Verizon dumping some mail-in rebates, going with lower upfront prices instead?

In the wake of a slew of not-so-fun changes in the wireless industry, here's a way to end the month on a bright note: a rumor over on Android Central suggests that Verizon will be killing off its mail-in rebates for some devices in favor of lower sticker prices. Specifically, a leaked screen shot says that if the device runs more than $150, there won't be any rebate at all; if it's less and not a closeout, you'll be dealing with a $50 rebate. Of course, the whole concept of a rebate is a little sneaky to begin with -- the idea is that carriers can advertise lower prices, then get you to pay more at the counter and hope that you'll fail to deal with the mail-in form that you've got to fill out; best-case scenario, they get to sit on your money for a few weeks while you wait for a gift card to show up in the mail. So yeah, our hearts wouldn't be broken if this was accurate -- as long as the new upfront prices completely erase those rebates, of course.