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Nexus S sees UK SIM-free price chopped to £430, Best Buy's Christmas deliveries not so guaranteed
The UK price for the Nexus S just became a whole lot (nearly 22 percent) more attractive, thanks to the Carphone Warehouse slashing the SIM-free purchase option to a sweet £429.99 ($668). Contract-saddled pricing has also taken a tumble, as the Nexus S can now be had for free on two-year agreements costing £30 ($47) per month. Good news all around, then, but be aware that the handset is now listed as being on back order, having been "in stock" earlier in the week. Speaking of delays, we're also hearing Best Buy's guaranteed Christmas delivery -- something proudly signposted on the Nexus S online order page -- might very well miss Santa's delivery window. A couple of our readers have received emails from the retailer advising them that their Gingerbread packages will be shipped "within the next 1-2 weeks," but might not get there by December 24th. So happy holidays and best of luck! [Thanks, Taylor and Rod]
Nexus S in stock on Carphone Warehouse's site a little early
So this is how it was supposed to go: Best Buy would start selling the Nexus S in the States on December 16th, and Carphone Warehouse would follow on a few days later -- the 20th, to be exact -- in the UK. Looks like the British are going rogue here, though, because Samsung's Gingerbread-packed slate is showing "in stock" on Carphone Warehouse's site right this very moment, which should theoretically mean it ships the same day if you order it before 5PM local time. Let us know if you get it in your paws before the 20th, alright? [Thanks, Daniel K.]
Google's Nexus S official, coming December 16th to US, 20th to UK (update: $199 on contract, $529 unlocked)
This thing is all but official anyway, but for what it's worth, Google's now got its own product page live for the upcoming Nexus S from Samsung. Here's the rundown: 4-inch WVGA display, triband HSPA with AWS support (no HSPA+, seemingly), 5 megapixel camera, NFC, 16GB of onboard storage, 512MB of RAM, available on T-Mobile. It's also got a gyroscope -- as do the existing Galaxy S phones -- along with something being called the "contour display" (which matches up with rumors we've heard), integrated VoIP support, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Interestingly, the phone's quoted as having nothing more than a 1GHz Cortex A8-based Hummingbird processor, seemingly shooting down rumors that this thing would be rocking the Orion dual-core setup. Ah, well! Peep all the shots in the gallery below. Update: And now it's official! According to the Official Google Blog, the Nexus S will be available for purchase after December 16th "online and in-store from all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores," either unlocked or with a T-Mobile plan. Across the pond, look for the Nexus S to hit December 20th at Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy UK. Videos after the break. Update 2: Best Buy's let out the pricing details: $199 with a two-year T-Mobile contract or $529 unlocked. Also, be sure to check out our rundown of the Android 2.3 SDK! [Thanks, Tony] %Gallery-109326%
Samsung cuts Galaxy Tab prices in the UK, still more than AT&T
We've already shared some opinions on why Samsung's Galaxy Tab pricing makes sense stateside -- granted, that was before AT&T announced it would be charging $50 more than every other US carrier. After initially showing up for pre-order in the UK on Carphone Warehouse for £530 ($850) and for a Queen's ransom of £799 ($1280) on Amazon though, we're glad to find The Inquirer reporting that Tab prices on both Amazon and Dixons have dropped to £469 ($738) for a 16GB model with free delivery. Carphone Warehouse has also cut prices down to £489.99 ($784) for the 32GB version. Sure, that may still sound steep to us Yankees, but keep in mind it's now a good bit less than the basic 16GB 3G iPad which currently sells for £529 ($850). Whether these prices will slide even closer to Stateside levels is still obviously anyone's guess, but at this point we're sure those of you in the UK won't have an issue paying less for your tab.
