Tag Archives: Best Buy

Android Overload: Samsung’s 3rd Quarter Saved By Galaxy S 2 Sales, HTC Scribe Pen Half-Off At Best Buy and More

Posted by on October 7, 2011 1 comment

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Greetings, late night and overseas Phandroids! It’s time for another episode of the Android Overload. For those of you that are still hungry for more Android/carrier/Google related news, we pooled all the stories we weren’t able to get to throughout our day and placed them here. For you to nibble, snack or gorge upon. Are any of you counting down the days until the Nexus Prime is announced? I know I am! Oct. 11th is the day!

  • HTC Scribe Pen now half off at Best Buy for $40 (still too expensive). [BestBuy]
  • How long does it take to fix Google Maps? Fast than you think. [RWW]
  • Intellectual Ventures suing Motorola Mobility for — you guessed it — patent infringement. [BGR]
  • Samsung’s quarterly reports are better than estimated, thanks largely to Galaxy S II. [Reuters]

Best Buy Made a Boo Boo: $99 HTC Flyer Pricing Was a Mistake

Posted by on October 6, 2011 No comments

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According to a memo circulating around to Best Buy employees, the $99 fire-sale pricing of the HTC Flyer we first reported on earlier this morning was a mistake. It seems the price had been erroneously updated in Best Buy’s system, and that the actual price will remain at $300. The memo mentions Best Buy as not honoring the error in pricing, though it is unclear if the retailer will fill any online orders that may have been placed. If you were planning on heading to your nearest Best Buy to pick up the Flyer at a bargain price, you might want to hurry up and get there before they receive the memo.

[via DroidLife]

Best Buy Drops 16GB HTC Flyer to $100

Posted by on October 6, 2011 No comments

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After dropping the price of the HTC Flyer to $300, Best Buy has slashed off a couple hundred more, now offering the 16GB version of the Android slate for a mere $99.99. Of course, Best Buy’s inventory dropped just as quickly and the tablet is currently sold out for those ordering online. Not sure if the deal holds up in-store, but it is worth investigating. The Flyer might not have made the biggest splash upon its release, but it still features a high build quality and comes from a manufacturer with a proven track record in terms of Android devices. Besides, $100 is a steal for a tablet that once cost five times that much.

[via Best Buy | Thanks, Mike!]

Confirmed: Best Buy Offering HTC Flyer for $300

Posted by on October 4, 2011 No comments

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Late last week, a rumor emerged suggesting Best Buy would discount the HTC Flyer to $300. We believed this was due to the low-priced Kindle Fire tablet that has already gotten over 100,000 preorders a month and a half from release.

It turns out that rumor was true, though, as the device has been spotted on Best Buy’s website for $300. It’s a 7 inch Android device with a 1.5GHz single-core processor, Android 2.3 and HTC Sense for tablets with Scribe support. HTC’s said to be working on a Honeycomb upgrade for the device though they didn’t give a time frame as to when we would see it. Check it out at Best Buy if it’s ever interested. [Thanks Matt!]

Amazon Kindle Fire Sells 95k Units on First Day; Pretty Impressive, Right?

Posted by on October 4, 2011 No comments

Amazon and its partners reached no less than 95k pre-orders for last week’s hot announcement, the Kindle Fire tablet. The info comes from a digital marketing firm and this effort is all the more impressive, if compared to the 300k first gen iPads sold on the first day by Apple.

Keep in mind that the Kindle tablet will be shipping on November 15, so that’s a long way to go till then. The slate sells for $199, so it’s bound to fly off the shelves in no time. Right now Amazon itself, as well as Best Buy and other partners are taking pre orders for the product ahead of what looks like a busy holiday season.

In case you’re wondering how people actually get hold of these figures, know that eDataSource estimated the amount of preordered devices by tracking email purchase receipts in 800k inboxes. With Kindle Fire running Android and being predicted to sell 15 million units by 2013′s end, things are looking up for both Google and Amazon. In the meantime other 7 inch tablets like the HTC Flyer are feeling the heat and taking down the price a notch…


HTC Flyer Now Very Cheap at $299 At Best Buy

Posted by on October 2, 2011 No comments

It seems that the HP TouchPad’s price reduction was only the start, since it was followed by the PlayBook also getting a crazy price tag and now the HTC Flyer goes the same route and gets a $299 tag associated to it. Best Buy applied this reduction, that makes the Flyer the most appealing 7 inch slate right now.

