Verizon considering crazy cheap Storm pricing?

Any Storm hopeful in the colonies who's taken a gander at Vodafone's pricing scheme this week is probably strongly considering packing a couple duffel bags with the bare essentials they need to survive and moving to the UK to strike out on a new life -- a life filled with cheap Storms. Not so fast, though -- is it conceivable to think that Verizon could go the same route? At first glance, you might think that the Storm's cachet as RIM's flashiest, highest-end device to date would be enough to lure in customers by the droves at any price, but with the enormous price pressure placed on the industry by a $199 iPhone 3G in a heavily-overlapping target demo, rumor has it that Big Red's looking at a severe subsidy to meet or beat its crosstown rival. Analysts are thinking (wishfully, we suspect) that a $99 Storm isn't entirely out of the question if Verizon wants to sell an insane number of 'em through the holidays, but just how long would it take to recoup that kind of loss?

[holycow @ Oct 31st 2008 5:35PM]

Funny image.. well done Engadget!

[Malikye @ Oct 31st 2008 5:54PM]

what's with the purple square at the bottom right hand corner?

[Eric @ Oct 31st 2008 6:06PM]

"What's with the purple square in the bottom"

The Storm's keyboard does that to let you know you pressed the key.

[a ham sandwich @ Oct 31st 2008 6:58PM]

as great/awesome/competitive as a cheap storm would be, im not holding my breath. ill believe it when i see it.

(please let me see it!)








(please?)

[sepirioth @ Nov 1st 2008 12:11AM]

whats up with the stupid question?

[Jake Lyon @ Oct 31st 2008 5:37PM]

If this happens, I believe it might force other companies to be more competitive with their pricing. Maybe that $99 iPhone is not too far away?

One can hope.

[StalematE @ Oct 31st 2008 5:54PM]

one can also hope that a unicorn shits out a phoenix too but...

[Anthony @ Oct 31st 2008 6:25PM]

@StalematE : Why would you want that? A 99 iPhone would be better.

[ByronGman @ Oct 31st 2008 6:55PM]

Screw Iphone and RIM,

Where is my $99 Touch Diamond/Pro?

[ethan @ Oct 31st 2008 9:09PM]

It would take VZW about three months to comp a $99 dollar price cut. How, you ask? Forcing the $30 a month data plan, when data probably has a cost of $7 dollars a month per user. Sheesh.

[Platinum_Skeet @ Oct 31st 2008 5:44PM]

I don't think it'll get any lower than $249.99. Especially when you consider that the less powerful phones coming out this year are going for $199 with a 2 year.


If Verizon does it more power to them. I know my price limit is $299 so the lower the better...

[Phil @ Oct 31st 2008 6:05PM]

It might be lower considering the BIG fact IT IS NOT WI FI !!!!

[Derry Quinn @ Oct 31st 2008 6:42PM]

Phones are crazy expensive in the US...In ireland this phone would be free on a 12 month contract with 3 or Vodafone maybe not O2 or Meteor, they'd have it at 49 euro methinks...

[Oscarv77 @ Oct 31st 2008 5:46PM]

If I could somehow get this to work with my current provider, you bet I would be walking out of the Verizon store with at least 2.

[Mark @ Oct 31st 2008 5:47PM]

It won't take Verizon long at all to recoup the loss with their $50 unlimited data plan-- about 3 months, I'd say. They already nixed the wi-fi for insurance.

[FRZ @ Oct 31st 2008 8:21PM]

Those bastards.

[jfreder @ Nov 1st 2008 11:24PM]

They're unlimited data plan is $30 a month.

[soobin27 @ Oct 31st 2008 5:57PM]

It better be cheap if they're gonna make people get a iPhone like dataplan contract. (+30/month)
I'd rather pay $299 without dataplan tied into contract than pay $99 with dataplan tied in.
Thats just me, call me crazy.

[MediumSizedRob @ Oct 31st 2008 6:47PM]

What and have a $500 bill each month because you don't have a data plan?

[Sean @ Oct 31st 2008 7:16PM]

Blackberry's agreement with Verizon is that in order for the phone to be sold on the network you have to activate a blackberry data plan, so don't blame verizon, blame blackberry if you don't like the data plan

[Michael Scrip @ Oct 31st 2008 8:54PM]

Isn't the data plan the whole point of a Blackberry? E-mail is data, internet is data, etc.

You don't buy a Blackberry to just make phone calls.

[ethan @ Oct 31st 2008 9:09PM]

"Isn't the data plan the whole point of a Blackberry? E-mail is data, internet is data, etc.