Samsung Galaxy Tab on sale now in UK
While Steve Jobs doesn't like the form factor and Google thinks that Froyo is less than ideal for tablets, we were pretty impressed by the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab's ability to run Android 2.2. Today it's officially on sale in UK shops as previously announced. It's supposed to be coming to all the major UK carriers in addition to Carphone Warehouse, Dixons, and T-Mobile shops. At the moment, we're seeing it in stock at the Carphone Warehouse under a variety of plans ranging from a £499.99 with a £10 pay monthly plan on Talk Mobile that includes 1GB of data. On the other extreme is a £99.99 deal that requires a £40 per month two year contract that includes 5GB of data on Three. It's also offered for a standalone price of £529.99. And please, whatever you do don't call it a UMPC, that was so 5 years ago. Update: We've just heard that Orange is also launching the Tab at similar price points, starting from £499. Similarly, Vodafone's offering the same tablet for £499 across all of its monthly contracts. On the other hand, O2's slapped a staggering £599 tag onto the device for all of its plans -- a very odd move, we'd say (link only works within the UK).
Carphone Warehouse getting Nexus Two in time for holidays?
This is kinda out of the blue, but British publication City A.M. is claiming that Google has inked a deal with wireless retail giant Carphone Warehouse to exclusively sell a Nexus Two -- the mythical successor to the Nexus One -- in time for Christmas this year. Little else is offered, though the story claims that it'll run Gingerbread and probably won't be manufactured by Samsung. Of course, Google has already gone on the record basically declaring the Nexus One's sales model a failure, though it specifically cited customers' inability to get hands-on time with the phone before buying it as a big problem -- and signing up with a behemoth like Carphone Warehouse would certainly solve it. It's unclear whether regions outside the retailer's sphere of influence would also be on board, though it's important to note that Carphone Warehouse is in bed with Best Buy Mobile in the States... so if you believe the rumor, feel free to start lining up in front of your local big box right now. [Thanks, Alex]
Samsung Galaxy Tab up for pre-order at Carphone Warehouse for £530
We continue that elusive hunt for an official Galaxy Tab price with the most reliable (though still not authoritative) number yet: £530 ($850) from the Carphone Warehouse. Already announced as one of the first retailers to offer the device in the UK on that November 1 launch date, the Warehouse outfit has now set its price for the 16GB Tab at exactly the level of the 3G-equipped iPad. Coincidence? We think not. This is highly likely to be Samsung's final pre-subsidy pricing, leaving it up to network operators to tempt us with some aggressive discounts. We can only hope. [Thanks, Middy]
White HTC Desire and silver Wildfire make a special appearance in London
Man, just look at these puppies -- a silver Wildfire nestling against a snow-white Desire. If this cute image is making you smile, you can thank our friends over at Android Community for stumbling upon these special edition HTC phones, which are headed to The Carphone Warehouse's exclusive club in good old Blighty (sorry, US readers). There's no date confirmed just yet, but given that these Android phones will be slapped with the regular price tags, you'd best be ready to dash to your nearest store before it's too late. Head over to the source link for more eye candy while you camp out.
British retailer outs HTC Desire Z, confirms Desire HD again
mobiles.co.uk -- which is a subsidiary of European phone giant Carphone Warehouse -- seems to be talking in some very matter-of-fact terms about a couple new Android models from HTC, presumably devices that we'll see at this upcoming September 15 event. First up is the well-leaked Desire HD, which these guys list as a Froyo device equipped with a 4.3-inch display, 1GHz core, 8 megapixel camera with 720p video capture, and 4GB of internal storage (in other words, precisely what we were expecting). More interesting to some, though, will be the Desire Z, which is described as an Android 2.1 device (yes, 2.1, not 2.2) with a full sliding keyboard -- quite likely the Vision, if we had to guess. Gonna be hard to wait for the next month to find out, isn't it? [Thanks, Richard and Pete S.]
Samsung Galaxy S coming in white?
