Gizmodo: price

Palm Pre Gets $50 Price Drop to $150

Jason Chen — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT

In addition to the Palm Pixi news, the Pre is getting a $50 price cut down to $150, which is what you'll be paying after a $150 instant and $100 mail-in rebate. Ignore that other rebate deal you saw earlier.

Archos Android Tablet Price and Pictures Leak

Dan Nosowitz — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT

Archos's 4.8-inch-screened A5 series (the A stands for Android!) has already been given the FCC treatment, and now retailer B&H has listed the price and capacities of the device ahead of its September 15th launch.

Looks like the A5 will come in two flash and two hard drive capacities, with a 16/32GB SSD or a 160/500GB HDD. Prices are $294 for the 16GB, $370 for the 32GB, $320 for the 160GB and $420 for the 500GB. The A5 is rumored to have 720p video output, but like the Zune HD, you'll have to buy a dock, and the A5's is a pricey one with DVR functionality at $130. We'll keep you updated once the product is officially announced on September 15th. [ArchosFans via Engadget]

Whiners of the World: Shut Up About the iPhone 3GS' Upgrade Price

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:50:00 EDT

So you bought your heavily subsidised iPhone 3G with a two-year contract and now you are upset because AT&T wants to charge you full price for the new iPhone 3GS, right? Well, stop whining. You have no arguments.

I have the iPhone 3G—by the way, I paid an extra $500 deposit on top of the price tag because I didn't have US credit history back then—and I don't qualify for a subsidised upgrade. I have to finish my contract first, then renew to qualify for the subsidy. If I was in Spain or anywhere else in the world, it will be the same.

But I am not whining. Not because I am a fanboy—I hate AT&T with a passion—but because there are no logical arguments to support the whining.

Sure, it sucks to be me and pay almost-full price for the iPhone 3GS, but that's how life is. You don't get a reduced price on your new notebook just because you bought the old model a year ago. You don't get reduced price on cars, or anything else.

The fact is that the $199/$299 price tag for the iPhone is the result of AT&T's—or any other carrier, since the situation is the same all around the world—subsidy. Without subsidy—and tying you to a new two year contract—the iPhone is not different from something like the Nokia N97, which is $700 unlocked. Or the contract-free, unsubsidized iPhone 3G itself: The iPhone 3G costs $770 and $877 unlocked for the 8 and 16GB versions.

I hate to defend AT&T or any other carrier. I hate their guts. All of them. Their monthly fees are highway robbery, yes. Their roaming charges are unjustified and just outrageous. And while you—and I—may think that you are entitled to a discount because of those fees, that doesn't make much sense. I'm afraid that, this time, they are right. And on top of that, your carrier is actually giving you a discount already. Tiny, but compared to the full price of the unsubsidized iPhone, it's there.

You better get used to this too. These smart phones are really computers. And as applications get more and more complex—especially games—you will want to have the latest and fastest, whether is iPhone, Android, Palm, Windows Mobile, or Blackberry. Just like you upgrade your notebook or desktop computer or video game console.

With all of those brands, the situation will be exactly the same. Without a subsidy, you will keep paying full price for these tiny and wonderful machines. All of them. And that price will stay at around $600 for a long time to come. It happened before, and it's not going to change.

In other words: Drive through, people. Nothing to see here. If you are not happy, get a Pre. And when Pre 2 appears, jump back to the iPhone. If you must have something new because your ADD has got you tired of last year technology, then get Android, Pre, or whatever. But don't expect any company to give you discounted hardware when the next generation of Smartypantsphone X comes.

Or better yet: Don't buy a new phone. Who cares about "new." Does your iPhone 3G work now? Yes? Then get the free iPhone OS 3.0 and enjoy the speed boost from optimization and the rest of the apps. In this economy, you will do yourself a favor. This is exactly what I am doing.

In the meantime, do the rest of the world a favor and stop whining about what you are entitled to. We don't live in your pretty me me me ME world.