You don't buy a Blackberry to just make phone calls."

You, my friend, haven't ever sold phones for T-Mobile, have you?

[Michael Scrip @ Oct 31st 2008 5:59PM]

It shouldn't take too long to recoup the losses. Each customer pays $1000 a year in services. Whether the Storm is $300 or $100, that one-time phone purchase doesn't make much difference compared to the monthly fees over time.

[Cybergypsy @ Oct 31st 2008 6:00PM]

Not bad.....

[htd @ Oct 31st 2008 6:03PM]

any luck for existing customers?

[LPD @ Oct 31st 2008 6:04PM]

Verizon currently has a lesser Blackberry device for $150 with 2 year contract. The Storm has to be higher or they need to drop the price on those too. My guess it will be $180.00 with 2 year contract.

[zerokool3577 @ Oct 31st 2008 6:04PM]

Considering every blackberry we sell out goes with a minimal $30 data plan (non-corporate users) on top of a basic calling plan I assume it will be quit cheap although doubtfully $99. Also I just heard we pushed back the release date again to Nov 21st but still can't confirm this date.

[Eric @ Oct 31st 2008 6:07PM]

For $99, I will break my contract with TMO.

[here comes the Boo @ Oct 31st 2008 6:09PM]

Lol my family has been with Verizon since about 1996. I forget the name since I was young but we've been with them since then. We have 4 phones on the family plan. Oh what I'm trying to say is fuck off Verizon as soon as our contracts are up, probably sooner, we are done with you. While my dad enjoyed his Motorola Startac, until they stopped letting him activate used ones he had stockpiled, the rest of the family got to enjoy your gimp ass phones. I went from a LG VX6000 to a RAZR and was surprised that 2 years later the phone had the same software and abilities, what was this bluetooth the people on the interwebs were talking about. Sending contacts phone to phone, HAH yeah right. The rest of my family didn't know their phones were locked to the late 90's but I knew and I was bitter. Luckily for you my mom doesn't like change. So we kept chugging, the iPhone was announced and I cringed knowing I would never get to have one. You fired back though didn't you, with the holy Voyager. HAHA, you laughed in my face Christmas morning with a touchscreen that was so unusable that I don't even bother getting a replacement phone after the front screen cracked months ago.

Here's the bad news verizon. My parents moved to Texas. Where people actually buy stuff to flaunt it. My mom's hairdresser has an iPhone, thats when it finally hit her, she needs one too. So Verizon take a bow, not even a 99 dollar, 2 years late, iPhone competitor will stop this 200 dollar a month tit you have been sucking from (finally) drying up.

[Speedbump @ Oct 31st 2008 6:20PM]

Seriously, grow up.

[oddo @ Oct 31st 2008 6:41PM]

You complain about locked phones on VZW but you want an iPhone? I
think you should check your logic...

[iEye @ Oct 31st 2008 6:50PM]

You lost all credibility when you mentioned "RAZR"

[PanderSlap @ Oct 31st 2008 7:01PM]

Jesus H man. That was a nice novel. Do you think Johnny Verizon is going to come here and read this message or cares about your parents moving to Texas and your mom's hairdresser?

Kids -- stay in school, don't do drugs... you could end up like this.

[zargon @ Oct 31st 2008 7:06PM]

Here is an idea, pay for your own phone and own contract, then you are not forced to do what your parents do.

Yeah, crazy... I know... paying for your own stuff.

[phrank @ Nov 4th 2008 12:51AM]

*enters stage right, holding Boo by the hand, walking down a decently-groomed suburban street* This...is Boo.

Boo is a 13 year old boy from America, whose family doesn't even have a single iPhone. Every night, he makes do with the less-than-ideal touch screen on his phone...the one he got for Christmas, the one he's been forced to deal with for nearly a year now. Sometimes, he has to use a computer to surf the internet.

*closeup of Boo, looking sadly at the camera*

It doesn't have to be this way. *number appears on the bottom of the screen: 1-800-POOR-BABY* For less than the cost of two iPhones, you can buy Boo his very own iPhone. He'll have access to a very expensive phone, better than the envy-of-all-the-developing-world one he has. Please. Don't let him go another minute without one. Call now.

[jfreek @ Nov 1st 2008 8:23AM]

oh goodness! here comes another whiner complaining about a locked phone boo hoo. last time i checked iphone was the most locked phone ever. all of them are the same...next time you see 2 people with iphones, check and see how they look. i bet theyre identical....

idiotism at its finest... ****DOHH***

[PEZ @ Oct 31st 2008 6:13PM]

If this came to a GSM (tmo!) I would consider switching. I an indecisive... sk, ip1, ip2, sk, g1... and thats only since summer. CANT....BREAK...>FREEEEEEEee.e.e.e.~`!11!111

[waiownsyou @ Oct 31st 2008 5:58PM]

WAT?

