Hanvon’s color e-reader up for pre-order in China — for just $530

We’ll rarely be accused of being proper economists here, but we do have to question Hanvon’s calculations in throwing up a pre-order price for its brand new color e-reader of 3,500 Chinese Yuan. That’s the report coming out of DigiTimes this morning, placing the device at around the $530 mark in a market that’s not exactly known for its rampant consumption of tech luxuries. Then again, what we’re talking about here will indeed be the very first E Ink Triton-equipped device anywhere once deliveries commence in February, so there’s the cachet of short-term exclusivity to look forward to. Or it might be very long-term exclusivity if nobody thinks that color is worth paying that massive premium over more conventional e-readers. We shall wait and see.

Hanvon’s color e-reader up for pre-order in China — for just $530 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 05:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CrunchGear  |  sourceDigiTimes  | Email this | Comments

BlackBerry PlayBook to cost ‘under’ $500

RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie finally gave us a crucial bit of information about the BlackBerry Playbook this morning: price, or at least a threshold. According to a Korean interview, Balsillie said that RIM’s 7-inch tablet will be “very competitively priced” with Bloomberg quoting the man saying that it will be “under” $500 when it hits North America in the first quarter of 2011, expanding globally in Q2. A price that should at least match the 9.7-inch WiFi-only iPad (16GB) and undercut the 7-inch 3G Galaxy Tab which goes on sale on Verizon tomorrow for $599.99. Thing is, by the time Q1 rolls around we’re going to be looking at many, many more viable tablet alternatives including a likely Apple refresh.

BlackBerry PlayBook to cost ‘under’ $500 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 01:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon trials unlimited text and data cellular plans for preferred customers, starting at $70 a month

Sure, Verizon’s pushing tiered data plans in public, but it’s simultaneously expanding its unlimited offerings behind closed doors — yesterday, the wireless carrier launched a promotional plan with 450 minutes, unlimited text and unlimited data for $70 a month. Before you jump at the chance to lower your monthly bill, however, we should warn you that this is very much a limited trial: Verizon will check its computers to verify that you were sent a promotional email before letting you into the deal. Furthermore, the offer doesn’t ring up as a new plan in Verizon’s computer system, but rather an amalgam of the company’s existing $60 Talk and Text plan and its $30 unlimited data plan, with a $20 credit applied to your bill each and every month. The upside of that is that selected customers can basically add unlimited data to any Talk and Text plan they choose for an extra $10 monthly, but the downside is that it’s far too early to call the promotion a portent of things to come. See the full offer at our source link… or in your inbox, we suppose.

[Thanks, Sam]

Verizon trials unlimited text and data cellular plans for preferred customers, starting at $70 a month originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Nov 2010 14:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Boy Genius Report  |  sourceVerizon Wireless  | Email this | Comments

Apple quietly cuts Mac mini prices in non-US markets

If your answer to the question “how would you change Apple’s Mac mini” was to give it a lower price, rejoice, for Apple has listened to your sage advice. Unamerican markets around the world are waking up to the news that the mini desktop computer has shrunken in price — by €100 in Europe and by £50 in the UK — but the same can’t be said about Apple’s home turf, with the US starting price remaining stagnant at $699. This is probably in response to the dollar’s continuing decline relative to other currencies, and the quiet nature of this pricing alteration leads us to suspect that it won’t, sadly, be jumping to the good old USA any time soon. C’est la vie.