October 1st is the date when the new price started being applied and it’s a pretty big discount ($200) from this summer’s original price. HTC Flyer was considered one of the good tablets out there with quite positive reviews focusing on its stylus input, original HTC Sense experience and overall good feeling in the user’s hands.

The unibody aluminum case is also a welcome addition. Amazon Germany is already applying the discount, in case you’re wondering. The competition is tighter than it seems, as the Acer Iconia A100 has the same price, but not the same appeal of the Sense UI plus pen. What will be the next tablet to receive such a discount? Maybe the first Xoom?


Virgin Mobile Officially Announces the HTC Wildfire S

Posted by on September 30, 2011 No comments

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Following the announcement of their LG Optimus Slider Virgin Mobile’s introducing their version of the HTC Wildfire S  It’s nothing out of the ordinary and it’s the same exact phone as the version announced back in February (we’ll get you a rundown of specs in just a second). They’re bringing this to market October 23rd for $200 and they only mentioned Best Buy and RadioShack as places to buy. Here are those specs we promised you:

  • Color options of White (RadioShack) or Silver (Best Buy)
  • 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen
  • 5MP camera with flash
  • 3G and Wi-Fi capability
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • 600MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, 512MB of ROM
  • Bluetooth 3.0
  • HTC Sense - HTC’s custom-built experience, which puts information most important front and center by providing further customizable widgets and applications.

We’re sure there’ll be a few souls waiting to pick this one up. Read ahead for full press details.

The HTC Wildfire S Marks the First HTC Smartphone for Virgin Mobile USA; Brings Stylish Options in Silver and White

WARREN, N.J. (BUSINESS WIRE), September 30, 2011 – Virgin Mobile USA strengthens its Android™-powered smartphone lineup with the upcoming availability of the HTC Wildfire S™ in Silver at Best Buy® and White at RadioShack® built for consumers looking to express their personal style without a contract. The HTC Wildfire Sin Silver is exclusive to Virgin Mobile. Social networkers and app users will enjoy the bright screen of the HTC Wildfire S and access to the Android Market. The HTC Wildfire S will be available Oct. 23 at Best Buy and RadioShack for $199.99.

"The HTC Wildfire S is the first HTC smartphone on Virgin Mobile and we couldn’t be more thrilled to bring the Wildfire S™ to our customers," said Mark Lederman, Business Line director, Virgin Mobile USA. "It is an attractive, easy-to-use and fast smartphone perfect for both the technically savvy and those looking to make the leap to a smartphone for the first time."

Martin Fichter, president of HTC Americas, said, "The HTC Wildfire S is a compact and playful smartphone offering a unique silver color exclusive to Virgin Mobile customers. HTC offers intuitive and powerful technology for the smart consumer and that perfectly aligns with Virgin Mobile."

Virgin Mobile USA Beyond Talk plans start at just $35 a month for 300 minutes of voice and include unlimited messaging and data. For those looking for a bit more talk time the $45 plan offers 1,200 minutes of voice, and the $55 plan offers unlimited voice minutes each month. All plans include unlimited messaging and data.

HTC Wildfire S offers users:

  • Color options of White (RadioShack) or Silver (Best Buy)
  • 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen
  • 5MP camera with flash
  • 3G and Wi-Fi capability
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • 600MHz processor
  • HTC Sense - HTC’s custom-built experience, which puts information most important front and center by providing further customizable widgets and applications.

HTC Wildfire S comes preloaded with the Virgin Mobile Live 2.0 social networking lifestyle application used to access the Virgin Mobile branded music stream, hosted by DJ Abbey Braden. The app also provides users of Android-powered devices free access to live music performance videos and “check in” features at special events. All status updates made using the app will also sync with Facebook® and Twitter®.

