:

1. They can create an additional line on the account, then allow the first line to be pulled out - thereby cancelled. While doing so would allow you to maintain your account, you'd lose number history and would incur an ETF.

2. She also told me they may be able to work some voodoo and somehow simultaneously swap numbers, meaning that the existing carrier number is ported out to Google Voice, while the Google Voice number is ported to the carrier.

Jan

Costco Will Be Selling The Motorola Atrix 4G For $150 As Well, Does Not Come In Bulk

Posted by David Ruddock in AT&T, Atrix 4G (Olympus), News

If you like buying your smartphones at Costco, have I got news for you. Sounds like the king of giant ketchup dispensers will be offering the Atrix 4G as part of its relationship with AT&T, and for the same $150 on-contract figure Amazon quoted (and then quickly unquoted) yesterday.

Lifetime supply of toilet paper not included

I know I'll be getting an Atrix 4G come launch day, but I think I'll take a pass on Costco as a vendor. Unless the phone comes with a free slice of Costco pizza and a polish - then I may have to reconsider.

AndroidCentral

Jan

Clearing Out Inventory? Samsung Vibrant Free From T-Mobile With New Contract, Expires Tomorrow

Posted by Nate Kimmey in News, T-Mobile, Vibrant

Want in on the Galaxy S action but not interested in any features like a front-facing camera or HSPA+? T-Mobile has a deal for you! Now until January 26 at 10:00 pm (PT), the Samsung Vibrant is free with a two-year contract, and is only available online. So, if you really can't wait a few more weeks for the Galaxy S 4G, this is probably the time to act.

Source: T-Mobile Twitter