C'mon folks, say it with us now: "Finally!" After
T-Mobile USA and
Sprint decided to charge two arms and three-quarters of a leg for HTC's fancy-but-not-world-changing Touch Pro2, Verizon Wireless has
stepped in to show those other guys how to price a phone appropriately. Big Red's version of the WinMo 6.1-packin' handset will be available starting tomorrow (just as
we'd heard) for $199.99 on contract, though that
is after a $100 mail-in rebate. You already know what to expect in terms of specifications -- 3.6-inch WVGA tilting touchscreen, 3.2 megapixel camera, a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, built-in GPS for VZ Navigator and a microSD expansion slot. Now, there's just the decision to overlook Sprint's
Any Mobile, Anytime plan or not...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeff @ Sep 10th 2009 9:46AM
Or you could do a bit of hacking to switch it to Sprint, and pay $400 for the phone outright (sign a contract, and pay ETF), which is less than the before-rebate price from Sprint? C'mon guys.
oneshems @ Sep 10th 2009 10:08AM
* not.
Ryan @ Sep 10th 2009 10:05AM
I guess AT&T feels like real idiots right now, they haven't even announced it yet!!!!!
Douglas @ Sep 10th 2009 10:19AM
I wonder if they messed with the RAM this time.
fulsxy @ Sep 10th 2009 10:22AM
Sprint should adjust their price to match within the month $350 after rebate is crazy talk I see verizon being the volume leader with this phone for sure their is way to much to choose at sprint for half that price the pre the hero the blackberry tour and if you had to stay at sprint you could probably get a crazy deal on the original touch pro and which is basic same hardware and flash to this rom on xda.
DlOx @ Sep 10th 2009 10:48AM
Uhhh.... the hardware is so NOT even close to the same... have you looked at the Specs??
PeterF @ Sep 10th 2009 11:41AM
Have you? It is the exact same.
mark @ Sep 10th 2009 10:31AM
Ok people ..... BB Tour or TP2 ??? which is a better phone.... I just got the Tour, luv the fast incoming emails, but the call quality is not good, most people ask me if I have the cold !!!! I have 30days to return the Tour .... hmmmm TP2 is tempting
Fishdaddy @ Sep 10th 2009 11:47AM
If u want call quality, the TP2 is supposed to be stellar and I've never heard of an HTC with bad call quality.
gomobile @ Sep 10th 2009 11:28AM
Count me in. Can you hear me now?
gomobile @ Sep 10th 2009 11:31AM
In the video review (was it the Tmobile version? and that should not matter) Engaget raves about the quality of the speaker phone. Both from a functionality and fidelity standpoint. My vx6800 aka tilt is good, so if it is the same or better, I'm happy with it.
Chance @ Sep 10th 2009 11:37AM
God, come on AT&T....... I hate my iDouche....
Ryan @ Sep 10th 2009 12:07PM
I have a Treo 680 that needs to be replaced! Come AT&T already!!! I agree.
big_psirex @ Sep 10th 2009 12:04PM
Nice! http://news.vzw.com/news/2009/09/pr2009-09-10.html
Eludium-Q36 @ Sep 10th 2009 12:43PM
Are all you tech bloggers from the same school of idiocy ?! The phone's cost is only part of the subscriber's Total Cost. In this case, Sprint's Everything Data plan for an individual is $30 LESS (!) per month than the comparable Vzn plan! Over two years that's $720 (!) more than Sprint's. So the better question to you and those that do half-axx reports like you is why is Vzn charging as much as $199 to begin with ?!! The freaking phone should be FREE with that costly plan. Wise up bloggers.
Whoa @ Sep 10th 2009 2:18PM
This makes no sense. I would say it made sense if they didn't sell other phones at a discount. But, they're selling the Pre at $150 and the Tour at $199. So, in that situation they don't mind taking the hit but in this one they do? The only way it makes sense is if the Pre and Tour are both alot cheaper for Sprint to sell than the TP2.