The previously announced decision to reduce throughput speeds when any Beyond Talk customer reaches 2.5GB of data usage within a current monthly cycle has been postponed to 2012.

ABOUT VIRGIN MOBILE USA

Virgin Mobile USA, one of Sprint‘s prepaid brands, offers millions of customers control, flexibility and connectivity through Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk™ No Contract plans with unlimited data for mobile phone service including Android-powered smartphones and prepaid Broadband2Go high-speed Web access. Virgin Mobile branded devices are available at more than 40,000 retail stores, including Target, Walmart, Best Buy and RadioShack. Top-Up cards are available at approximately 150,000 locations nationwide and can be used for Assurance Wireless and Broadband2Go services. Purchase and experience Virgin Mobile on the Web and atFacebook, Twitter, YouTube and www.virginmobileusa.com.

About HTC

HTC Corporation (HTC) is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile phone industry. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC creates innovative devices that better serve the lives and needs of individuals. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com.

Virgin Mobile Officially Announces the LG Optimus Slider, $199.99 Starting Oct. 17th

Posted by on September 30, 2011 No comments

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Sprint and Virgin Mobile have formally announced that the LG Optimus Slider is headed for the PAYG carrier. They’re calling this the second generation of the LG Optimus V and as its name suggests it has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (we’ve been hearing about this one for quite some time, though we didn’t know if it’d be going to Sprint or Virgin Mobile).

Virgin will be carrying the device starting October 17th for $200, but that launch is online only. The following are launch dates for other retailers and Sprint themselves:

Oct. 31 in Best Buy and RadioShack stores; Nov. 6 at Target; and Nov. 13 in Sprint Stores.

And these are the only specs they cared to mention in the press release:

  • EVDO rA Data Network
  • 3.2″ HVGA Capacitive Touch Display
  • 3MP AF Camera with Flash
  • Bluetooth 2.1
  • 3.5mm audio jack
  • TTY Support: Yes
  • Dimensions: 4.53 x 2.32 x 0.58 in
  • Battery: 1500 mAh

We didn’t expect this one to be a powerhouse, of course, so I’m not too surprised other performance information was excluded (we’ll be post more specs as soon as we can find them). For now, grab a quick look at the full press release straight ahead.

LG Optimus Slider Delivers Ease of a Full Keyboard to Popular Virgin Mobile USA Android-Powered Smartphone

WARREN, N.J. (BUSINESS WIRE), September 30, 2011 – Virgin Mobile USA expands its Android™-powered smartphone lineup with the upcoming availability of LG® Optimus™ Slider, providing a new smartphone option with an easy-to-use slide out keyboard. Perfect for the heavy social networker, LG Optimus Slider will be available Oct. 17 at www.virginmobileusa.com for $199.99. The smartphone will be available Oct. 31 in Best Buy and RadioShack stores; Nov. 6 at Target; and Nov. 13 in Sprint Stores.

LG Optimus Slider is the second generation of the popular LG Optimus V™, which launched in early 2011 and is currently available at www.virginmobileusa.com for $149.99. It remains one of the most popular smartphones on Virgin Mobile USA.

"With the new LG Optimus Slider we’re bringing our customers an updated operating system and slide-out keyboard," said Mark Lederman, Business Line director, Virgin Mobile USA. "According to NPD Group, year-over-year preference for a touchscreen has tripled among prepaid buyers, and 21 percent1 of all customers say that having a QWERTY keyboard is a motivating factor in making a purchase. Coupled with the popularity we’ve seen on the LG Optimus V we’re looking forward to bringing this fresh option to Virgin Mobile."

"LG Optimus Slider delivers the convenience of a full QWERTY keyboard with the sleek lines of the LG Optimus series," said Tim O’Brien, vice president of marketing for LG Mobile. "We look forward to providing Virgin Mobile USA consumers the ideal device for on-the-go messaging, emailing and social networking."

Virgin Mobile USA Beyond Talk plans start at just $35 a month for 300 minutes of voice and include unlimited messaging and data. For those looking for a bit more talk time the $45 plan offers 1,200 minutes of voice, and the $55 plan offers unlimited voice minutes each month. All plans include unlimited messaging and data.