It looks like Samsung might be getting ready to do something that Apple's having an awful time with: produce a white version of its latest, greatest smartphone. GSMArena happened across a tiny, blurry image of a particularly pale Galaxy S on the website of Spain's The Phone House -- a Carphone Warehouse company -- where it's identified as an exclusive. In our experience, full-touch handsets almost always look dashing in white, and we'd expect no different of the Super AMOLED-equipped Galaxy; unfortunately, there's no indication (yet, anyway) that this'll launch anywhere else. Anyone care to fly to Spain with €500 in hand? [Thanks, Blazeitup123]
Sony Ericsson X10 mini goes on sale, free on a miserly plan
What it lacks in raw power and display size, Sony Ericsson's X10 mini may very well make up in sheer cuteness -- and if you're into that sort of thing, you'll be delighted to know that the phone is now on sale in the UK. Carphone Warehouse is retailing the phone for free on plans as little as £15 ($21.55) a month -- and it's available on T-Mobile, 3, Orange, and Vodafone -- or £249.95 ($359) if you just want to buy the phone outright. You won't get Eclair or Froyo out of the gate -- but then again, when you're buying a phone that elicits responses of "awww" every time you pull it out of your pocket, up-to-date software probably isn't a priority.
Dell Streak free on contract in UK, assuming £25 monthly plan
You know that Dell Streak tabletphone that's got us all hot and bothered these days? Yeah, well, what with all the stabbing, we totally didn't notice that the device has already been priced in the UK. When it launches on June 4th at The Carphone Warehouse, the Streak will cost you a sizable £429 off-contract -- the same Apple wants for an iPad 16GB -- but not a penny if you opt for its data plans (carried by O2). With a £25 mobile broadband contract or a £35 voice and unlimited data contract, the five-inch WVGA slate will be yours to take home free -- the same as Carphone's iPhone 3G pricing. We don't know quite yet if O2 UK's official tariffs will be cheaper or more expensive, but the tree doesn't grow too far from the apple, as they say.
Best Buy opens first UK store in Thurrock, we go hands-on (video)
Ah, there it is, UK's first-ever Best Buy store, officially born at 7am local time yesterday. Naturally, we had to be there to witness such magical moment for Britain's consumer tech market -- the Brits had longed for an injection of energy and professionalism to the seemingly slacking chain stores. Many would agree that DSGi's two main brands -- Currys and PC World -- are on the naughty list, even after their recent relaunch. From what we saw today, it looks like Best Buy's already heading in the right direction. Let's start with the front-line employees. Most of these Blueshirts provided genuine technical answers rather than bluffing their way out, plus we were given product recommendations with no desperate sales pitch as commonly seen in other stores. When we revealed our identity to one of the sales reps, he confirmed that they were trained to not force random products onto customers -- quite the opposite culture to his old days at DSGi (assuming he was telling the truth). We sure did appreciate this new-found shopping freedom in gadget stores, but did the other customers feel the same way? Find out what we heard after the break.%Gallery-92099%
Sony Ericsson Satio sales suspended after bugs discovered
Adding insult to Sony Ericsson's injurious bottom line, Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U shops (the UK's largest mobile phone retailers) have halted sales of the SE's Symbian-powered Satio handset after a high number of customer returns and complaints. A "software glitch" reportedly causes Sony Ericsson's flagship device to power down when users try to access certain applications -- unfortunately, the issue can't be patched via an over-the-air update. A little digging into CPW discussion forums reveals multiple complaints of freezes, crashes, under-performing batteries, and bizarre interface behavior. Both the Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U will offer "new phones" to customers fed up with their Satio. Richard Dorman, senior marketing manager at Sony Ericsson, concedes the issue and assures us that it should be sorted by Christmas. Until then, you can still purchase the handset directly from Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile... but really, why would you? The Satio's not the only dubiously-spec'd 12 megapixel cameraphone on the market. [Thanks, ugotamesij]
Jabra Stone Bluetooth headset review