Tim @ Sep 10th 2009 1:08PM
Sometimes you get what you pay for. I'll pay extra for my VZW plan for the superior coverage. Plus, I get a discount through my wife's work.
anthony @ Sep 10th 2009 1:30PM
Especially since Sprint's been proven to have the fastest network out of At&t and VZW. Hummm, yea Im getting what I pay for are you?
tedkord @ Sep 10th 2009 5:16PM
Faster when you get a signal. One of my best friends just paid an ETF to Sprint because of constant (as in almost every call) drops, and he said that talking to customer service about it was like beating your head against a wall. The phone was for his business, and it just wasn't worth the savings in plan costs to keep hanging up on clients. He went to ATT (which when I had them in our area had just a poor coverage. Guess they've improved some)
If Sprint would only get better coverage around here, I'd go with them in a heartbeat. Until then, I'll pay the extra for Verizon's peace of mind. (Besides, I've gotten some good deals on phones through VZW. My Omnia was free, and it's pretty nice for that price)
mayoko185 @ Sep 10th 2009 5:29PM
@anthony Maybe where you live, at my house I get full EV signal where my friend with his new pre can barely even make a call. Sprint can have some very spotty coverage around here where with verizon iv never had an issue. Id rather pay a little more (which I dont with my work discount...) and have reliable service then be cheep and have crappy service... Just remember YMMV...
anthony @ Sep 11th 2009 12:41PM
I live in the west suburbs of Chicago, and never have a problem with my TP1 on Sprint. I have at&t as my personal line and alway drop calls on the expressway, and at my old house. I could never get signal. But my Sprint has always work and worked well. When I travel I never have problems at all. Could be equipment problems that cause bad reception, case in point the Samsung Instinct s30, and if thats the case thats not Sprints' fault but the OEM. Ill pay my 70.00 for 450 minutes with nights @7pm, unlimited text, pix and data (best 3g network) coupled with unlimited calling to every one of the 250 million cellular users nationwide and still get my corporate discount on top of that.
@mayoko185: Its not the fact of being cheap (use spell check next time) its the fact that we actually have a carrier that is willing to go against the norm and actually give us something without butt fucking us.
big_psirex @ Sep 10th 2009 1:29PM
What Sprint should is drop the price - so in the end they can say "You save on our phones AND on our plans" No reason I should have to pay more for the phone because they offer cheaper plans I want to both...
mulda71 @ Sep 11th 2009 7:21AM
Or not. 299 online.
GrassyBunny @ Sep 11th 2009 7:43AM
there is a 100$ rebate
mulda71 @ Sep 11th 2009 7:50AM
usually when you buy it online the rebate is automatically deducted. It should be 199 online and 299 in store (with rebate). Doesn't matter either way because right now the verizon site is not working very well!!
BiZ00420 @ Sep 11th 2009 10:34AM
The Verizon Website still has this phone listed at $299.00. I added it to my cart and saw the process all the way through till before I had to pay, and there was no mention of a $100 rebate. Anyone have any info on this?
oyee @ Sep 11th 2009 11:33AM
should be $99.99 with 2 year contract re-up. call *611 and ask them about it. I just ordered mine and paid $124 with overnight Saturday delivery.
big_psirex @ Sep 11th 2009 12:31PM
@oyee - I think you got lucky!
mulda71 @ Sep 11th 2009 1:45PM
that must include a new every two discount of 100, because it is 199. And they say they do not ship on saturdays (fedex) so you're getting it on monday.
oyeee @ Sep 11th 2009 2:09PM
um, read my post? And I paid extra for Saturday delivery, wanna bet me I don't get it on Saturday?
bouncyball @ Sep 11th 2009 2:12PM
They had trouble with online ordering this morning, and took it down briefly off of the site. I was able to get it through tele-sales for $199 and then with my ne2 discount, down to $149. I got free overnight shipping (which will be Monday) because of the online ordering diffulties.
oyeee @ Sep 12th 2009 10:15AM
got the phone in my sweaty lil paws. Seems very very nice, and not nearly as big as I thought. roughly the same size as my razr2 and about 1/3 again as thick. off to play...
big_psirex @ Sep 11th 2009 1:02PM
Spoke with Sprint about pricing and she basically to me to wait a month....