[Xoyuji @ Oct 31st 2008 6:21PM]

It is in GSM just not 850/1900 mhz so what are you talking about its a CDMA/GSM phone

[striggity @ Oct 31st 2008 6:48PM]

i'm guessing he means a native GSM phone, as in T-Mobile or AT&T

[phanbouy @ Oct 31st 2008 9:50PM]

YA WHAT? ME "WAI", NO UNNASTAND

[Andrew T. @ Oct 31st 2008 6:28PM]

If this is really RIM's response to the iPhone, I really don't see how they can price it higher than $199. I mean love/hate Apple/iPhone, it's a nice phone and the reason why manufacturers are popping out touchscreen phones now. If RIM thinks that they can sell the phone at $299 they are severely overestimating the consumer and the BlackBerry brand. Is $100 worth cut and paste and multitasking? I don't think so.

Sure if this was a phone directed to businesses, I can see businesses still going out to buy a $299 phone but the consumer will always and surely buy the cheaper alternative which in this case would the iPhone (not considering the other touch phones out there)

It will be interesting to see what the pricing will be in the States as well as Canada.

[prokanda @ Oct 31st 2008 7:46PM]

I think it'll sell closer to 200.... but it's not just multitasking and cut+paste... it's a better camera, a replaceable battery, better speakers.. so on.

not to mention, not everyone gets GSM where they need it. the only reason I switched to tmo was a $49.99 curve with wifi calling. the iphone would be a neat device to have... but some people need to be able to make calls when they're at work/home. the battery thing can be a deal-breaker too. they say that after about a year a cell phone battery doesn't hold as much of a charge and with everything that the iphone/storm/touch pro/etc. are supposed to be used for (especially the iphone: music, video, calls, text, etc.) I can only imagine that having to have the battery professionally replaced on an iphone would make up for the extra $100 that the storm would cost. factor in the other advantages with a bb device that I listed, and I could see them charging 299 for the storm.

the question is... will enough people know about these features for them to sell enough of the storms.... or will they just think about how it looks and buy it because it has no buttons like they did with the iphone?

either way, competition is a good thing for everyone (except circuit city).

however, I think they'll do the 249.99 thing.

[Brian @ Oct 31st 2008 6:33PM]

Why do people think this is RIM's highest-end phone?

A Blackberry without a physical keyboard is a crippled device. People will never type as quickly or easily, using an onscreen keyboard, as they would with a physical board.

I'd take the Bold over the storm, any day.

-Written by an HTC Touch fanatic... who will be replacing his Touch with a Touch Pro, soon.

[Derry Quinn @ Oct 31st 2008 6:43PM]

Untrue

[Derry Quinn @ Oct 31st 2008 6:45PM]

Sorry

This part "People will never type as quickly or easily, using an onscreen keyboard, as they would with a physical board."

I too have a HTC touch, and I love it! High five! Can't afford touch pro though...

[EtherGnat @ Oct 31st 2008 7:00PM]

It depends on the person. Some people have been able to type extremely well on the iPhone's keyboard. Try everything out and see what works best for you.

The key is choice. Having touch screen only phones is great, and they may be a better choice for many people, but I would hate to see them ditch keyboard phones entirely. I've been critical of the iPhone for omitting a keyboard, but only because there's no alternative.

Personally I prefer a keyboard, but generally do little enough typing I'd consider a touchscreen only phone if it was otherwise a great fit for me. Especially if it worked with my Bluetooth keyboard. Why the iPhone doesn't support Bluetooth keyboards is a mystery.

[bartg @ Oct 31st 2008 7:06PM]

You can't really say until you've tried it can you? Most reviews I've read have rated the storm's touch screen way above the iPhone's in terms of typing and accuracy.

[Michael Scrip @ Oct 31st 2008 7:54PM]

The reviews say it's a nice screen to type on... because of the click-screen. Plus, the size of the individual on-screen keys are like double the size of the keys on a Curve. That should help too.

I'll be trying the Storm when it's available. I've been up for a new phone for a couple months, and was planning on getting a Curve. If the keyboard on the Storm is decent, it will go home with me.

I've typed on an iPhone and it just feels like I'm blindly tapping on a piece of glass with no feedback, which is true. I'm intrigued by the Storm click-screen.

[ByronGman @ Nov 1st 2008 2:11AM]

Can I have your Touch? :-)