Almost A Dealzmodo: Iriver Drops Prices on New MP3 Players

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Always classy, always feature-packed, and usually too expensive PMP manufacturer Iriver is dropping prices on their current lineup starting today. We already covered the Spinn's $50 price drop, to $190 and $230 for 4GB and 8GB capacities, and the more entry-level E100 and Lplayer drop $40, down to $70 and $100 for those same capacities. I love Iriver and it's great to see the prices coming out of the stratosphere, but Iriver's gotta bump up those capacities to be a competitor here in the bigger-is-better States. Now, a 16GB Spinn for $230? That'd be a Dealzmodo. [CNET]

Mitsubishi LaserVue vs. Pioneer Kuro Plasma: The High-End Throwdown

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:45:00 EDT

The dudes over at The Tech Lounge sat down for a real-world—not canned—comparison of Mitsubishi's cutting-edge, 65-inch LaserVue HDTV with the current reigning champ, Pioneer's 60-inch Kuro plasma set. Does Mitsubishi's fancy new tech really make for a better high-def experience? The tests show, at the very least, that the LaserVue can certainly hold its own against maybe the best HDTV in the world: "You're not going to find a set that is capable of displaying colors quite like this one."

The Kuro still held strong with its deep, bottomless blacks, but the LaserVue is noticeably better on colors, especially reds. The LaserVue is also better able to handle scenes with tons of motion than the Kuro, especially during action scenes in Iron Man. You can see above that the Kuro, on the right, makes the red of Iron Man's suit look too simple, while the LaserVue on the left has all the dirt and scars of a real battle. Below, the LaserVue's reds really pop, able to show the difference between the hues in the woman's top and skirt much more clearly than the Kuro—which is even from Pioneer's demo disc.

We've seen the LaserVue reviewed before, but only while using Mitsubishi's hand-picked content, which doesn't necessarily make for the most accurate test. Kurtis and Cameron at The Tech Lounge got themselves a Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-Ray player and a copy of both Ice Age: Meltdown and Iron Man to test out color, clarity, and motion on the "normal" settings of both HDTVs. They came away impressed with the color, but not with the hefty $7000 price tag. Still, if you can afford it, and you don't mind its fatty rear-projection girth, the LaserVue is definitely the cream of the crop. [Tech Lounge]

Dealzmodo: Circuit City is Shipwrecked, but the Flotsam and Jetsam Have a Great Price-Match Guarantee

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:30:00 EDT

Circuit City's price guarantee was always a little wonky: the only prices they'd match were from local brick-and-mortar vendors, which excludes even their own online site. But sneaky tipster Kevin has caught wind that Circuit City, in the midst of crashing and/or burning, is due to accept any verifiable price, from any retailer, starting tomorrow. Even better, the prices in-store are going to match those of CC's online site, which means some serious price cuts in-store. There's always a silver lining, am I right? [- Thanks, Anonymous!]

G1 Pre-Sale Madness: T-Mobile Triples Production, Sells Them All

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:10:00 EDT

According to a T-Mobile spokesperson, pre-sale demand on the Android G1 is so big that they have already sold all their units. She says that this is specially impressive because it happened after they tripled the amount of available G1 cellphones. Of course, this could mean anything without knowing actual shipping numbers, but it seems there's plenty of interest despite its many shortcomings. If you want to pre-order yours, however, you can pre-order now through October 21 to get it at a later date:

Given the great anticipation and the heavy pre-sale demand for the T-Mobile G1 with Google, we nearly tripled the number of phones initially available for delivery on our Oct. 22 launch date, and have sold through them all. However, to accommodate additional T-Mobile customers who want to pre-order a device, they now have the opportunity to place a pre-order through Oct. 21, for delivery at a later date. Also, people can still pre-register on the T-Mobile G1 Web site to be notified prior to launch where they can purchase the device beginning Oct. 22.

[T-Mobile G1 Site]

Xbox 360 Price Drop Official in Europe

Kit Eaton — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 05:34:00 EDT

Microsoft's officially announced price cuts to the Xbox 360 in Europe: Arcades will now go for $230, 60GB Pros for $303 and 120GB Elites for $410 (that's €179, €239 and €299 for you Euro-zoners,) representing between 10% and 18% in price cuts. It's part of an MS strategy to "open up the ultimate in high-definition gaming and entertainment to an even wider audience" apparently, and that'll also include a new Xbox Live experience in the Fall. It's also clearly part of a "lets try and sell lots in the upcoming holiday season" strategy. [XBox360Fanboy]