LG Optimus Slider offers users:

  • An easy to use 3.2-inch touchscreen with a slide out QWERTY keyboard and bright screen
  • Enjoy all of the apps in the constantly growing Android Market with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • Surf the Web and run apps on the Nationwide 3G Sprint Network
  • MicroSD support (?32GB) and a 3.2MP camera
  • Bluetooth® 3.0

LG Optimus Slider comes preloaded with Virgin Mobile Live 2.0 social networking lifestyle application used to access the Virgin Mobile branded music stream, hosted by DJ Abbey Braden. The app also provides users of Android-powered devices free access to live music performance videos and “check in” features at special events. All status updates made using the app will also sync with Facebook® and Twitter®.

The previously announced decision to reduce throughput speeds when any Beyond Talk customer reaches 2.5GB of data usage within a current monthly cycle has been postponed to 2012.

ABOUT VIRGIN MOBILE USA

Virgin Mobile USA, one of Sprint‘s prepaid brands, offers millions of customers control, flexibility and connectivity through Virgin Mobile’s Beyond Talk™ No Contract plans with unlimited data for mobile phone service including Android-powered smartphones and prepaid Broadband2Go high-speed Web access. Virgin Mobile branded devices are available at more than 40,000 retail stores, including Target, Walmart, Best Buy and RadioShack. Top-Up cards are available at approximately 150,000 locations nationwide and can be used for Assurance Wireless and Broadband2Go services. Purchase and experience Virgin Mobile on the Web and atFacebook, Twitter, YouTube and www.virginmobileusa.com.

About LG Electronics, Inc.

LG Electronics, Inc. (KSE: 066570.KS) is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing more than 93,000 people working in more than 120 operations around the world. With 2010 global sales of 55.8 trillion Korean won (USD 48.2 billion), LG comprises four business units - Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, and Air Conditioning & Energy Solutions. LG is one of the world’s leading producers of flat panel TVs, mobile devices, air conditioners, washing machines, and refrigerators. LG has signed a long-term agreement to become both a Global Partner and a Technology Partner of Formula 1™. As part of this top-level association, LG acquires exclusive designations and marketing rights as the official consumer electronics, mobile phone and data processor of this global sporting event. For more information, please visit www.lg.com.

About LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company

The LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company is a leading global mobile communications and information company. With its cutting-edge technology and innovative design capabilities, LG creates handsets that provide an optimized mobile experience to customers around the world. LG is pursuing convergence technology and mobile computing products, while continuing its leadership role in mobile communication with stylish designs and smart technology. For more information, please visit http://www.lgmobilephones.com.

1 According to The NPD Group’s Mobile Phone Track consumer tracking service.

Rumor: Best Buy Discounting HTC Flyer to $300 October 6th

Posted by on September 29, 2011 No comments

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PhoneArena has heard it from someone they believe is reliable that Best Buy will be offering the HTC Flyer to consumers starting October 6th for just $300. The 6th is not a Sunday (where Best Buy usually posts temporary price cuts) and PhoneArena didn’t mention anything about it being anything other than temporary.

Yesterday’s big announcement by Amazon for the Kindle Fire likely drove this change, they believe, as their new Android tablet (which is hardly Android at the surface, from what we can tell) will come in at just $200. Simply the joys of good competition. We wish carriers would respond to each other in this manner.

Rumor: Best Buy Discounting HTC Flyer to $300 October 6th

Posted by on September 29, 2011 No comments

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PhoneArena has heard it from someone they believe is reliable that Best Buy will be offering the HTC Flyer to consumers starting October 6th for just $300. The 6th is not a Sunday (where Best Buy usually posts temporary price cuts) and PhoneArena didn’t mention anything about it being anything other than temporary.

Yesterday’s big announcement by Amazon for the Kindle Fire likely drove this change, they believe, as their new Android tablet (which is hardly Android at the surface, from what we can tell) will come in at just $200. Simply the joys of good competition. We wish carriers would respond to each other in this manner.