Zee @ Sep 11th 2009 1:16PM
Well yes you will save money on Sprints plan but is it worth it? They have the worse customer service, they do not reward loyalty (the loyal customer pays the same price as a non loyal customer for a new phone), their marketing is real shady (at least in my case), they delete free services offered to you after you sign up for two years (ex. free sprintpcs email address), ect. ect. ect. I'll pay more to verizon for better customer service and honesty.
big_psirex @ Sep 11th 2009 3:50PM
I agree that customer service is not the best (i rarely call them for anything anyway) - but in my area (Albany NY) their coverage is phenominal - I still use my sprint email address (even thought it is no longer 'supported') but i notice changes with it everyday so i think its just about done...
anthony @ Sep 11th 2009 3:52PM
Humm customer loyalty is your issue? Im rewarded for being a loyal customer to upgrade my phone every 12months @ the two year pricing (compare to the "new every two slogan"), plus no upgrade fee associated. If that doesnt say "hey mister customer, thank you for your business" I dont know what does. Hell I called at&t and had to threaten to cancel my 3 personal lines that I'm paying upto 200.00 a month for just to get a credit for something that they unrightfully charged me for. Customer service, if you read Sprint has had the highest improvement in customer service in the past two years then any other carrier.
@Zee: I see you have to pay people to be nice to you. I think it should be included for free. Eventually, Sprint will gain back its market share because of their service plans, and plethora of hot ass new phones coming out all because they dont restrict themselves to a "savior phone".
big_psirex @ Sep 11th 2009 4:03PM
Sprint now does that with the 'Premier' customers but its every 12 months - they are trying to push people onto plans that qualify - the new anymobile anywhere is one that does.
zee @ Sep 11th 2009 7:56PM
Well I just called Spint and asked how much would they give me off a new Touch pro2 and they said because you're a loyal customer you are "eligible" to receive $150 off... I then asked how much does a non loyal new customer get off, and the answer was $150 (after a very long pause by the rep)... So Since I was born and raised in the NYC, that's what we would call... "Game" and Sprint appears to have a heck of a lot of it. Regarding Inprovement of customer service... well all I can say is if Sprint has come such a long way in improving it, that just proves my point regarding their customer service quality. I wonder why they have had to improve it so much, and where do they rank now? Maybe J.D. Power has the answer. But boy I sure miss that free Sprintpcs email account I was promised.
big_psirex @ Sep 12th 2009 7:58AM
I'm still using my sprint email account :)
David @ Sep 11th 2009 3:45PM
Does anyone know if the visual voicemail is free for this phone?
mulda71 @ Sep 11th 2009 6:08PM
no, 2.99/mo
Baluki @ Sep 11th 2009 4:43PM
Does it have Wi-Fi? If so, I just found my new phone.
mulda71 @ Sep 11th 2009 6:09PM
yes
FCEEVIPER @ Sep 30th 2009 9:52PM
Yes.
Justin @ Sep 11th 2009 6:38PM
Are they allowing you to upgrade your current phone to this through telesales? I just looked online and if I get a new line I see the TP2 available, $299 with a $100 instant rebate. If I login and try to upgrade my current phone (I'm upgrade-price eligible, but not NE2 right now) I don't see the TP2 among my choices. I even tried using the various filters without luck.
Transepoch @ Sep 30th 2009 2:25AM
It may just be part of the initial posting, as I can see it on mine... but they are currently sold out.
I hope they will stay sold out until the factory-6.5 models come in, because between having to flash up (only worked halfway on my i760) and the further NE2-nerfing, I am hoping for a very long serving phone from this.
elrazor @ Sep 12th 2009 2:53PM
I just called Verizon customer service and they are sending me this phone for FREE! Dont know if it was a mistake but I'm not correcting them!
mike @ Sep 12th 2009 8:29PM
Order my TP2 yesterday, it should arrive on Tues....... can't wait to add all the apps...........
va jj @ Sep 25th 2009 4:27PM
anyone know if this will work with tmobile 3g fequency after unlocked ala blackberry storm? since it does have a sim card slot?