And you thought T-Mobile and Sprint were
sniffing the good stuff when they demanded
$350 for the HTC Touch Pro2. Shortly after
Instinct HD boxes
began showing up at select Sprint stores, the flagging carrier has finally come forward with an official ship date (9/27) and price. Try as we may, we still can't figure out why exactly "HD" is tacked on the end of this thing; the 480 x 320 display is decidedly average, it can't play back high-def content on the device itself, and the "HD" video output is a feature that approximately 3.8 Earthlings will ever use (on a phone like this, anyway). Compounding the problem is the remarkable lack of detail in the specifications -- Sprint simply swears that its 5 megapixel camera and video record mode are HD, but it fails to provide any elaboration whatsoever. Other specs include WiFi, EV-DO Rev A support, Opera Mobile 9.7, an ambient light sensor, haptic feedback and an accelerometer, but even those can't help justify the $249.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year agreement) asking price. Hey Sprint -- we thought you guys were
actually looking to
gain subscribers. Right?
posted September 24th 2009 10:32AM
So completely agree. Someday a US telecom will offer to rate prices in half in exchange for the loss of $250 subsidies. For me that would amount to about $400/year savings, or $800 over the life of a device.
Yet it's a scam. I needs mah subsidy. *twitch*
Hold up a second... they got Opera Mobile on this thing? I didn't realize Opera Mobile had a Java-based version. :-o
Instincts have always used BREW for many of the built-in apps.
I think that they meant 3.8 people with this phone will use that feature. Again it's a phone not a dedicated media device. That's just my take on how they said it.
On sprints higher end phones, the subsidy isn't as high because their plans are the best in the country. Emgadget has temporarily lost their minds by not rationalizing this in their post. But it doesn't surprise me.
They're lowering the price of the plans. They're making it easier to be a premier customer (they get a full upgrade every 12 months)
Common sense tells me they gotta kill some of the subsidies on the phone.
In addition, to many people are buying phones they don't take care of. The Service cost on phones is out of control, and how do you keep phones out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them? Make them cost more.
At some point you have to stop bleeding money.
Why should the phone be cheaper?
I just need someone to examine the bigger picture and tell me if I'm off base.
I just feel that you have give and take when it comes to pricing, and this is a great example of that in the big picture.
I'm pretty sure the "output" refers to plugging it into a TV. As opposed to the Zune, where you can just watch it on the device.
Way to ruin your reputation after working hard since pre's been released, Sprint! Please stop smoking crack...
HD = handy dandy.
That's funny. Is it April 1 already?
Just to be clear, it's not the fact that Sprint is pricing a phone at $250, it's the fact Sprint is also selling excellent and likely better phones like the Pre and Hero for much less. The service plan pricing is moot since it's the same for any of those phones. Sprint is definitely "on" some good stuff...
I don't get the comparison. HTC is selling Sprint the Hero at price A, and Samsung is selling the Instinct at price B. Price B is more, but is unrelated to Price A because the source is a different provider.
Also, the Instinct is a semi-known quantity in terms of product with an established Name. The HTC Hero is New to the Sprint Brand and new to the Sprint Mindscape. Basic Marketing tells you that the newer phone needs to get a steeper price cut to get market share and make an impact.
I'm confused what "stuff" Sprint is on.
I think the real point is people think Sprint is so desperate that they'll act stupid. That's not the case. Say what you will about Sprint, Think what you want, the Sprint of Today is not a Stupid Company.
D Heim, you're too busy making sense.
To people here, Android is better and cheaper. The consumers who like options, it's fine.
@jon.athan
Most people in this thread are comparing it to the Pre, which is in no way, shape, or form an Android device. Just sayin'.
just proves the power of monopolysoft/MS money, no articles ever point out the gimmick of ZUNE HD, yet they accuse this device of being non-HD when it apparently can actually capture video in HD? and also play HD out just like the ZUNE. This device costs more because the ZUNE is undercutting the market since MS can sell at a loss/hostile takeover tactics etc.
Who cares, just buy the Hero next month...
They seriously should be drug tested on a regular basis.... PUFF PUFF PASS BIATHCES!
Sprint sucks when it comes to phone prices, they still want the HTC Touch Pro 2 for $350 (after the $100 mail in rebate, so it's $450 up front, damn!) when Verizon is only asking $200 for it, I have Verizon but I wanted to switch to Sprint for their great data plans and for their 50 channels of TV that can be streamed via their 3G network, but I won't make the switch until they stop asking for an arm and a leg for their phones.
they lost their mind when they decided to cancel subscribers for over using data on their unlimited data plans!!!