RadioShack Flyer Indicates Xbox 360 Price Cuts on Elite, Arcade Systems

John Mahoney — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:45:00 EDT

The Xbox 360 price cut rumors we've been hearing for September look to be gathering even more steam, as this RadioShack ad shows drops to $399 for the Elite system and $199 for the Arcade. That's down $50 on the Elite and $80 on Arcade, making your choices a nice smooth progression of Benjamins—$199/$299/$399. The drops are rumored to hit early next month. UPDATE: We've also just heard from the folks at setteb.it, who have news of an official 60GB upgrade to the 20 GB Xbox 360 system at the same price, €270 in Italy. [Joystiq]

Huge Labor Day HDTV Price Drop Coming Up

John Mahoney — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:15:00 EDT

Just in time for NFL, the World Series and all those delightful new network sitcom premieres, Gary over at HD Guru has caught wind of an across-the-board price drop that will lower prices of 2008 panels by a couple hundred dollars. Tons of Samsung's series 5, 6 and 7 sets will see a drop of $100-$200, with Sony, Mitsubishi and Panasonic expected to follow suit by Labor day, so it's probably a good idea to hold your horses on that new set until the prices start to fall, Wal-Mart style. Head over to HD Guru for Samsung's full discounted model list. [HD Guru]

iPhone 3G Could Cost Just $100 to Make, Say Analysts

Kit Eaton — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 07:29:00 EDT

Soon after the iPhone Mark 1 launch last year, we brought you an estimate of its manufacturing cost, and now the same analysts have looked at the iPhone 3G. Portelligent thinks that this time Apple may pay as little as $100 for the components, down from $220 for the original. The saving's made in engineering advances and Apple's buying power: the extra 8GB in the 16GB version may cost as little as $20, but you'll pay $100 for it. "But we're only paying $199 for the phone, so Apple make less!" you may point out. True, but Apple may be charging AT&T as much as $400 for each unit. And with 70 countries eager to buy iPhones, the analysis suggests it might be Apple's most profitable device yet. [EETimes via Yankeegroup via Fortune]

Sprint's Samsung Instinct Now Costs $199 After Rebate

Jason Chen — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:36:10 EDT

We previously heard that the Samsung Instinct was going to be $299 after rebate on Sprint—not too bad a price for what we said was the best Sprint and best Samsung phone ever. Turns out the iPhone 3G's $199 reveal sent Sprint back to their abacuses, which they used diligently to come up with an extra $100 mail-in rebate to equal the playing field with AT&T. The win for Sprint's deal is that current customers can supposedly buy the phone without renewing their two-year contract, which is pretty great for someone who plans on ditching carriers soon. [Phone News]

Netflix to Jack Up Prices For Blu-ray Renters

Jason Chen — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:15:00 EDT

What's the best way to punish the same early adopter customers that helped make your service a success in the first place? If you're Netflix, it's charging them extra for renting Blu-ray. CEO Reed Hastings justifies this action by saying "consumers are used to paying more for high-definition," basically punching this next generation of early adopters in the nads for doing what they love to do.

We're not sure how many Blu-ray rentals you need to have before you qualify for the higher-priced membership (or if you need to pay up before you even rent one), but this is undoubtedly a limited time deal. We can't imagine Netflix will keep charging people more once 25-50% of their customer base starts renting Blu-ray movies.

Will Blockbuster follow? We hope not. For their sake as much as ours. [Alley Insider via Marketwatch via CNET]

WiiFit Japanese Pricing Announced: $75

Jason Chen — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 02:57:58 EDT

This Japanese pricing of 8,800 Yen ($75) for the WiiFit should give you a good idea of how much that Nintendo Wii balance/exercise/yoga board is going to cost in the US. It's going to go on sale December 1 in Japan, and if Nintendo wants to cash in on any kind of holiday sales at all, you know they're going to try and pump it out before December 25 here as well. In comparison, the Wii is 25,000 Yen in Japan ($213) as opposed to the $249 here, so you could probably expect the WiiFit to go for a bit more than $75 when it swims over. [Famitsu via Kotaku]

Unconfirmed: Retailer Says Xbox 360 Getting Price Cut August 8

Jason Chen — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:20:51 EDT

This is all unconfirmed for now, but a retailer is saying the Xbox 360 will get a $50 price cut come August 8. We haven't seen any pricing rumors since E3, where everyone thought the 360 was going to lower its price to match the PS3's "price cut," but that didn't happen. Peter Moore told us that they knew the PS3 was going to have a "price drop" for months now, which was obvious to them by looking at manufacturers and the supply chain. However, the "price drop" wasn't enough to jump-start the 360 camp into lowering theirs as well. Why now?