Finally, the teaser's over. The latest delivery to Engadget's UK penthouse is the Jabra Stone Bluetooth headset due out in the US on 8th November, and we took no time to extract the pebble from the transparent cylinder. In front of us are the two parts of the Stone: an earpiece of a breakthrough form factor that instantly makes you pity its rivals, and behind it is the accompanying portable charging base which serves as an external battery. The latter is equipped with a micro-USB port and an LED indicator -- simply green or red -- to show whether there's enough battery juice for one full charge. It's a pretty neat idea as this is the only feasible way to fit eight hours of talk time (or twelve days of standby time) into such tiny package: two on the earpiece and an extra six from the surprisingly light battery base -- our scale reckons it is just under one ounce. We also dig the auto-off function when you dock the earpiece and vice versa. Docking and undocking are pretty straight forward too: just snap in for the former, and poke your thumb through the bottom hole of the base to push the earpiece out. The generic click button hidden under the Jabra badge is easy to access and responds well. Above that is the invisible vertical touch strip for volume control and similarly it responded nicely to our strokes. What's left on the earpiece are the two LED indicators on the underside for Bluetooth connectivity and battery. So far so good, but what really matters is the ear-on experience and the audio quality -- listen for yourself after the break. %Gallery-76023%
Sony Ericsson W595 shows off its Ed Hardy tats
Hate or love their software, their usability, or their distribution model, it's hard to argue that Sony Ericsson (and Ericsson before it) hasn't usually had a keen eye for design. Ed Hardy, on the other hand... well, that's open to debate -- but like it or not, the two world are colliding thanks to Carphone Warehouse division mobiles.co.uk over in the UK. It seems the retailer has an exclusive on an Ed Hardied version of the W595 slider that's currently on pre-order, offering the same specs as its more buttoned-up sister -- QVGA display, 3.2 megapixel cam, HSDPA -- but the shell's been traded out for a truly unforgettable mishmash of artistry that's sure to leave an impression on anyone who sees the phone glued to your face. It's no more wild than the Bob Sinclar W508, really, so pick your poison. [Via mobil.cz]
Carphone Warehouse gets UK exclusive on Nokia 5530 XpressMusic next week
If you're looking for the cheapest possible way to get in on this S60 5th Edition craze that's sweeping the globe, you've probably got a keen eye on Nokia's 5530 -- a phone that strangely looks much nicer than its pricier, more full-featured 5800 big brother -- and if you're in the UK, you won't be waiting much longer. Mobile Today is reporting that Carphone Warhouse has nabbed itself a nice little six-week British exclusive on the phone starting August 11, running a totally palatable £130 (about $218) on a pay-as-you-go deal. We'd have a hard time adapting to EDGE, but who knows -- if you've got enough open WiFi networks in your daily route, maybe it's doable.[Via Unwired View]
HTC's Hero appears in soft and sensuous pink
We've now seen the HTC Hero in white, black, and a full-on hot ugly pink, and thankfully HTC's apparently seen the light and pushed this softer pink version Carphone Warehouse's way. The cell superstore has it slated for launch in July -- subject to change, of course -- with the other members of its clan, so if pink's the color of your Hero, you're golden. Nice to see these things slipping outside of the realm of black and white, so now that we have a pink version, how about some other colors HTC?[Via IntoMobile]
"iPhone V3" placeholders pop up in Carphone Warehouse systems -- white model coming too?
Look, we're not definitely saying that Apple's gonna announce a new iPhone in 16 and 32GB capacities on Monday -- we'll leave that sort of certainty to Unkie Walt -- but we will say that the evidence is starting to get overwhelming. Today's whispers bring us "iPhone32gGbV3" and iPhone 16GbV3" inventory placeholders popping up in mammoth UK retailer Carphone Warehouse's systems, with each size notably coming in both black and white editions. That's the first inkling we've seen of color choices, but we're not making too much of it, since it's entirely possible whoever entered this info was just hitting all the possibilities. We're also not seeing anything to indicate that rumored cheaper 4GB version either, so there's a lot still up in the air as we get closer to the Philnote -- keep a sharp eye, we'll let you know.
Carphone Warehouse sees retail sales rise 13%
Who says everyone has to report bum quarters these days? The Carphone Warehouse -- which is only Europe's largest, most recognizable independent mobile phone retailer -- has just reported that retail sales during its most recent quarter were up 13 percent to just over £1 billion ($1.48 billion). Moreover, its connections were up 3% to 3.7 million and subscription connections rose 3% to 1.3 million, though revenues of its TalkTalk Group were down slightly (2%) to £347 million ($514 million). Still, bigwigs at the firm aren't ignorant to the market, noting that "weaker trading conditions" are likely to continue, and thus, affect future numbers. Still, we'd say these guys deserve a round of golf claps for just breaking into '09 in the black.[Via mocoNews]