[Thanks, Andre]

Apple quietly cuts Mac mini prices in non-US markets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Macerkopf.de  |  sourceApple Store (DE), (NL), (UK)  | Email this | Comments

oStylus capacitive pen goes majorly on sale, now just $37.50

We didn’t exactly think that the oStylus capacitive pen was a runaway hit at $75 plus shipping, but at half that? Now we’re talking. Founder Andrew Goss just pinged us to say that the company’s first capacitive pen is now selling for half of the original MSRP, or $37.50 for those terrible with numbers. The only difference is the shedding of a limited run engraving; these pens are still handmade in-studio, so the build quality will match that of the one we reviewed. We still maintain that this unit is best in the hands of doodlers, and capacitive input devices as a whole still have aways to go, but this ain’t a bad price if you’re looking to experiment.

oStylus capacitive pen goes majorly on sale, now just $37.50 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149

What happens when you punch the phrase “Droid” into a Costco sales terminal? If Boy Genius Report‘s sources are right, you see the Motorola Droid 2 Global ring up (in black and white!) for $199.99. Considering we’re also seeing the 1.2GHz quad-band worldphone on a Verizon rebate sheet, it’s a pretty safe bet the handset’s coming out soon — and if Verizon also lists the phone for that price, it could be the death knell for the A955. (We’ve gotten several tips today that the original Droid 2 has been marked for end-of-life at Best Buy.) There’s also a T-Mobile Comet pictured above, also known as the Huawei Ideos, a low-budget Android smartphone whose $149.99 price will almost certainly be free of two-year contracts. Of course, in the spirit of Costco you probably won’t get off that easily — subliminal messaging will surely compel you to purchase the $24.99 Ewoks and Star Wars Droids Adventure Hour on DVD.

Droid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSP Go price cut to $200 in the US and Japan

Sony just slashed ¥10k off the price of the PSP Go in Japan (effective starting Tuesday). That brings the price down to ¥16,800 or right around $200 — a more reasonable price point Sony has been toying with in the US for awhile. A quick search online shows a $199 listing on Amazon and Gamestop while Sony’s US PlayStation site still has it listed at $249.99. That’ll likely change any minute now.

Update: US price cut confirmed.

PSP Go price cut to $200 in the US and Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 02:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Editorial: Why the Galaxy Tab’s price makes sense

Alright, I was wrong. On the Engadget Podcast I said that Samsung is capable of navigating to store.apple.com and checking out the iPad prices. I figured Samsung would see $500 as its maximum unsubsidized price for the Galaxy Tab, but apparently Samsung decided its competition was the iPad with 3G. Is a $600 Galaxy Tab a compelling offering up against a $630 3G iPad? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s not an insane proposition by any means. In fact, I think it could do pretty well.

Continue reading Editorial: Why the Galaxy Tab’s price makes sense

Editorial: Why the Galaxy Tab’s price makes sense originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab costs €730 from Vodafone.de, €300 if bought with a two-year data plan

You can kind of tell we’re growing ever closer to the Galaxy Tab’s promised November 1 retail launch as prices for this slate just keep coming out of the woodwork, looking ever more solid with each passing day. Vodafone Germany is the latest to reveal the wallet damage Samsung’s 7-inch Android tablet will demand, with a €730 ($1,017) levy for the 16GB version sans contract, or a €300 ($418) cost for those willing to commit to a two-year data plan at €35 a month. We’d advise against taking those direct currency conversions to heart, but the Tab’s pricing here is €30 more than the 32GB iPad WiFi + 3G, making us scratch our heads as to how Samsung believes it’ll manage to convince anyone to buy its smaller, less capacious alternative.

Samsung Galaxy Tab costs €730 from Vodafone.de, €300 if bought with a two-year data plan originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink @chippy (Twitter)  |  sourceVodafone.de  | Email this | Comments

Samsung Galaxy Tab up for pre-order at Carphone Warehouse for £530

We continue that elusive hunt for an official Galaxy Tab price with the most reliable (though still not authoritative) number yet: £530 ($850) from the Carphone Warehouse. Already announced as one of the first retailers to offer the device in the UK on that November 1 launch date, the Warehouse outfit has now set its price for the 16GB Tab at exactly the level of the 3G-equipped iPad. Coincidence? We think not. This is highly likely to be Samsung’s final pre-subsidy pricing, leaving it up to network operators to tempt us with some aggressive discounts. We can only hope.

[Thanks, Middy]

Samsung Galaxy Tab up for pre-order at Carphone Warehouse for £530 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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