Here are some of the reasons we can think of.

• It's almost two years since the launch, which is about the time when most consoles make their first price drop.
• The 360 is selling fairly poorly, down 61% comparing the fourth fiscal quarter of 2006 to the fourth fiscal quarter of 2007 (Q4 fiscal is summertime for Microsoft).
• They want to differentiate themselves even more, pricewise, to the PS3. And lower themselves into the Wii-pricetag space. A $249 price for the Core would be doing just that.
• They can. Prices for parts have gone down since launch, so they're able to make the same consoles much more cheaply.

[HollywoodReporter via Kotaku]

Sony's $100 price drop on the PS3 bumped...

Jason Chen — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:00:01 EDT

Sony's $100 price drop on the PS3 bumped the console up to #1 in the video game sales chart on Amazon. [Amazon]

Rumor: Microsoft to Cut Premium Bundle in Anticipation for HD DVD Player

Travis Hudson — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 13:30:51 EDT

Digitimes, the premier news source in usual bullshit rumors, has a new one today that actually seems a legitimate, kind of. They are reporting that there will be a $100 price cut on the Xbox 360 Premium bundle, bringing the price down to $300 so that they can later bundle the HD DVD player with the Xbox 360 for $400 and still have a solid competitive price on the PS3.

Microsoft, to prepare for the price cut, has negotiated reduced production costs for the Xbox 360 with Taiwan-based manufacturing partners, stated the sources. The manufacturers estimate that the total production cost can be reduced by 15-20% due to diminishing costs for most components along with increasing production scales and decreasing defect rates, the sources pointed out.

For once, that rumor actually makes sense. But I'm a little pissed that I dropped four hundos on my premium without an HD DVD player. I need to listen to my mother more: "Good always comes to those who wait."

Oh, and Microsoft Taiwan denied the report, but that was a given. – Travis Hudson

Microsoft Rumored to Cut Xbox 360 Price by US$100 [Via Kotaku]

The XBox360 is 'Spensive

johnb — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 12:23:22 EDT

Our brother-in-law, Kotaku, is talking about how the XBox360 will bankrupt us. If you buy the bare bones system, you're basically getting screwed. To get the most out of your 360, you'll need:

Xbox 360 Standard: $399.99 Gold Xbox Live Subscription: At least $49.99 (Likely more.) Wireless Networking Adapter: $99.99 Second Wireless Controller: $49.99 Two Play and Charge Kits: $19.99 times two. Total: $639.94

Not to mention a new HDTV and all sorts of jive. Let's see what the PS3 makes you buy. Maybe you have to hire a manservant to turn it on and off.

Related
Gizmodo's 'Spensive Threads

The Xbox 360 Experience Comes with $650 Price Tag?

XBox 360 Official Pricing - $299 and $399

johnb — Wed, 17 Aug 2005 11:03:25 EDT

Ok, so we were a little off. Stuff is always more expensive in Switzerland anyways—5 dollars! Why I oughta!—but we weren't far off. There will be two tiers of XBox 360 pricing:

The $299 version will come with the console, cables and 1 wired controller, but the $399 version will come with the 20GB hard-drive, a wireless controller, headset, ethernet cable and also a wireless remote control.

Seems like the $299 is aiming for the kiddies and the $399 is aiming for the folks who want a Media Entertainment Center for the living room which also happens to play video games. Good on 'em.

Official: Xbox 360 Prices are $299 and $399 [PlanetXBox360]

Nintendo Micro Price/Date Set - DS Drops $20

johnb — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 13:35:42 EDT

The elf-sized Nintendo Micro is now set to launch September 19 for about $100. This also coincides with a $20 price drop in the DS in conjunction with the release NintenDogs—which is actually quite a cool little game involving lifelike dogs except that these electronic dogs rarely excrete feces, unlike our own dog, Phoebe, who often dumps on this crazy long pile wool rug my wife bought.

These announcements, coming one after the other, don't really seem to say much about the future of Nintendo. It seems that they're just trying to hit the back-to-school crowd, especially with NintenDogs and the DS. We'll see as new games and new consoles hit the streets what Nintendo really has up its sleeve.

Micro Date, Price Set? [Kotaku]