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HTC Thunderbolt hits $175 price point with LetsTalk -- but only for this weekend
LetsTalk has this morning dropped its price for the HTC Thunderbolt from $200 all the way down to the so-far unmatched level of $175. This applies when bought with the obligatory two-year service plan and will be available to all willing customers, whether they be new to Verizon, adding an extra line, or upgrading their current phone. It also betters Amazon's $180 price in one other important aspect: Amazon's Thunderbolts are on back order at present, whereas LetsTalk has immediate stock and will even cover the cost of shipping. All good things must come to an end, however, and this discounted pricing will last only until Monday, at which point the cost will revert to a more sustainable point for the retailer. That said, we'd advise against rushing in unless you're categorically sure -- LetsTalk will ding you for $250 if you don't stick to the contract that goes with this handset for at least 181 days.
Sony refuses to get caught up in a price war with Kindle, intends to compete on quality
Boy, Sony sure loves to drag its heels when it comes to obvious industry trends. First netbooks were "a race to the bottom," now the company's saying it "won't sacrifice the quality and design" of its e-readers in order to lay claim to being the cheapest. This comes as a reaction to the Kindle's aggressive new $139 entry price point and continues Sony's reluctance to fiddle with what it sees as a successful formula. We're not going to second-guess the reasoning (too much), but it's not like there's that much room to differentiate yourself when you're using the same E Ink tech as the competition, is there? Guess if all else fails, Sony can always innovate the hell out of those leatherette cases and bundle them with the Reader.
No-name Mini USB pico projector now the cheapest you can buy
It was fun while it lasted, but Sanwa's once $119 pico projector is now selling for no less than $179, which means that it's no longer able to hold the prestigious title of "world's cheapest pico projector." As far as we can tell, that honor now belongs to this impressively boxy model known only as the "Mini USB 2.0 LED Projector w/Tripod," which is now available at various online retailers for $159.99. Specs are as basic as can be, of course -- but, hey, it comes with a tripod.
GeStream Technology's new robot challenges i-SOBOT's title
i-SOBOT, long the holder of the "world's smallest bipedal robot," finally has a proper rival, in the form of GeStream Technology's 15-centimeter-tall gold-colored bot. The latest tiny robotic overlord has 16 degrees of "freedom," which computes to something like 65,536 possible movements, and will be sold in unassembled so that owners can customize the look and functionality of the miniscule bot. With the price rumored at around $185 to $200, the company is laying claim to the "smallest, lightest, and cheapest in the world," though it wouldn't be surprising to see those titles usurped by some like-minded competitor. No word on availability, but as soon as we can get the Engadget offices crawling with a lethal army of these, we'll let you know.[Thanks, Daanish]
